JP2007101307A - Navigation device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation device and a navigation method starting provision of suitable supporting information according to passage of a specific mark. <P>SOLUTION: The navigation device includes a detecting means for detecting the passage of a specific mark by a self-vehicle, an input means for inputting sensing information outputted from a sensor on-board in the aforementioned self-vehicle, a discriminating means for discriminating the effectiveness of sensing information aforementioned, an operation support means shifting to a sensing mode outputting operation support information, based on sensing information aforementioned when passage of the aforementioned specific mark by the self-vehicle is detected and sensing information aforementioned is discriminated as effective with the aforementioned discriminating means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device and a navigation method, and more particularly to a navigation device and a navigation method that automatically switch modes.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an obstacle detection method for detecting another vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane by sensing a proximity area of the own vehicle. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, navigation devices that perform driving assistance using information obtained by such an obstacle detection method are known. According to the driving support using sensing information, the driver can grasp the situation of the proximity area of the own vehicle in real time without relying only on his / her own perception, for example, in the situation judgment at the time of lane change or merging, The burden is reduced. However, depending on the surrounding environment and driving conditions, it may not be possible to sense the proximity area of the own vehicle, so it is not possible to always support driving using the sensing information of the proximity area of the own vehicle.

JP 11-345392 A

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problem, and provides a navigation device and a navigation method in which appropriate support information is started to be provided to a user in accordance with passage of a specific point.

  (1) A navigation device for achieving the above object includes a detection means for detecting passage of a specific point of the own vehicle, an input means for inputting sensing information output from a sensor mounted on the own vehicle, A determination means for determining the validity of the sensing information, and when the passage of the specific point of the vehicle is detected and the determination means determines that the sensing information is valid, driving based on the sensing information Driving assistance means for transitioning to a sensing mode for outputting assistance information.

  Sensing information is information output from a sensor that detects in real time the situation of the own vehicle and the proximity area of the own vehicle that change from moment to moment. While traveling, the vehicle may enter a section where driving assistance based on such sensing information is useful. The navigation device shifts to the sensing mode when the vehicle passes a specific point, which is the starting point of a section where driving assistance based on sensing information is useful, so that appropriate support information is started to be provided to the user according to the passage of the specific point. The The navigation device shifts to the sensing mode only when the sensing information is valid, and outputs the driving assistance information based on the sensing information, so that the driving assistance information based on the low-reliability sensing information when the sensing information is invalid Can be prevented from being output.

(2) The input means includes relative position information between the vehicle and the object output from the radar, a road surface image output from the camera, the speed of the vehicle output from the speed sensor, and a steering angle sensor. The sensing information including at least one of the output steering angles of the host vehicle may be input.
The relative position information of the vehicle and the object output from the radar enables the identification of the traveling state of the other vehicle relative to the vehicle, and the road surface information output from the camera enables the identification of the traveling lane. The vehicle speed and rudder angle make it possible to specify the control state of the vehicle.

(3) The input unit inputs the sensing information including a road surface image output from a camera, and the determination unit determines whether the sensing information is valid based on a length of a lane marker recognized by analysis of the road surface image. Sex may be determined.
The navigation device determines the validity of the sensing information based on the length of the lane mark recognized by the analysis of the road surface image output from the camera, and transitions to the sensing mode only when the sensing information is valid. It is possible to prevent the output of driving assistance information based on low-reliability sensing information obtained in situations such as heavy rain, fog, and night.

(4) When it is determined that the sensing information is invalid, the driving support means may output driving support information based on alternative information that replaces the sensing information.
According to the present invention, even when sensing information is invalid and driving support information based on sensing information cannot be output, driving support information based on alternative information can be output.

  (5) When it is determined that the sensing information is valid, the driving support means may transition from the normal mode in which the driving support information is output based on the alternative information to the sensing mode.

(6) The alternative information may include map information and GPS information.
When the alternative information includes map information and GPS information, driving support information corresponding to the position of the host vehicle can be output.

(7) The alternative information may include traffic information.
When the alternative information includes traffic information, driving support information according to traffic conditions can be output.

(8) The specific point may be in an acceleration lane for merging.
The navigation device outputs driving support information based on the sensing information at the time of merging, thereby reducing the load of situation determination of the user's proximity area.

(9) A navigation method for achieving the above object is to detect passage of a specific point of the own vehicle, input sensing information of a sensor mounted on the own vehicle, and determine the validity of the sensing information. , When the passing of the vehicle at the specific point is detected and the sensing information is valid, transition to a sensing mode in which driving assistance information is output based on the sensing information.
When the vehicle passes through a specific point that is a starting point of a section where driving assistance based on sensing information is useful, transition to the sensing mode starts providing appropriate support information to the user according to the passage of the specific point. Only when the sensing information is valid, it shifts to the sensing mode and outputs the driving support information based on the sensing information, so that when the sensing information is invalid, the driving support information based on the unreliable sensing information is output. Can be prevented.

  It should be noted that the order of each operation of the method described in the claims is not limited to the order of description as long as there is no technical obstruction factor, and may be executed in any order, or may be executed simultaneously. Also good. In addition, each function of the plurality of means provided in the present invention is realized by a hardware resource whose function is specified by the configuration itself, a hardware resource whose function is specified by a program, or a combination thereof. Further, the functions of the plurality of means are not limited to those realized by hardware resources that are physically independent of each other. The present invention can also be specified as an invention of a recording medium on which a program is recorded.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to the merge support to the main line at the interchange 64 on the highway will be described.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the navigation apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.
The hard disk device (HDD) 16 stores a map database (map DB). The map information around the vehicle may be acquired by the navigation device communicating with the information center 50.

The direction sensor 26 includes a geomagnetic sensor, a left / right vehicle speed difference sensor, a vibration gyro, a gas rate gyro, an optical fiber gyro, and the like used for autonomous navigation.
The vehicle speed sensor 28 is a vehicle speed sensor that is used for detection of the own vehicle speed and autonomous navigation, and is used for a speedometer. The mileage is obtained by integrating the vehicle speed with time. The vehicle speed sensor can be composed of a vehicle speed sensor using wheel rotation speed, a Doppler ground vehicle speed sensor using radio waves or ultrasonic waves, a ground vehicle speed sensor using light and a spatial filter, and the like.

The GPS unit 30 includes an antenna for receiving orbit data transmitted from three or four satellites used for satellite navigation, an ASIC for outputting latitude and longitude data of the current position of the vehicle.
The radar unit 32 includes an optical radar, a radio wave radar, and the like, and detects the positions of surrounding vehicles with respect to the own vehicle. By differentiating the variation of the surrounding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle with respect to time, the traveling direction and speed of the surrounding vehicle can be obtained.

  The camera unit 34 includes a digital camera such as a CCD camera or a CMOS camera used for lane marker recognition. The camera unit 34 can capture a lane mark for identifying the traveling lane of the host vehicle by capturing a road surface image of the front or rear of the host vehicle, and can capture a high speed by capturing the side of the host vehicle. It is possible to take an image of a zebra zone or a side-by-side vehicle that indicates a section where merging is prohibited from the main road. The traveling lane of the host vehicle may be detected by recognizing a lane marker corresponding to the guide cable method, the magnetic marker method, and the reflector method.

The steering angle sensor 24 is configured by a non-contact rotation angle sensor using magnetism, light, or the like, and detects the absolute steering angle of the steering wheel.
The ETC unit 23 includes an antenna and an ASIC for communicating with a communication device provided at an entrance toll gate on a toll road. The ETC unit 23 acquires billing information corresponding to the travel section of the toll road from the communication device provided at the entrance / exit toll gate of the expressway, and subtracts the billing amount from the prepaid information. By detecting communication between the ETC unit 23 and the entrance toll gate on the expressway, it is possible to detect the passage of the host vehicle at the entrance toll gate.

The operation unit 11 includes a remote controller, an operation panel, and the like used for destination input and display switching.
The display 12 is configured by an FPD (Flat Panel Display), HUD (Head Up Display), or the like used for displaying operation guidance, a map, or a travel route guidance.
The speaker 14 is used to output guidance voices for operations and travel routes. The speaker 14 may be shared with an audio speaker or may be dedicated for navigation.

The interface 17 serving as an input unit includes an AD converter, a DA converter, and the like, and performs signal format conversion between the various input / output units described above and the CPU 20.
The RAM 22 temporarily stores data and programs processed by the CPU 20.
The flash memory 18 is a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM that stores a control program executed by the CPU 20. The flash memory 18 stores information that must be maintained in a state where the power supply to the navigation device 1 is cut off. The control program and the map DB can be stored in the flash memory 18 or the HDD 16 by downloading from a predetermined server via a network, reading from a computer-readable storage medium such as a removable memory (not shown), and the like.

CPU20 controls each part of the navigation apparatus 1 by running a control program.
The information center 50 extracts various types of traffic information from the traffic information database (traffic information DB) 56 and transmits the information to each vehicle from the communication unit 52 by FM multiplex broadcasting, optical beacons, infrared beacons, or the like.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a software configuration of the control program of the navigation apparatus 1.
The map DB 42 is a database composed of information obtained by digitally representing a map in a graph format, and is used for detecting the current position of the vehicle on the road network, detecting the number of lanes, and the like. In the map DB 42, intersections, junctions, turning points, dead ends, and the like are nodes, and roads are defined as links connecting nodes. In addition, distance, speed limit, number of lanes, width, road type (highway, general road, etc.) are defined as attribute information for each link, and presence / absence of a signal is defined as attribute information for each node.

  The terrain information database (terrain information DB) 44 is a database that stores terrain information that is used to support the merge of each IC 64 on the highway to the highway main line 66. In the present embodiment, for each IC, as shown in FIG. 4, “switching point to join support mode”, “reference point”, “acceleration guidance start point”, “sensing start point” as a specific point, and “ A “merge start point” is defined. The terrain information DB 44 is information for detecting the passage of each of these points (for example, latitude and longitude, distance traveled from the reference point, index object pattern used for image recognition, etc.), the length of the acceleration lane 60, and the like. Is stored for each IC 64. The “reference point” is set at a branch point after passing through the entrance toll gate 80, for example. The “sensing start point” is set at the start point of the zebra zone 76 that separates the ramp 61 and the main highway 66, for example. The “acceleration guidance start point” is set, for example, at a point that is a predetermined distance (for example, 50 m) from the “sensing start point”. The “joining start point” is set at the end point of the zebra zone 76, for example. These pieces of information defined in the terrain information DB may be defined as link attribute information in the map DB 42.

The route guidance module 46 performs correction by map matching using the map DB 42, and the latitude / longitude data of the current position of the vehicle input from the GPS unit 30, the travel speed input from the vehicle speed sensor 28, and the direction sensor The position of the vehicle on the road network is calculated based on the traveling direction input from the vehicle 26 (locating), and the current position of the vehicle is displayed on the map. In addition, when the destination is set by the user, the route guidance module 46 searches for a route from the current position of the host vehicle to the destination, and notifies the user of the right or left turn at the intersection according to the searched route by voice and display. Guide the route to the destination set by.
The merge support module 48 is a program component that causes the CPU 20 to function as a detection unit, an input unit, a driving support unit, and a determination unit. The merge support module 48 is based on the terrain information of the IC 64 stored in the terrain information DB and the sensing information output from the camera unit 34, the radar unit 32, the vehicle speed sensor 38, the azimuth sensor 26, and the steering angle sensor 24. Outputs driving support information according to the situation in the vicinity of the vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in the merge support mode of the navigation device 1. The process shown in FIG. 1 is started when the CPU 20 detects the passing of the “switching point to the merging support mode” of the own vehicle. The passage of the “switching point to the merging support mode” is performed by the communication between the ETC unit 23 and the entrance toll gate of the expressway, the vehicle position calculated by locating and the terrain information DB 44 defined in the merging support mode It is detected by a match with the “switching point to”. Note that switching to the merge support mode may be performed in accordance with a user operation using the operation unit 11.
In step S100, the navigation apparatus 1 acquires the traffic information of the highway main line 66 to join. Specifically, the CPU 20 acquires the flow speed, congestion information, traffic regulation information, and the like of the highway main line 66 near the current position transmitted from the information center 50 via the communication unit 25. These pieces of information acquired by road-to-vehicle communication are also substitute information for sensing information that is utilized when sensing information is invalid.

  In step S102, the navigation device 1 detects the passage of the reference point and corrects the vehicle position with high accuracy. Specifically, the CPU 20 performs pattern matching using a forward image output from the camera unit 34 and a template such as a destination display board 82 registered in the terrain information DB 44 and latitude input from the GPS unit 30. Using the longitude data together, the current location of the vehicle is accurately identified at the reference point. If the current location of the vehicle is accurately specified on the road in the interchange where there is no branch to the main highway 66, it is possible to accurately detect the passage of each point even by autonomous navigation alone.

  In step S <b> 104, the navigation device 1 acquires the terrain information of the running IC 64 from the terrain information DB 44. Specifically, the CPU 20 uses latitude and longitude, the distance from the position specified in step S102, image recognition as information for detecting the “acceleration guidance start point”, “sensing start point”, and “joining start point”. The pattern of the index object used for the purpose is acquired.

  In step S106, the navigation device 1 determines whether the host vehicle has passed the “acceleration guidance start point”. Specifically, for example, the CPU 20 sequentially calculates the relative position with respect to the reference point of the own vehicle by autonomous navigation, and compares the relative position of the “acceleration guidance start point” with respect to the reference point and the relative position with respect to the reference point of the own vehicle. Thus, the passage of the “acceleration guidance start point” is detected. The CPU 20 may detect the passage of the “acceleration guidance start point” by satellite navigation.

  In step S108, the navigation apparatus 1 performs acceleration guidance to the flow speed of the highway main line 66 obtained from the traffic information. Specifically, the CPU 20 compares the own vehicle speed with the flow speed of the highway main line 66 obtained from the traffic information, and the sound of the main line 66 is 80 km. Please accelerate. Or the flow velocity of the highway main line is displayed on the display 12.

  The navigation device 1 repeats the process of step S108 until the passage of the “sensing start point” is detected in step S110. The CPU 20 detects the passage of the “sensing start point” by comparing the front or side road surface image input from the camera unit 34 with the zebra zone pattern stored in the terrain information DB. The CPU 20 may detect the passage of the “sensing start point” by autonomous navigation starting from the “reference point”.

In step S112, the navigation device 1 confirms the sensing function. Specifically, for example, the CPU 20 measures the length of the lane marker specified by analyzing the road surface image captured by the camera unit 34.
In situations such as rain, night, and fog, the length of the lane marker that can be recognized by image analysis is shortened. In such a situation, it becomes difficult to guide a lane change at an accurate timing, so it is necessary to prevent erroneous guidance using sensing information.

  In step S114, the CPU 20 proceeds to the normal mode processing in step S118 if the length of the lane marker measured in step S112 is equal to or smaller than a predetermined set value, that is, if the sensing information is not valid. Advances to the sensing mode processing of step S116. The CPU 20 may check the operation of the radar unit 32, the vehicle speed sensor 38, and the steering angle sensor 24, and may determine that the sensing information is not valid unless the sensing information obtained from these is normal. If the sharpness of the zebra zone image acquired from 34 is lower than a predetermined value, it may be determined that the sensing information is not valid.

  When the navigation device 1 passes the “sensing start point” set at the start point of the zebra zone, the navigation device 1 autonomously shifts to a sensing mode that outputs driving support information based on the sensing information, so that the driver operates the navigation device 1. In addition, driving support information that reduces the burden on the driver when joining the expressway main line can be obtained at an appropriate timing. The driver's consciousness concentrates on driving because the driving environment changes drastically when joining the highway main line. In such a situation, it is important for safe operation that the mode switching operation is unnecessary.

In step S116, the navigation device 1 operates in the sensing mode, and performs driving support processing based on the sensing information. That is, the navigation device 1 outputs driving support information that supports interruption to the joining space while sensing the proximity area of the own vehicle.
In step S118, the navigation device 1 operates in the normal mode, and performs driving support processing that does not guide the exact timing of merging. Specifically, for example, based on the result of comparing the legal speed of the freeway main line acquired from the map DB and the vehicle speed, "the legal speed of the main line has been reached. Please join carefully" Audio is output from the speaker 14, or audio such as "Main line is slightly congested. Please join carefully" is output from the speaker 14 based on the traffic situation of the highway main line specified by traffic information. Or similar characters are displayed on the display 12. Further, for example, the CPU 20 may output driving support information based on current position information or the like input from the GPS unit 30. Even when the reliability of sensing information is low and guidance based on sensing information is not possible, the navigation device 1 outputs driving support information based on alternative information such as traffic information, map information, GPS information, etc., thereby reducing the burden on the driver. It is reduced.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing details of the driving support process in the sensing mode.
In step S200, the navigation apparatus 1 performs sensing of surrounding vehicles. Specifically, first, the CPU 20 detects the position / speed / length of the interrupt space of the vehicle train traveling on the main highway 66 based on the position information of the surrounding vehicles output from the radar unit 32. Referring to FIG. 6, first, the radar unit 32 outputs position information indicating positions P <b> 1 and P <b> 2 of the vehicle 72 and the vehicle 78 traveling on the left lane 62 of the highway main line 66 with respect to the own vehicle 74. The position of the interrupt space can be obtained as the position P1 of the preceding vehicle 72 or the position P2 of the following vehicle 78. The length of the interrupt space is the distance from the position P2 to P1. The speed of the interrupt space can be obtained as the speed of the preceding vehicle 72 or the speed of the following vehicle 78. These speeds are obtained by differentiating the position P1 or P2 of the preceding vehicle 72 or the following vehicle 78 with respect to time.

In step S202, the navigation apparatus 1 determines whether it can join. Specifically, for example, when all of the following conditions are satisfied, the CPU 20 determines that the merge is possible.
・ Vehicle speed is above the legal lower limit speed.
・ The length of the interrupt space is long enough.
・ The distance between the vehicle before and after the interruption space and the vehicle is sufficiently large.
-The absolute speed of the vehicle ahead of the interrupt space is faster than the own vehicle speed, or the difference between the absolute speed of the vehicle ahead of the interrupt space and the own vehicle speed is sufficiently small.
-The absolute speed of the vehicle behind the interruption space is slower than the own vehicle speed, or the difference between the absolute speed of the vehicle behind the interruption space and the own vehicle speed is sufficiently small.

  The parameters used for condition determination (interrupt space length, etc.) can be calculated from position information output from the radar unit 32. The determination is based on a difference between a predetermined appropriate value (for example, the distance between the vehicle before and after the interruption space and the host vehicle = 50 m) and the value of the parameter calculated from the position information output from the radar unit 32. Done. The appropriate value can be stored as a code of the control program, or can be stored as a link attribute of the map DB 42.

If the above condition is satisfied and the merging with the freeway main line 66 is possible, the navigation device 1 proceeds to step S206. If the above condition is not satisfied and merging is not possible, the process proceeds to step S204.
In step S204, the navigation device 1 provides guidance for speed matching to the interrupt space. Specifically, first, the CPU 20 acquires the speed of the host vehicle from the output of the vehicle speed sensor 38, and acquires the legal speed of the main highway 66 from the map DB. Next, the CPU 20 safely enters the interrupt space from the own vehicle speed, the legal speed of the highway main line 66, and the position, speed, and length of the interrupt space of the train running on the highway main line 66. Calculate the appropriate vehicle speed. Furthermore, the CPU 20 determines the necessity for acceleration or deceleration according to the difference between the calculated appropriate vehicle speed and the current host vehicle speed, and if acceleration or deceleration is necessary, the CPU 20 provides driving assistance information for prompting acceleration or deceleration. 14 or the display 12 and returns to step S200.

  In step S206, the navigation device 1 outputs a joinable guide. Specifically, for example, the CPU 20 outputs a sound (for example, “interrupt is possible. Please enter the main line”) as driving support information that prompts the steering to the highway main line side from the speaker 14, An arrow indicating the direction to take the rudder as the driving support information is displayed on the display 12.

In step S208, the navigation apparatus 1 determines completion of the merge. Specifically, the CPU 20 tracks the lane marker based on the front or rear road surface image output from the camera unit 34 and determines whether the host vehicle is traveling on the highway main line 66. Further, it may be determined whether the vehicle is in the highway main line 66 based on the position information of the surrounding vehicles output from the radar unit 32. When the merge is completed, the driving support in the sensing mode is terminated.
In this way, the navigation device 1 provides driving assistance based on the sensing information when joining the highway main line 66, thereby reducing the load of the user on the situation determination around the vehicle.

The flowchart concerning one Example of this invention. The block diagram concerning one Example of this invention. The block diagram concerning one Example of this invention. The schematic diagram concerning one Example of this invention. The flowchart concerning one Example of this invention. The schematic diagram concerning one Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  1: navigation device, 12: display (driving support means), 14: speaker (driving support means), 17: interface (input means), 25: communication unit (input means), 48: confluence support module (detection means, input) Means, driving support means, determination means)

Claims (9)

Detection means for detecting passage of a specific point of the vehicle;
Input means for inputting sensing information output from a sensor mounted on the vehicle;
Determining means for determining the effectiveness of the sensing information;
Driving assistance means for transitioning to a sensing mode in which driving assistance information is output based on the sensing information when the passage of the specific point of the vehicle is detected and the sensing information is judged to be valid by the judging means When,
A navigation device comprising: The input means outputs relative position information between the vehicle and the object output from a radar, a road surface image output from a camera, a speed of the vehicle output from a speed sensor, and a steering angle sensor. Inputting the sensing information including at least one of the steering angles of the vehicle.
The navigation device according to claim 1. The input means inputs the sensing information including a road surface image output from a camera,
The determination means determines the effectiveness of the sensing information based on the length of a lane marker recognized by analysis of the road surface image;
The navigation device according to claim 1. The driving support means outputs driving support information based on alternative information replacing the sensing information when the sensing information is determined to be invalid.
The navigation device according to claim 1. When it is determined that the sensing information is valid, the driving support means transitions from the normal mode that outputs driving support information based on the alternative information to the sensing mode.
The navigation device according to claim 4. The alternative information includes map information and GPS information.
The navigation device according to claim 4 or 5. The alternative information includes traffic information.
The navigation device according to any one of claims 4 to 6.   The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the specific point is in an acceleration lane for merging. Detects the passing of a specific point of the vehicle,
Enter the sensing information of the sensor mounted on the vehicle,
Determine the effectiveness of the sensing information;
When passage of the vehicle at the specific point is detected and the sensing information is valid, transition to a sensing mode for outputting driving support information based on the sensing information,
A navigation method including that.

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