JP2009058285A - Road information acquisition device, driving support apparatus, and method and program for acquiring road information - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that a stabilization control of a vehicle is executed even at a place where no level difference of a road exists and no stabilization control needs to be conducted. <P>SOLUTION: Information showing the current location of a driver's vehicle is acquired and it is determined that the vehicle leaves the road. When the vehicle is determined to leave the road, information showing the level difference is acquired by reference to the results of detection of a detecting part which detects passing of the vehicle over the level difference. On the occasion when the level difference exists in a path for leaving, the position of the level difference is recorded in a storage medium on the basis of the information showing the current location of the vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a road information acquisition device that acquires information about a road, a road information acquisition method, a road information acquisition program, and a driving support device that controls a host vehicle based on the road information.

Conventionally, it is determined that a vehicle deviates from the road and enters a parking lot by acquiring signals from a navigation device, a direction indicator, and a vehicle speed sensor, and when it is determined that the vehicle deviates from the road, the vehicle height and shock absorber There is known a technique for adjusting the attenuation factor (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-352056 A

In the conventional technology, there is a case where there is no level difference and the stabilization control is performed even in a place where it is not necessary to perform the vehicle stabilization control.
That is, when exiting a road and entering a facility such as a parking lot, a step is not always present in front of the facility. However, in the above-described technology, since the vehicle stabilization control is performed when the vehicle exits the road and enters a facility such as a parking lot, the stabilization control is performed when all the facilities enter. For this reason, for example, the damping rate of the suspension and the stiffness of the stabilizer are improperly changed, which deteriorates the riding comfort and lowers the running stability.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of reliably performing stabilization control when stabilization control is required.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, when it is determined that the host vehicle has left the road, the detection result of the detection unit that detects whether or not the host vehicle has passed through the step is referred to. Get the information shown. And when the information which shows the said level | step difference has shown presence of a level | step difference, the present position of the own vehicle is acquired and it records on a storage medium as information which shows the position of a level | step difference.

  That is, rather than simply estimating the presence of a level difference when the vehicle leaves the road, the level difference is specified when the vehicle leaves the road. , That position is to be recorded. As a result, it is possible to accurately acquire information indicating the presence of a step, and by referring to this information, it becomes possible to perform stabilization control in the host vehicle in a state where the presence of the step is reliably specified. . Therefore, it is possible to easily acquire information for reliably performing the stabilization control when the stabilization control is necessary.

  Here, as long as the current position acquisition unit can acquire information indicating the current position of the host vehicle, various configurations can be adopted. For example, a configuration for specifying the current position of the host vehicle based on a signal from GPS, a configuration for specifying the position of the host vehicle with a sensor or a camera, a trajectory of the host vehicle on a map, inter-vehicle communication, road-to-vehicle communication. The structure etc. which identify the position of the own vehicle based on etc. are employable.

  The exit determination means only needs to be able to determine that the host vehicle is leaving the road (hereinafter also referred to as exit determination), and enter a facility other than the road across the boundary line of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling. What is necessary is just to be able to determine that it is in the state. For example, you may employ | adopt the structure which performs exit determination using the camera mounted in the own vehicle. That is, if image information including the surroundings of the host vehicle is acquired by the camera, it is possible to acquire information indicating that the host vehicle is leaving the road based on the image information.

  More specifically, if the operation in the image of the feature of the road on which the vehicle travels is specified based on the image information and the operation of the vehicle is specified from the operation in the image of the feature, the vehicle It is possible to specify whether or not the vehicle is about to leave the road. Note that the feature is a feature that exists around the host vehicle, and may be any object whose relative relationship with the host vehicle fluctuates due to the traveling of the host vehicle, such as road markings (for example, lines on the road, arrows, Characters, numbers, symbols, pedestrian crossings, road fences, stones) and structures on the road (for example, highway walls, shoulders, sidewalks, median strips, buildings, signs, signboards, traffic lights) It can be adopted.

  Furthermore, it is good also as a structure which performs the above-mentioned exit determination based on the destination of the own vehicle. That is, if a destination is set when the travel route is guided in the host vehicle, it can be said that the possibility that the host vehicle enters the destination is extremely high. Therefore, if the distance between the current position of the host vehicle and the destination is equal to or less than the predetermined distance, and it is determined that the host vehicle leaves the road in order to enter the destination, the exit determination can be performed with extremely high accuracy. it can. Since the destination here is a destination for performing exit determination, a facility or the like that has left the road is the destination.

  Of course, various other configurations can be adopted as the configuration for performing the exit determination, and information indicating that the direction indicator is operated in a state where the own vehicle does not exist near the intersection is obtained. It is possible to adopt a configuration that determines that the host vehicle leaves the road when the direction indicator indicates the outside of the road. Further, when the host vehicle is traveling in the left and right lanes, the exit from the road may be determined when a steering angle indicating the exit from the road is acquired by the steering sensor. Furthermore, you may combine the structure for performing the above various exit determinations.

  Furthermore, the step information acquisition unit may acquire information indicating the step with reference to the detection result of the detection unit mounted on the host vehicle when the exit determination is made. Here, a level | step difference is an unevenness | corrugation which exists in the road surface which a vehicle passes, and is an unevenness | corrugation which should reduce the influence by the stabilization control in the own vehicle.

  Accordingly, the detection unit only needs to be able to detect that the host vehicle has passed a step such as an unevenness, and a sensor that detects vibrations in the vehicle, a sensor that detects acceleration acting on the vehicle, or the like can be employed. Further, the road surface may be photographed by a camera, and the passage of a step may be detected based on the photographed image information, or the passage of the step may be indirectly detected based on the operation of a suspension or a stabilizer.

  In any case, the step information acquisition means refers to the detection result of the detection unit that detects that the host vehicle has passed the step, and information indicating the step when the detection result indicates that there is a step. The information indicating the presence of a step may be acquired. Further, the step position information recording means only needs to be able to acquire information indicating the position when the presence of the step is detected and record it on the storage medium, and to directly indicate the position such as latitude and longitude. There may be information indicating the position of the step in association with the feature whose position is specified, such as a facility or a road, and various configurations can be adopted.

  Furthermore, if information indicating the step position is recorded on the storage medium as described above, the step position is specified with reference to the storage medium, and the distance between the step position and the current position of the host vehicle is predetermined. If the traveling stabilization control of the host vehicle is performed in the traveling stabilization unit mounted on the host vehicle when the distance is equal to or shorter than the distance, it is possible to improve the traveling stability when the host vehicle passes through the step. That is, when the stabilization control is necessary, the stabilization control can be surely performed.

  Note that the travel stabilization unit only needs to be able to stabilize the travel of the host vehicle.For example, the suspension and the stabilizer are configured such that the degree of shock absorption is set higher than when traveling on a normal road. Is possible. Needless to say, here, it is only necessary that the travel stabilization unit can perform control for traveling stabilization when the host vehicle passes through a step, and the above-described exit determination may be combined. For example, when the host vehicle is determined to leave the road and the distance between the position of the step and the host vehicle position is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, control for stabilizing the driving of the host vehicle is performed. May be.

  Furthermore, the method of detecting whether or not the own vehicle has passed the step as in the present invention, specifying the position of the step based on the detection result, and recording it on the storage medium is also applicable as a program or method. is there. In addition, the above-described device, program, and method may be realized as a single device or may be realized by using components shared with each part of the vehicle, and include various aspects. It is a waste. For example, it is possible to provide a navigation device, a method, and a program that include the above devices. Further, some changes may be made as appropriate, such as a part of software and a part of hardware. Furthermore, the invention is also established as a recording medium for a program for controlling the apparatus. Of course, the software recording medium may be a magnetic recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, or any recording medium to be developed in the future.

Here, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.
(1) Configuration of navigation device:
(2) Step position acquisition processing:
(3) Suspension control processing:
(4) Other embodiments:

(1) Configuration of navigation device:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device 10 including a road information acquisition device and a driving support device according to the present invention. The navigation device 10 includes a control unit 20 including a CPU, RAM, ROM, and the like and a storage medium 30, and the control unit 20 can execute a program stored in the storage medium 30 or the ROM. In this embodiment, the navigation program 21 can be implemented as one of the programs. The navigation program 21 has a function of acquiring and recording a step position as its function and a stabilization control before the step position. Has the ability to do.

  The vehicle according to the present embodiment (a vehicle equipped with the navigation device 10) includes a GPS receiver 40, a vehicle speed sensor 41, a camera 42, an acceleration sensor 43, and a suspension 44 in order to realize the functions of the navigation program 21. The functions of the navigation program 21 are realized by the cooperation of these units and the control unit 20. The GPS receiver 40 receives radio waves from GPS satellites and outputs information for calculating the current position of the vehicle via an interface (not shown). The control unit 20 acquires this signal and acquires the current position of the vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor 41 outputs a signal corresponding to the rotational speed of the wheels provided in the vehicle. The control unit 20 acquires this signal via an interface (not shown) and acquires the speed of the vehicle.

  The camera 42 is attached to the host vehicle so as to include the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, and outputs image data indicating a captured image. The control unit 20 acquires this image data via an interface (not shown). The acceleration sensor 43 outputs a signal corresponding to the acceleration acting on the host vehicle. The control unit 20 acquires this signal via an interface (not shown), and acquires information indicating a step based on the acceleration acting on the host vehicle. Therefore, the acceleration sensor 43 corresponds to a “detection unit that detects whether or not the host vehicle has passed through a step” in the claims.

  The vehicle speed sensor 41 and the acceleration sensor 43 are used for acquiring information indicated by output signals of the sensors, and are also used for correcting the current position of the vehicle specified from the output signal of the GPS receiver 40. The Of course, the configuration for acquiring the current position of the vehicle is not limited to the above-described configuration, and a configuration for acquiring the operation of the vehicle using a gyro sensor or the like may be adopted, or the output of the vehicle speed sensor or the gyro sensor or the like may be adopted. You may employ | adopt the structure which correct | amends a present position based on a signal and the locus | trajectory of a vehicle. Various other configurations can be adopted for acquiring information indicating the operation of the vehicle, such as a configuration in which the current position of the host vehicle is specified by a sensor or camera, a signal from GPS, or on a map. It is possible to adopt a configuration in which the own vehicle operation information is acquired by vehicle trajectory, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, road-to-vehicle communication, etc.

  The suspension 44 is an anti-vibration mechanism mounted on the host vehicle, and includes a mechanism capable of adjusting the transmission characteristics of an external force acting on the host vehicle from the road surface. The control unit 20 can output a control signal to the suspension 44 via an interface (not shown) to adjust the above-described transfer characteristics. That is, the degree of transmission of external force by the suspension 44 (suspension hardness) can be adjusted.

  The control unit 20 executes a navigation program 21 to perform a vehicle route search or the like based on output information of the GPS reception unit 40 or map information described later, route guidance or the like via a display unit or a speaker (not shown), and the like. I do. Further, at this time, it is detected whether or not the own vehicle has passed the step, and the position of the step is specified and recorded on the storage medium based on the detection result, and further, the suspension is detected when the vehicle passes the position of the step. In order to realize the function of performing the stabilization control in 44, the navigation program 21 includes a guide unit 21a, a current position acquisition unit 21b, an exit determination unit 21c, a step information acquisition unit 21d, a step position recording unit 21e, and a stabilization control unit 21f. It has.

  Further, the storage medium 30 stores map information 30a for performing guidance by the navigation program 21. The map information 30a includes node data indicating nodes set on the road on which the vehicle travels, shape interpolation point data for specifying the shape of the road between the nodes, link data indicating the connection between the nodes, the road and its surroundings Data indicating the features present in the vehicle, information indicating the position of the step, and the like, which are used for specifying the current position of the vehicle, determining whether to perform guidance to the destination, and stabilization control.

  The guide unit 21a is a module for specifying a travel route in the vehicle and performing route guidance, and performs route guidance processing for guiding the host vehicle to the destination with reference to the map information 30a. In the present embodiment, the guide unit 21a determines a route for reaching the destination, and performs guidance so as to drive along the route via a display unit and a speaker (not shown). In the present embodiment, the information indicating the destination is transferred to the exit determination unit 21c, and is also used for determining that the host vehicle exits the road.

  The current position acquisition unit 21b is a module that acquires information indicating the current position of the host vehicle. The position information indicated by the output signal of the GPS reception unit 40 is output using the output signal output from the vehicle speed sensor 41 and the map information 30a. Correction is made based on the trajectory on the map, and the current position of the host vehicle is acquired. The acquired information indicating the current position is transferred to the exit determination unit 21c, the step position recording unit 21e, and the stabilization control unit 21f.

  The exit determination unit 21c is a module that performs exit determination by detecting that the host vehicle is about to enter a facility other than the road beyond the boundary line of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling. In the present embodiment, the exit determination is performed based on the image information output from the camera 42, and the exit determination is performed based on the destination determined by the guide unit 21a and the current position acquired by the current position acquisition unit 21b. I do. That is, the image information output from the camera 42 is information on an image including the surroundings of the host vehicle, and includes features that move within the image in accordance with the operation of the host vehicle. Therefore, if the operation in the image of the feature of the road on which the vehicle travels is specified based on the image information and the operation of the vehicle is specified from the operation in the image of the feature, the vehicle leaves the road. It is possible to specify whether or not the current state is an attempt.

  For example, when the camera 42 is a camera that captures the back or front of the host vehicle, white lines existing on both sides of the host vehicle extend toward a certain point (so-called vanishing point) in the image captured by the camera. Then, when the extending direction of these white lines is parallel to the traveling direction of the host vehicle, the vanishing point is positioned at the approximate center in the left-right direction in the image. Move in. Therefore, if the amount of movement of the vanishing point is detected and it is determined whether or not the amount of movement exceeds a predetermined amount of movement, it can be determined that the host vehicle is about to leave the road. . Note that the feature is a feature that exists around the host vehicle, and may be any object whose relative relationship with the host vehicle fluctuates due to the traveling of the host vehicle, such as road markings (for example, lines on the road, arrows, Characters, numbers, symbols, pedestrian crossings, road fences, stones) and structures on the road (for example, highway walls, shoulders, sidewalks, median strips, buildings, signs, signboards, traffic lights) It can be adopted.

  Furthermore, if the destination of the host vehicle is set as described above, it can be said that the possibility that the host vehicle exits the road after entering the road and enters the destination is extremely high. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the distance between the current position of the host vehicle and the destination is acquired, and it is determined that the host vehicle leaves the road when the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined distance. Since the destination here is a destination for performing exit determination, a facility or the like that has left the road is the destination.

  The step information acquisition unit 21d acquires information indicating a step with reference to the acceleration detection result by the acceleration sensor 43 when it is determined that the host vehicle leaves the road. That is, it is determined whether or not the host vehicle has passed the step based on the magnitude of acceleration acting on the vertical direction of the host vehicle (direction perpendicular to the road surface on which the host vehicle travels), the change in acceleration, and the like. When it is determined that the vehicle has passed the step, the presence of the step is detected. The level difference is unevenness existing on the road surface through which the vehicle passes, and is an unevenness whose influence should be reduced by stabilization control in the host vehicle.

  When information indicating that a step exists is acquired by the step information acquisition unit 21d, the step position recording unit 21e acquires the position of the step and records it as a part of the map information 30a. That is, information indicating the current position of the host vehicle is acquired, the current position of the host vehicle acquired at the timing when the presence of the step is detected is acquired as information indicating the position of the step, and map information is acquired as information indicating the position of the step. Record in 30a.

  The stabilization controller 21f outputs a control signal to the suspension 44 to adjust the stiffness of the suspension. That is, the current position of the host vehicle is acquired, the step existing in the vicinity of the current position is searched with reference to the map information 30a, and the distance between the two based on the searched step position and the current position of the host vehicle. To get. When the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, a signal for causing the suspension 44 to perform control for stabilizing the traveling of the host vehicle (for example, the suspension 44 is made softer than that during normal traveling). Output signal). As a result, the suspension 44 has a hardness adapted to the step, and traveling stability when the host vehicle passes the step is improved.

(2) Step position acquisition processing:
Next, the step position acquisition process performed by the navigation device 10 in the above configuration will be described. When the information indicating the position of the step is not acquired in front of the host vehicle, a process for acquiring the position of the step is performed by the step position acquisition process. Further, when the navigation program 21 is being executed by the navigation device 10, the navigation program 21 performs guidance processing such as a route for the driver of the host vehicle. In the process, a so-called map matching process is performed in the present embodiment.

  The map matching process is a process that considers that the host vehicle is traveling on the road indicated by the node or the shape interpolation point when the traveling locus of the host vehicle matches the arrangement of the node and the shape interpolation point. When this map matching process is matching the host vehicle with the arrangement of nodes and shape interpolation points, it can be considered that the host vehicle is traveling on the road. During the execution of the guidance process and the map matching process as described above, the navigation program 21 executes the step position acquisition process shown in FIG. 2 at regular intervals (for example, 100 ms).

  When the step position acquisition process shown in FIG. 2 is started, first, the navigation program 21 determines whether or not the traveling locus of the host vehicle is being matched with an arbitrary node or shape interpolation point in the above-described matching process. (Step S100) If it is not determined that matching is being performed, the step position acquisition process is terminated.

  When it is determined in step S100 that matching is in progress, the guide unit 21a refers to the map information 30a ahead of the host vehicle (step S105), and the destination is located in a predetermined range ahead of the current position of the host vehicle. And information on features. Next, the navigation program 21 determines whether or not the host vehicle is traveling based on information indicating the vehicle speed output from the vehicle speed sensor 41 (step S110), and when it is not determined that the host vehicle is traveling. The step position acquisition process ends.

  When it is determined in step S110 that the host vehicle is traveling, the exit determination unit 21c determines whether the host vehicle is traveling in the left and right lanes (step S115). That is, it is determined whether or not the host vehicle is traveling in the left lane or the right lane. In the present embodiment, the determination is made based on the white line on the road surface, and the exit determination unit 21c first acquires the image information output by the camera 42, and on the road surface based on the image information. Extract white lines. The white line can be extracted by using Hough transform or the like.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation example according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 4 shows an example in which the own vehicle C traveling on the road R and the facility F exists on the side of the road R. . In this example, the host vehicle C is equipped with a camera 42 that includes a road surface behind the host vehicle C in the field of view. In FIG. 4, the field of view of the camera 42 is indicated by a one-dot chain line. In this configuration, since the image information acquired by the camera 42 includes white lines on the road surface located behind the host vehicle C, these white lines are extracted.

  When the white line is extracted, the exit determination unit 21c further determines whether the white line is a solid line or a broken line, and the white line corresponding to the boundary line of the lane in which the host vehicle travels is a solid line. If the corresponding solid white line exists on the left side of the host vehicle, it is determined that the host vehicle is traveling in the leftmost lane. In addition, when the white line corresponding to the boundary line of the lane in which the host vehicle travels is a solid line and the solid white line corresponding to the boundary line exists on the right side of the host vehicle, the host vehicle is traveling in the rightmost lane. Determine that there is.

  That is, in the present embodiment, based on the fact that the lane boundary existing at the end of the road R is a solid line and the lane boundary existing outside the end of the road R is a broken line as shown in FIG. It is determined whether or not the host vehicle is traveling on the edge of the road. When the host vehicle is traveling on the edge of the road, it is considered that the host vehicle may exit the road.

If it is not determined in step S115 that the host vehicle is traveling in the left and right lanes, it is considered that the host vehicle will not leave the road, and the step position acquisition process ends. When it is determined in step S115 that the host vehicle is traveling in the left and right lanes, the exit determination unit 21c further acquires the destination from the guide unit 21a, and the destination is determined from the host vehicle. It is determined whether or not it exists within a distance L ₁ (for example, 50 m) (step S120). That is, the exit determination unit 21c acquires information indicating the destination from the guide unit 21a, specifies the position of the destination, specifies the current position of the host vehicle, acquires the distance between the two, and the distance is determined in advance. or-determined is within the predetermined distance L ₁ whether to determine.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, when the destination of the host vehicle C traveling on the left end of the road R is set at the facility F and the distance is within a predetermined distance L ₁ from the host vehicle, the host vehicle C It is assumed that the vehicle C leaves the road R and enters the destination facility F. When it is determined in step S120 that the destination is within the predetermined distance, the step information acquisition unit 21d starts referring to information indicating the step (step S140). That is, reference to information indicating the acceleration output from the acceleration sensor 43 is started.

On the other hand, in step S120, when the destination is not determined to be within the predetermined distance L _1, further exit determination unit 21c determines whether or not the own vehicle leaves the road on the basis of the image information. In the present embodiment, a white line is extracted from the image information output by the camera 42 (step S125), and the movement of the white line is detected (step S130). That is, the position in the white line image obtained by the same process as described above is specified, and the temporal change of the position in the white line image is determined based on the image information continuously output from the camera 42. Identify.

  Then, the exit determination unit 21c determines whether or not the exit of the host vehicle is detected based on the temporal change of the position in the white line image (step S135). In other words, in the process of changing from the state in which the host vehicle travels along the lane to the state in which the host vehicle travels across the lane, the own vehicle is based on the movement amount of the white line in the image acquired by the camera 42 fixed to the host vehicle. Detect that the vehicle leaves the road.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the camera 42 is attached so that the road surface behind the host vehicle C is included in the field of view, so when the host vehicle C is traveling straight in the lane, A white line extends toward the vanishing point near the center. On the other hand, when the host vehicle C approaches the facility F and turns to the left or turns left, the vanishing point of the white line in the image acquired by the camera 42 shifts in the horizontal direction of the image. The exit determination is performed based on the movement amount of the white line.

  If the exit of the host vehicle is not detected in step S135, the subsequent process is skipped and the process is terminated. If the exit of the host vehicle is detected in step S135, the step information acquisition unit 21d starts referring to information indicating the step in step S140. When the step information acquisition unit 21d starts referring to information indicating a step through step S140, the step information acquisition unit 21d further determines whether the host vehicle has passed the step based on the information indicating the step. (Step S145).

  That is, the step information acquisition unit 21d determines whether or not the host vehicle has passed the step based on the magnitude of acceleration acting in the vertical direction of the host vehicle, a change in acceleration, or the like. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, if a step (for example, a sidewalk) with the road R is formed at the boundary between the facility F and the road R (region B indicated by a broken line in FIG. 4), the road passes through the step. As a result, a change corresponding to the step occurs in the vertical acceleration acting on the host vehicle. Therefore, it is determined that the host vehicle has passed the step when the change in acceleration in the vertical direction is detected.

  When it is determined in step S145 that the host vehicle has passed the step, the step information acquisition unit 21d outputs information indicating the presence of the step to the step position recording unit 21e, and the step position recording unit 21e determines the current position of the host vehicle. Information indicating the step position is recorded in the map information 30a as the step position (step S150). In the example shown in FIG. 4, information indicating the latitude and longitude corresponding to the step position P is recorded in the map information 30a.

  On the other hand, if it is not determined in step S145 that the host vehicle has passed the step, the exit determination unit 21c identifies the operation of the host vehicle and determines whether the exit has been interrupted or the exit has been completed ( Step S155). That is, the position of the white line in the image is specified based on the image information output by the camera 42 described above, and the exit is interrupted when the direction in which the white line extends returns from the other direction toward the rear of the host vehicle. It is determined that it has been done. Further, the state of the matching process in the guide unit 21a is acquired, and when there is no matching of the nodes on the road and the shape interpolation points, it is determined that the exit from the road has been completed in the own vehicle.

  If it is not determined in step S155 that the exit has been interrupted or that the exit has been completed, the processes in and after step S145 are repeated. When it is determined in step S155 that the exit has been interrupted or the exit has been completed, the step information acquisition unit 21d ends the reference of the information indicating the step (step S160). In this case, there is no step when entering the facility F, and information indicating the position of the step is not recorded. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 4, when there is no step in the area B, the position of the step is not recorded with respect to the map information 30a on the road surface on which the host vehicle C passes when entering the facility F.

(3) Suspension control processing:
Next, suspension control processing for controlling the suspension 44 based on the information indicating the position of the step obtained as described above will be described. The suspension control process is also executed by the navigation program 21 at regular intervals (for example, 100 ms) during the above-described guidance process and map matching process.

  FIG. 3 shows the suspension control process. As shown in FIG. 3, steps S200 to S235 in the suspension control process are the same as steps S100 to S135 in the step position acquisition process shown in FIG. . That is, the exit determination is performed based on the destination at the time of route guidance and the image information acquired by the camera 42.

Incidentally, when the destination is determined to be within the predetermined distance L ₁ at step S220, the vehicle executes the processing of step S240 and subsequent is regarded as exit roads. In addition, the process after step S240 is also executed when the exit of the host vehicle is detected based on the image information of the camera 42 in step S235. In step S240, the stabilization controller 21f determines whether or not the step is within a predetermined distance L ₂ (for example, 50 m) from the host vehicle.

That is, the stabilization control unit 21f searches the information indicating the position of the step existing ahead of the host vehicle with reference to the map information 30a, and acquires the current position of the host vehicle specified by the current position acquisition unit 21b. and obtains the distance between the current position of the vehicle of the step to determine whether the distance is within the predetermined distance L ₂ to a predetermined. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, in the own vehicle C traveling on the left end of the road R, when the distance between the position P of the step and the own vehicle C is within a predetermined distance L ₂ from the own vehicle, the own vehicle C Is assumed to exit the road R and pass through a step.

Step at step S240 is When it is not determined to exist within a predetermined distance L ₂ from the vehicle, and ends the processing skips step S245 and subsequent steps. On the other hand, the step in step S240. If it is determined to exist within a predetermined distance L ₂ from the vehicle, the stabilizer control unit 21f to practice the control of the suspension 44 (step S245).

That is, the stabilization control unit 21f outputs a control signal to the suspension 44, and performs control for making the suspension 44 softer than during normal travel. As a result, the suspension 44 has a hardness adapted to the step. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the information on the step position P is already recorded in the map information 30a, the exit determination is made in steps S220 to S235, and the distance between the host vehicle C and the step position P is predetermined. distance hardness of the suspension 44 are tender after the determination at S240 when L is ₂ less.

  Next, the stabilization control unit 21f identifies the operation of the host vehicle, and determines whether the exit has been interrupted or the exit has been completed (step S250). That is, the same determination process as in step S155 described above is performed. In step S250, the determination is repeated until it is determined that the exit is interrupted or the exit is completed. When it is determined that the exit is interrupted or the exit is completed, the control of the suspension 44 is finished. (Step S255).

  That is, the stabilization control unit 21f outputs a control signal to the suspension 44, and performs control for setting the hardness of the suspension 44 that is set in advance as the hardness of the suspension 44 during normal traveling. As a result, the suspension 44 has a hardness suitable for normal traveling. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the suspension 44 remains soft until it is determined that the exit has been completed after passing through the step position P in the determination in step S250. Therefore, when the host vehicle C passes the position P of the step, the suspension 44 is set to a hardness that suppresses the vertical movement of the host vehicle C due to the step, so that the host vehicle C maintains high running stability. While passing through the steps.

On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 4, when there is no step in the area B, the position of the step is not recorded with respect to the map information 30a on the road surface on which the host vehicle C passes when entering the facility F. Therefore, since the vehicle C is in the state shown in FIG. 4, even been made exit determination at step S220 or step S235, the step is not determined to exist within a predetermined distance L ₂ in step S240, step S245 Subsequent processing is not performed. For this reason, the hardness of the suspension 44 is maintained at a hardness set in advance as the hardness during normal traveling, and the hardness of the suspension 44 corresponding to a state where there is no step when the host vehicle C enters the facility F. Thus, high running stability can be maintained.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the existence of a step is not estimated when the own vehicle exits the road, but the presence or absence of the step is specified when the own vehicle exits the road. Therefore, it can be specified that there is a level difference. In addition, since it is possible to accurately acquire information indicating the presence of a step, it is possible to perform stabilization control in the host vehicle with reference to this information in a state where the presence of the step is reliably specified. . Therefore, the stabilization control can be surely performed when the stabilization control is necessary.

(4) Other embodiments:
The above embodiment is an example for carrying out the present invention, as long as the vehicle detects whether or not the vehicle has passed the step, and the position of the step is specified based on the detection result and recorded on the storage medium. Various other embodiments can be adopted. For example, the information for specifying the current position of the host vehicle is not limited to the information output by the GPS receiver 40, and various known sensors and cameras can be employed. A configuration specified by a camera, a configuration specifying the position of the host vehicle based on the trajectory of the host vehicle on a map, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, road-to-vehicle communication, and the like can be employed.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the exit determination unit 21c performs the exit determination based on the image information acquired by the camera 42 and the destination, but of course, other configurations for performing the exit determination are also available. When various configurations can be adopted, information indicating that the direction indicator has been operated in a state where the host vehicle is not present near the intersection, and the direction indicator indicates the outside of the road It is possible to adopt a configuration that determines that the vehicle leaves the road. Further, when the host vehicle is traveling in the left and right lanes, the exit from the road may be determined when a steering angle indicating the exit from the road is acquired by the steering sensor. Furthermore, you may combine the structure for performing the above various exit determinations.

  Furthermore, in order to acquire the level difference information, information indicating the level difference may be acquired with reference to the detection result of the detection unit mounted on the host vehicle when the exit determination is made. Therefore, the detection unit only needs to detect that the host vehicle has passed a level difference such as an unevenness, and in addition to the acceleration sensor 43 described above, a sensor that detects vibrations in the vehicle can be employed. Further, the road surface may be photographed by a camera, and the passage of a step may be detected based on the photographed image information, or the passage of the step may be indirectly detected based on the operation of a suspension or a stabilizer.

  The information indicating the position of the step may be information indicating the position directly, such as latitude and longitude, or information indicating the position of the step in association with a feature whose position is specified such as a facility or a road. Various configurations can be adopted.

  Note that the control target when stabilizing the traveling of the host vehicle using the information indicating the position of the step is not limited to the suspension, and may be a stabilizer. In any case, it is possible to employ a configuration in which the degree of shock absorption in the travel stabilization unit is set to be higher than that during normal road travel.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, in performing the travel stabilization control using the information indicating the position of the step, the control is started with reference to the position of the step after performing the exit determination. When the host vehicle passes through the step, it is only necessary that the travel stabilization unit can perform control for travel stabilization. Accordingly, the exit determination may be omitted, and the control for stabilizing the traveling of the host vehicle may be performed when the distance between the position of the step and the position of the host vehicle is a predetermined distance or less.

  Furthermore, when recording the information indicating the position of the step in the step position recording unit 21e, the information indicating the level of the step is also recorded and the stabilization control unit 21f travels according to the level of the step. You may adjust the impact-absorbing power in a stabilization part. As a result, traveling stabilization control can be performed according to the level of the step, and traveling can be stabilized more accurately.

It is a block diagram of a navigation device including a road information acquisition device and a driving support device. It is a flowchart of a step position acquisition process. It is a flowchart of a suspension control process. It is a figure which shows an operation example.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Navigation apparatus, 20 ... Control part, 21 ... Navigation program, 21a ... Guide part, 21b ... Current position acquisition part, 21c ... Exit determination part, 21d ... Step information acquisition part, 21e ... Step position recording part, 21f ... Stable Control unit, 30 ... storage medium, 30a ... map information, 40 ... GPS receiver, 41 ... vehicle speed sensor, 42 ... camera, 43 ... acceleration sensor, 44 ... suspension

Claims (6)

Current position acquisition means for acquiring information indicating the current position of the host vehicle;
Exit determination means for determining that the host vehicle exits the road;
Step information acquisition means for acquiring information indicating a step with reference to a detection result of a detection unit that detects whether or not the host vehicle has passed through a step when the host vehicle is determined to leave the road;
A step position recording means for recording information indicating the position of the step on a storage medium based on information indicating the current position of the host vehicle when the step exists.
A road information acquisition device comprising: The exit determination means acquires image information including the surroundings of the host vehicle output by a camera mounted on the host vehicle, and determines that the host vehicle exits the road based on the image information.
The road information acquisition device according to claim 1. Comprising guidance means for guiding a travel route for traveling to the destination of the host vehicle,
The exit determination means acquires information indicating the current position of the host vehicle, and the host vehicle exits the road when the distance between the current position of the host vehicle and the destination is equal to or less than a predetermined distance. judge,
The road information acquisition device according to claim 1 or 2. The information which shows the position of the said level | step difference with reference to the said storage medium in any one of Claims 1-3 is acquired, and the distance of the position of the said level | step difference and the present position of the said own vehicle is below predetermined distance In some cases, a driving support apparatus including a stabilization control unit that causes a travel stabilization unit mounted on the host vehicle to perform control for stabilizing the travel of the host vehicle. A current position acquisition step of acquiring information indicating the current position of the host vehicle;
An exit determination step for determining that the host vehicle exits the road;
A step information acquisition step of acquiring information indicating a step with reference to a detection result of a detection unit that detects whether or not the host vehicle has passed through a step when the host vehicle is determined to leave the road;
A step position recording step of recording the position of the step on a storage medium based on information indicating the current position of the host vehicle when the step exists on the exit path;
Road information acquisition method including A current position acquisition function for acquiring information indicating the current position of the host vehicle;
An exit determination function for determining that the host vehicle exits the road;
A step information acquisition function for acquiring information indicating a step with reference to a detection result of a detection unit that detects whether or not the host vehicle has passed through a step when the host vehicle is determined to leave the road;
A step position recording function for recording the position of the step on a storage medium based on information indicating the current position of the host vehicle when the step exists on the exit path;
A road information acquisition program that makes a computer realize.

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