JP2010190832A - Device and program for determining merging/leaving - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve convenience by expanding a section for appropriately determining merging or leaving even if GPS signals cannot be received. <P>SOLUTION: The merging/leaving determining device includes: an own vehicle position locating means 12 for locating the position of one's own vehicle, based on first own vehicle position information P1 based on GPS signals and second own vehicle position information P2 based on a travel trajectory; a merging/leaving determination means 17 for determining merging or leaving at connection places of two roads, based on the position of one's own vehicle located by the own vehicle position locating means 12; a determination control means 20 for allowing the merging/leaving determination means 17 to execute determination processing while driving a sensitive section where the own vehicle can receive GPS signals and preventing the merging/leaving determination means 17 from performing determination processing while driving a non-sensitive section; and a special control means 24 for allowing the merging/leaving determination means 17 to execute determination processing when prescribed permission conditions including conditions relating to the second own vehicle position information P2 are met even if the own vehicle is driving a non-sensitive section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a merging / leaving determination device that determines merging or leaving at a connection point of two roads.

  In recent years, there has been proposed a technique for acquiring the state of the host vehicle on a running road and performing various types of vehicle control according to each state. For example, Patent Document 1 below includes an image information acquisition unit that acquires image information around the vehicle position and an image recognition unit that performs image recognition of a lane line specific to a branch point. Based on the positional relationship with the vehicle, at the connection point of the two roads, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has exited from one road to the other road, and the vehicle is decelerated based on the result of the exit determination. A vehicle control device to be controlled is described. In the technique described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to perform exit determination in high accuracy and in real time by performing exit determination based on the result of image recognition, thereby performing appropriate deceleration control. .

  Further, in Patent Document 2 below, as a device for determining the timing for performing vehicle control, a prediction means for predicting a section where the own vehicle may join or leave at a connection point of two roads; A merging / leaving determination device including timing determination means for determining a timing at which the own vehicle actually merges or leaves is described. In the merge / exit determination device described in Patent Document 2, the vehicle position detected based on the first vehicle position information based on the GPS signal and the second vehicle position information based on the travel locus, and the map database Based on the stored road network data and feature data, the predicting means predicts a section where the own vehicle may join or leave, and the timing judging means actually detects the section within the predicted section. Determine when the vehicles join or leave. Thereby, it is possible to accurately determine the timing of joining or leaving at the connection point of two roads.

JP 2007-223431 A JP 2008-129817 A

  According to the technique described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to perform exit determination with high accuracy and in real time. However, since the image recognition means is configured to always perform image recognition of the lane markings peculiar to the branch points, there has been a problem that the processing load during traveling of the vehicle becomes large. On the other hand, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, the timing determination unit determines the timing at which the host vehicle actually joins or exits only in the section in which the prediction unit determines that the host vehicle may join or leave. Therefore, by adopting a configuration in which the timing determination is performed based on the image recognition result of the lane marking peculiar to the branch point, it becomes possible to perform the exit determination with high accuracy and real time with the minimum processing load. .

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, as described above, based on the vehicle position detected based on the first vehicle position information based on the GPS signal and the second vehicle position information based on the travel locus. It is assumed that the prediction means functions. Therefore, in the joining / exit determining device described in Patent Document 2, for example, when the GPS signal cannot be received such as when the vehicle is traveling in a tunnel, the vehicle position is accurately determined. Since it cannot be detected, conventionally, the determination of joining or leaving is uniformly prohibited. However, in that case, even if it is within a section where the determination of joining or leaving can be properly performed in view of the accuracy of the own vehicle position, the judgment of joining or leaving is prohibited, and accordingly, vehicle control is not performed. There were inconveniences and there was room for improvement in terms of convenience.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and expands a section where it is possible to appropriately determine whether to join or leave even when GPS signals cannot be received, thereby improving convenience. The purpose is to let you.

  In order to achieve this object, the characteristic configuration of the joining / leaving determination device according to the present invention is acquired from the first vehicle position information based on GPS signals from a plurality of GPS satellites, and the moving distance and direction of the vehicle. Based on the second vehicle position information based on the traveling locus of the vehicle, vehicle position specifying means for specifying the vehicle position based on the vehicle position, and two roads based on the vehicle position specified by the vehicle position specifying means When the vehicle is traveling in a sensitive section where the GPS signal can be received, the merge / exit determination unit is configured to execute a determination process and determine the GPS signal. Determination control means for causing the merging / exiting determination means to prohibit determination processing while traveling in a non-receivable insensitive section, and even if the host vehicle is traveling in the insensitive section, the second vehicle position information Condition on If no predetermined permission condition is satisfied is that with a, and special control means for executing the determination process in the traversed determining means.

  According to the above characteristic configuration, when the host vehicle is traveling in the insensitive section where the GPS signal cannot be received, the merging / leaving determining means determines whether the merging / leaving is at the connection point of the two roads. Forbidden, when a predetermined permission condition including a condition related to the second vehicle position information acquired by the special control means regardless of the GPS signal is set and the permission condition is satisfied, the special control means Judgment / exit determination by the merge / exit determination means is permitted. Therefore, even when the GPS signal cannot be received, it is possible to expand a section in which it is possible to appropriately determine whether to join or leave. And the convenience can be improved by using the determination result for vehicle control etc.

  Here, a map information storage means storing road network data configured by connection relations between a plurality of nodes corresponding to intersections and a plurality of links corresponding to roads connecting the nodes, and the host vehicle actually travels A matching state acquisition unit that acquires a matching state to a link corresponding to the road that is running, and an estimation error acquisition that acquires an estimation error between the position indicated by the second vehicle position information and the actual vehicle position Preferably, the special control means is configured to determine whether or not the permission condition is satisfied based on the matching state and the estimation error.

  The fact that the link corresponding to the road on which the vehicle is actually traveling is specified to some extent among the links that make up the road network data is that the merge / exit determination means determines whether to merge or exit. This is one of the important prerequisites. Similarly, the error between the own vehicle position specified by the own vehicle position specifying means and the actual own vehicle position is kept smaller than a predetermined value. This is one of the important preconditions for making a judgment. According to the above configuration, the matching state and the estimation error, which are indicators for determining whether or not these preconditions are satisfied, are acquired, and based on these, it is determined whether or not the permission conditions are satisfied. It is possible to cause the special control means to appropriately determine whether or not the judgment of joining or leaving by the joining / leaving judging means is permitted.

  In addition, the permission condition is acquired by the matching state acquisition unit by acquiring a matching state in which a link corresponding to a road on which the vehicle is actually traveling is specified as one link, and is acquired by the estimation error acquisition unit. It is preferable that the estimated error is a condition that is equal to or less than a predetermined permission threshold.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to appropriately set a permission condition that serves as a reference for whether to permit the determination of joining or leaving by the joining / leaving determination unit.

  In addition, when there are a plurality of points where the determination process by the merging / leaving determination unit is performed in the insensitive section, the special control unit determines that the distance between two adjacent points among the plurality of points is the estimation error. In the case where the number is less than 2, it is preferable that the joining / exit determining means prohibits the determination process at the two points.

  If the estimation error is acquired as distance information and the estimation error is greater than or equal to the distance between two adjacent points, which of the two points the vehicle position is in Cannot be uniquely identified. According to the above configuration, in such a case, the special control unit prohibits the merge / exit determination process by the merge / exit determination unit at the two points, so that the merge / exit determination unit performs an erroneous determination. Can be prevented.

  In addition, the vehicle position correction means for correcting the vehicle position specified by the vehicle position specifying means is provided, and the estimation error is corrected by the vehicle position last before entering the insensitive section. It is preferable that the configuration is determined based on the moving distance of the host vehicle from the point.

  At the point where the vehicle position is corrected by the vehicle position correcting means, the estimation error is in a minimum state. Further, since the second vehicle position information serving as a reference for acquiring the estimation error is acquired based on the movement distance of the own vehicle, as the movement distance of the own vehicle from the point where the correction is made increases. The estimation error becomes large. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the obtained estimation error can be made highly accurate.

  Further, the vehicle position correcting means corrects at least the vehicle position specified by the vehicle position specifying means so as to be positioned at the center of an error circle included in the first vehicle position information. It is preferable that the vehicle position is corrected.

  According to this configuration, the vehicle position can be periodically corrected based on information included in a GPS signal that is received at predetermined time intervals and serves as a reference for the first vehicle position information. Thus, the vehicle position can be corrected appropriately before entering the insensitive section.

  In addition, the insensitive section includes a blocking section in which the GPS signal is completely blocked, and a state in which the GPS signal is received and the first vehicle position information can be acquired after exiting the blocking section. It is preferable that the configuration includes a necessary delay interval.

  According to this configuration, when a predetermined permission condition is satisfied not only in a blocking section incapable of receiving when the GPS signal is completely blocked but also in a delay section of a predetermined distance after leaving the blocking section. Can permit determination of merging or leaving by the merging / leaving determining means. In addition, when such a delay section is provided, the effect is particularly effective when there is a connection point of two roads for joining or exiting at a position shortly after exiting the interception section. .

  Further, the joining / leaving determining means is a prediction means for predicting a section where the own vehicle may join or leave at a connection point of two roads, and the section predicted by the predicting means, It is preferable that the apparatus includes a timing determination unit that determines a timing at which the host vehicle joins or leaves.

  According to this configuration, the timing determination unit determines the timing at which the host vehicle actually joins or exits only within the section in which the prediction unit determines that the host vehicle may join or leave. By narrowing down the scenes where the exit timing determination is performed, it is possible to reduce the processing load for determining the merge or exit, and to suppress erroneous determination.

  Further, the image recognition means includes image information acquisition means for acquiring image information around the vehicle position, and image recognition means for performing image recognition of a feature included in the image information. The timing determination means is based on the image recognition means. It is preferable to determine the timing at which the host vehicle actually joins or leaves based on the image recognition result.

  According to this configuration, since the timing of joining or leaving is determined based on the result of image recognition, highly accurate and real-time timing determination can be performed.

  The characteristic configuration of the merge / exit determination program according to the present invention includes a first vehicle position detected based on GPS signals from a plurality of GPS satellites, a first vehicle position detected based on a moving distance and a traveling direction of the vehicle. A vehicle position specifying function for specifying the vehicle position based on the two vehicle positions, and a merge at a connection point between the main road and the attachment road based on the vehicle position specified by the vehicle position specifying function. Alternatively, the merging / leaving determination function for determining exit and the merging / leaving determination function while the vehicle is traveling in the sensitive section where the GPS signal can be received, and the insensitive section where the GPS signal cannot be received. It is possible to realize the determination control function for stopping the merging / leaving determination function while traveling and the merging / leaving determination function if a predetermined permission condition is satisfied even when the host vehicle is traveling in the insensitive section. Toss It lies in realizing and special control function, to the computer.

  According to this feature configuration, a merge / exit determination function for determining whether to merge or exit at the connection point of two roads when the vehicle is traveling in a non-sensitive section where the GPS signal cannot be received normally. When a predetermined permission condition including a condition related to the second vehicle position information acquired regardless of the GPS signal is set by the special control function and the permission condition is satisfied, the special control function This makes it possible to realize the merge / exit determination function. Therefore, even in a situation where GPS signals cannot be received, it is possible to expand a section in which it is possible to appropriately determine whether to join or leave. And the convenience can be improved by using the determination result for vehicle control etc.

  It should be noted that it is possible to incorporate some additional techniques given as examples of suitable configurations for the above-described joining / leaving determination device as a matter of course.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the navigation apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of the road network data memorize | stored in the map database. It is a figure which shows an example of the arrangement configuration of the imaging device to the own vehicle. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the exit determination from a branch point. It is a figure which shows an example of the image information acquired by the image information acquisition part. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the concept of a dead zone. This is for explaining the special control. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the special control in case there exist multiple branch points in a dead zone. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of a determination control process. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of an exit determination process.

  An embodiment of a navigation device 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the navigation apparatus 1. The navigation device 1 has a normal navigation function such as display of a vehicle position and route guidance, and a merging / leaving determining device 2 that determines merging or leaving at a connection point of two roads, or a merging / leaving determining device 2. It also functions as a vehicle control device 3 that controls the vehicle based on the determination result by the above. Hereinafter, the term “navigation device 1” will be described as representing a concept including the merging / leaving determination device 2 and the vehicle control device 3.

  First, the overall configuration of the navigation device 1 will be described. The functional units of the navigation device 1 shown in FIG. 1 are hardware units that perform various processes on input data using a common arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU as a core member. Alternatively, it is implemented by software (program) or both. In the present embodiment, the navigation device 1 includes an image information acquisition unit 11, a vehicle position specifying unit 12, a vehicle position correction unit 13, an image recognition unit 14, a data extraction unit 15, a navigation calculation unit 16, and a merge / exit determination. Unit 17, determination control unit 20, insensitive section detection unit 21, matching state acquisition unit 22, estimation error acquisition unit 23, special control unit 24, and vehicle control unit 26 are provided as functional units. Each of these functional units is configured to be able to exchange information with each other via a communication line such as a digital transfer bus. Here, when each function part is comprised with software (program), the said software is memorize | stored in memory | storage means, such as RAM and ROM which an arithmetic processing unit can refer. The map database 31 includes a recording medium (storage means) such as a hard disk drive, a flash memory, a DVD drive with a DVD-ROM, and a CD drive with a CD-ROM as a hardware configuration. Hereinafter, the configuration of each part of the navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

1. Map Database The map database 31 is a database in which map data divided for each predetermined section is stored. The map data includes road network data 32 and feature data 33. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the road network data 32 stored in the map database 31. As shown in this figure, the road network data 32 is composed of a connection relationship between a plurality of nodes n corresponding to intersections and a plurality of links k corresponding to roads connecting the nodes n. In the present embodiment, this map database 31 corresponds to “map information storage means” in the present invention. Each node n has information on the position (coordinates) on the map expressed by latitude and longitude. Each link k is connected via a node n. Each link k has information such as road type, link length, and road width as attribute information. Here, the road type information is, for example, the road type when the road is classified into a plurality of types such as toll roads (including highways and automobile-only roads), city roads, narrow streets, mountain roads, etc. Information. In FIG. 2, only the road network data 32 of one section is illustrated, and the road network data 32 of other sections is omitted.

  The feature data 33 is data relating to various features provided on or around the road. For example, road markings (paint markings) provided on the road surface, speed markings indicating the maximum speed, zebra zone, lane markings that divide lanes along the road (solid lines, broken lines, double lines, etc.) ), And traffic direction markings (arrow markings) by traveling direction that specify the traveling direction of each lane. Moreover, the sign etc. which were provided around the road may be included. Such feature data 33 is stored in association with the link k of the road network data 32 corresponding to the road on which the feature is provided.

2. Image Information Acquisition Unit The image information acquisition unit 11 is a functional unit that acquires image information G around the vehicle position captured by the imaging device 41. In the present embodiment, the image information acquisition unit 11 corresponds to the “image information acquisition unit” in the present invention. Here, the imaging device 41 is an in-vehicle camera or the like provided with an imaging element, and is provided at a position where at least a road surface of a road around the host vehicle can be imaged. As such an imaging device 41, for example, a back camera that captures an image of the road surface behind the host vehicle as shown in FIG. 3 is preferably used. The image information acquisition unit 11 captures imaging information captured by the imaging device 41 at a predetermined time interval via a frame memory (not shown). The time interval for capturing the image information G at this time can be set to, for example, about 10 to 50 ms. Thereby, the image information acquisition unit 11 can continuously acquire the image information G of a plurality of frames captured by the imaging device 41. The acquired image information G is output to the image recognition unit 14.

3. Own vehicle position specifying unit The own vehicle position specifying unit 12 is a functional unit that acquires own vehicle position information P indicating the current position of the own vehicle. The host vehicle position specifying unit 12 includes first host vehicle position information based on GPS signals from a plurality of GPS satellites, second host vehicle position information based on a travel locus acquired from the travel distance and direction of the host vehicle, Based on this, the vehicle position is specified, and the vehicle position information P is acquired. In the present embodiment, the vehicle position specifying unit 12 corresponds to the “vehicle position specifying means” in the present invention. Here, the vehicle position specifying unit 12 is connected to the GPS receiver 42, the direction sensor 43, and the distance sensor 44. The GPS receiver 42 is a device that receives GPS signals from GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites. The direction sensor 43 is a sensor that detects the traveling direction of the host vehicle or a change in the traveling direction. The distance sensor 44 is a sensor that detects a vehicle speed and a moving distance of the host vehicle.

  GPS signals are normally received every second and output to the vehicle position specifying unit 12. The own vehicle position specifying unit 12 analyzes GPS signals from a plurality of GPS satellites received by the GPS receiver 42, and has information such as the current position (latitude and longitude), traveling direction, and moving speed of the own vehicle. One-vehicle position information P1 can be acquired. The first vehicle position information P1 acquired in this way is absolute position information. However, the first own vehicle position information P1 acquired here is information having a certain degree of position error, and it is determined that the own vehicle is located within a predetermined error circle corresponding to the position error. It is information to represent.

  The azimuth sensor 43 includes, for example, a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, an optical rotation sensor attached to the rotating part of the handle, a rotary resistance volume, an angle sensor attached to the wheel part, etc. Output to the identification unit 12. The distance sensor 44 is, for example, a vehicle speed pulse sensor that outputs a pulse signal every time a drive shaft or wheel of the vehicle rotates by a certain amount, a yaw / G sensor that detects the acceleration of the host vehicle, and integration of the detected acceleration. The information of the vehicle speed and moving distance as a detection result is output to the vehicle position specifying unit 12. Based on the detection results from the direction sensor 43 and the distance sensor 44, the own vehicle position specifying unit 12 analyzes the travel locus from the moving distance and direction of the own vehicle, and determines the current position (latitude and longitude) of the own vehicle, the traveling direction The second vehicle position information P2 having such information can be acquired. The second vehicle position information P2 acquired in this way is relative position information with a specific point as a reference.

  And the own vehicle position specific | specification part 12 is based on the first own vehicle position information P1 which is absolute position information, and the second own vehicle position information P2 which is relative position information by a well-known method. The vehicle position information P having information such as the current position (latitude and longitude), the traveling direction, and the moving speed is acquired. The acquired vehicle position information P is output to the vehicle position correction unit 13, the data extraction unit 15, the prediction unit 18, and the like.

4). Own Vehicle Position Correction Unit The own vehicle position correction unit 13 is a functional unit that corrects the own vehicle position specified by the own vehicle position specifying unit 12. In the present embodiment, the vehicle position correction unit 13 corresponds to the “vehicle position correction unit” in the present invention. In the present embodiment, the host vehicle position correcting unit 13 corrects at least the host vehicle position specified by the host vehicle position specifying unit 12 to be positioned at the center of the error circle included in the first host vehicle position information P1. To correct the vehicle position. That is, the second vehicle position information P2 is acquired based on the center of the error circle of the first vehicle position information P1 acquired at a certain time, and the vehicle position indicated in the second vehicle position information P2 is When the vehicle position correction unit 13 protrudes from the error circle area, the vehicle position correction unit 13 obtains the vehicle position indicated by the vehicle position information P, and the first vehicle position information acquired at the time when the next GPS signal is received. It correct | amends so that it may be located in the center of the error circle which P1 has. Thereby, the own vehicle position information P is periodically corrected based on information included in GPS signals received at predetermined time intervals, and a certain degree of position accuracy can always be maintained.

  In the present embodiment, the host vehicle position correcting unit 13 corrects the host vehicle position specified by the host vehicle position specifying unit 12 so as to be positioned on any link k of the road network data 32. To correct the vehicle position. That is, the own vehicle position correcting unit 13 acquires the road network data 32 around the own vehicle position extracted from the map database 31 and performs known map matching on the basis of the road network data 32, thereby converting the own vehicle position into the road network data 32. Also make corrections to fit on the road shown. Since the correction of the vehicle position based on such map matching is performed based on the road network data 32 having accurate position information, the vehicle position based only on the GPS signal having the predetermined position error described above. Compared to the correction, the vehicle position immediately after the correction can be specified with high accuracy.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the own vehicle position correction | amendment part 13 is the image of the specific feature provided on the road by the image recognition part 14 mentioned later by the own vehicle position specified by the own vehicle position specific | specification part 12. FIG. The vehicle position is corrected by correcting the position so that the position is recognized successfully. Since the correction of the vehicle position based on such image recognition is performed based on the road network data 32 and the feature data 33 having accurate position information, only the GPS signal having the predetermined position error described above is used. Compared to the vehicle position correction based on the vehicle position, the vehicle position immediately after the correction can be specified with high accuracy. The image recognition processing by the image recognition unit 14 will be described next.

5). Image Recognition Unit The image recognition unit 14 is a functional unit that performs image recognition of features included in the image information G acquired by the image information acquisition unit 11. In the present embodiment, the image recognition unit 14 corresponds to “image recognition means” in the present invention. Here, features that are subject to image recognition include roads such as lane markings (solid lines, broken lines, thick broken lines, etc.) that divide the lane along the road, zebra zones, pedestrian crossings, stop lines, speed markings, etc. Various road markings provided on the road surface are included. The image recognition unit 14 performs binarization processing, edge detection processing, and the like on the image information G when recognizing the target feature, and obtains contour information of the feature included in the image information G. Extract. Thereafter, the image recognition unit 14 extracts an image of the target feature included in the image information G by performing pattern matching between the extracted contour information of the feature and the feature quantity of the target feature. To do. The result of the image recognition process by the image recognition unit 14 is output to the vehicle position correction unit 13 and the timing determination unit 19.

6). Data Extraction Unit The data extraction unit 15 obtains necessary information from the road network data 32 and the feature data 33 stored in the map database 31 based on the own vehicle position information P acquired by the own vehicle position specifying unit 12. It is a functional part to extract. In the present embodiment, the data extraction unit 15 extracts information related to features that are present in the vicinity of the host vehicle and are subject to image recognition based on the host vehicle position information P, and outputs the information to the image recognition unit 14. . Further, the data extraction unit 15 extracts map network data 32 around the vehicle position used for map matching by the vehicle position correction unit 13 and outputs the map network data 32 to the vehicle position correction unit 13. Further, the data extraction unit 15 uses the road network data 32 stored in the map database 31 and the information on the area requested by the navigation calculation unit 16 for use in route guidance processing by the navigation calculation unit 16 and the like. Extracted from the object data 33 and output to the navigation calculation unit 16.

7). Navigation Calculation Unit The navigation calculation unit 16 operates according to an application program to execute navigation functions such as displaying the vehicle position, calculating a route from the departure place to the destination, route guidance to the destination, and searching for the destination. Arithmetic processing means. For example, the navigation calculation unit 16 acquires necessary information around the host vehicle from the road network data 32 and the feature data 33 stored in the map database 31 and displays a map image on the display input device 45. Based on the vehicle position information P, a process of displaying a self-position mark superimposed on the map image is performed. The navigation calculation unit 16 uses one or both of the display input device 45 and the audio output device 46 based on the route from the departure point to the destination calculated by a known method and the vehicle position information P. Route guidance. In addition, in this embodiment, the navigation calculation unit 16 also includes various known publicly necessary navigation devices 1, such as a remote controller and a user interface such as a touch panel provided integrally with the display input device 45. Connected to the configuration.

8). Merge / Exit Determination Unit The merge / exit determination unit 17 is a functional unit that determines merging or exiting at a connection point of two roads based on the own vehicle position specified by the own vehicle position specifying unit 12. In the present embodiment, the merge / exit determination unit 17 corresponds to the “join / exit determination means” in the present invention. The merge / exit determination unit 17 operates only when a determination flag, which will be described later, is on, and does not operate when the determination flag is off. Here, in this embodiment, the merging / exiting determination unit 17 includes functional units such as a prediction unit 18 and a timing determination unit 19. Then, the timing determination unit 19 operates in the prediction section F predicted by the prediction unit 17 (see FIG. 4B). Below, the detail of each of these function parts is demonstrated. In the following, when the term “merge / exit determination unit 17” is used, it is used as a concept encompassing the functional units of the prediction unit 18 and the timing determination unit 19.

8-1. Prediction unit The prediction unit 18 is a functional unit that predicts a section in which the host vehicle may join or leave at a connection point of two roads. In the present embodiment, the prediction unit 18 corresponds to a “prediction unit” in the present invention. In the present embodiment, the prediction unit 18 determines that the vehicle is based on the vehicle position specified by the vehicle position specifying unit 12 and information extracted from the road network data 32 stored in the map database 31. By determining that the vehicle is located in a section (predicted section F) of a predetermined distance before and after the connection point of two roads existing ahead, a section that may join or leave is predicted. That is, when the own vehicle is located within the prediction section F, the prediction unit 18 determines that the own vehicle may join or leave. Here, the reference point for setting the prediction section F can be the position of the node n corresponding to the connection point of the two roads. For example, the reference point 300 [ m] to the forward direction 50 [m] in the traveling direction can be set as the prediction interval F. In addition, the setting method of the prediction area F is only an example, and a setting can be changed suitably other than this. The determination result by the prediction unit 18 is output to the timing determination unit 19.

8-2. Timing Determination Unit The timing determination unit 19 is a functional unit that determines the timing at which the host vehicle actually joins or leaves in the prediction section F predicted by the prediction unit 18. In the present embodiment, the timing determination unit 19 corresponds to “timing determination means” in the present invention. In the present embodiment, the timing determination unit 19 determines the timing at which the host vehicle actually joins or leaves based on the image recognition result by the image recognition unit 14. That is, when the image recognition unit 14 succeeds in image recognition of a predetermined feature from the image information G acquired by the image information acquisition unit 11, the timing determination unit 19 determines that the host vehicle actually Judged as having joined or exited.

  For example, the host vehicle is about to exit from the main road to the attachment road at the branch point from the main road to the attachment road at the branch point between the main road of the expressway and the attachment road to the toll gate or service area (SA / PA). Considering the scene, a thick broken line is provided in front of the branch point as shown in FIG. Since such a thick broken line is a lane line peculiar to a branch point, by making the thick broken line a target of image recognition by the image recognition unit 14, it is possible to exit from the main road to the attachment road. Timing can be determined. That is, the timing for switching from the state in which the thick broken line in the image information G is recognized on the right side to the own vehicle to the state in which it is recognized on the left side with respect to the own vehicle (see FIG. 5) is determined. Thus, highly accurate and real-time timing determination can be performed. In this example, the case of exiting from the main road to the main road at the branch point from the main road to the main road has been described as an example. In addition, the merge determination can be performed in the same manner by appropriately setting the target of image recognition by the image recognition unit 14. The determination result by the timing determination unit 19 is output to the vehicle control unit 26.

9. Determination control unit The determination control unit 20 causes the merging / exiting determination unit 17 to execute a determination process while the host vehicle is traveling in a sensitive section in which a GPS signal can be received, and an insensitive section N in which a GPS signal cannot be received. This is a functional unit that prohibits the merging / exiting determination unit 17 from performing the determination process during traveling. In the present embodiment, the determination control unit 20 corresponds to “determination control means” in the present invention. The above-described control by the determination control unit 20 is the same as the control normally performed by the conventional merge / exit determination device described in the background art section. That is, the determination control unit 20 performs control so that the merging / leaving determination unit 17 performs the merging determination or the leaving determination as usual while the host vehicle is traveling in the sensitive section, and the host vehicle is traveling in the insensitive section N. Since the first vehicle position information P1 cannot be acquired because the GPS signal cannot be received, and the vehicle position cannot be detected with high accuracy as a result, the merge determination or the exit determination by the exit determination unit 17 is performed. Control to not. Note that it can be determined from the detection result of the insensitive section detection unit 21 whether the host vehicle is traveling in the sensitive section or the insensitive section.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the concept of the insensitive section N. As shown in this figure, the insensitive section N is capable of acquiring the first vehicle position information P1 by receiving the GPS signal after leaving the blocking section S and the blocking section S where the GPS signal is completely blocked. And a delay interval D required to reach a state. Examples of the blocking section S include a section in a tunnel and a section in a snow protection gate. Further, the reason for setting the delay section D in addition to the blocking section S is that even after exiting the blocking section D, the GPS signal is received and the first vehicle position information P1 can be acquired. This is because a predetermined time is required for the vehicle, so that the vehicle is substantially regarded as being located in the blocking section S even in a section corresponding to the distance traveled within that time. As such a delay section D, for example, it can be a section of a predetermined distance on the basis of the exit point from the blocking section S, and the predetermined distance can be 150 [m], for example. . Note that the method of setting the delay period D is merely an example, and other settings can be changed as appropriate. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which can set the delay area D variably according to the vehicle speed at the time of leaving the interruption area S. Further, a section until a predetermined time elapses after exiting from the block section S is set as a delay section D, or a section until the first vehicle position information P1 is actually acquired after the exit from the block section S is set as a delay section D. You may do it. In addition, although the code | symbol is not attached | subjected in FIG. 6, all the sections other than the insensitive area N become a sensitive area.

  6A to 6E show various setting patterns for the insensitive section N. FIG. FIG. 6A shows a pattern corresponding to a case where a road passes through one tunnel. This pattern is the basis. FIG. 6B shows a pattern corresponding to a case where a road is branched in one tunnel (a tunnel is also branched, the same applies hereinafter). In this case, the blocking section S and the delay section D are set for each tunnel after branching, and as a result, the insensitive section N is also branched. FIG. 6C shows a pattern corresponding to a case where the distance between the two tunnels is shorter than a predetermined distance that defines the delay interval D. In this case, the blocking section S and the delay section D corresponding to each of the two tunnels form a single insensitive section N as a whole. 6D and 6E are combinations of the patterns of FIGS. 6B and 6C. As shown in these figures, the distance between the two interception sections S is continuous within a distance shorter than a predetermined distance that defines the delay section D, and the road is branched in the interception section S or the delay section D. In this case, an integral insensitive section N is set as a whole while having a plurality of branches.

10. Matching state acquisition unit The matching state acquisition unit 22 is a functional unit that acquires a matching state to the link k corresponding to the road on which the host vehicle is actually traveling. In the present embodiment, the matching state acquisition unit 22 corresponds to the “matching state acquisition unit” in the present invention. Here, the “matching state” is an index indicating how much the link k corresponding to the road on which the vehicle is actually traveling can be specified among the links k constituting the road network data 32. . In the present embodiment, the matching state is defined by three levels “level 0” to “level 2”. The “level 0” matching state represents a state in which the link k corresponding to the road on which the host vehicle is actually traveling has not been found, that is, a state in which matching itself has not been performed. The “level 1” matching state represents a state in which the link k corresponding to the road on which the host vehicle is actually traveling is matched in a state where the link k cannot be reliably identified between the plurality of links k. The “level 2” matching state represents a state in which matching is performed in a state where the link k corresponding to the road on which the host vehicle is actually traveling is reliably identified. These matching states can be acquired based on the calculation results when the vehicle position correction unit 13 corrects the vehicle position by map matching. Information representing the matching state acquired by the matching state acquisition unit 22 is output to the special control unit 24.

11. Estimation Error Acquisition Unit The estimation error acquisition unit 23 is a functional unit that acquires an estimation error E between the position indicated in the second vehicle position information P2 and the actual vehicle position. In the present embodiment, the estimation error detection unit 23 corresponds to the “estimation error acquisition unit” in the present invention. In the present embodiment, the estimation error E is determined based on the travel distance of the host vehicle from the point where the host vehicle position correction unit 13 last corrected the host vehicle position before entering the insensitive section N. . At the point where the vehicle position is corrected by the vehicle position correction unit 13, the error between the position indicated by the second vehicle position information P2 and the actual vehicle position is small. Further, since the second host vehicle position information P2 is acquired based on the travel distance of the host vehicle, the error increases as the travel distance of the host vehicle from the corrected point increases. Therefore, the estimation error E is set to increase as the moving distance of the host vehicle from the point where the host vehicle position is corrected last by the host vehicle position correcting unit 13 before entering the insensitive section N increases. . By determining the estimation error E in this manner, the acquired estimation error E can be made highly accurate. The acquired estimation error E is output to the special control unit 24.

12 Special Control Unit The special control unit 24 joins and exits determination unit 17 when a predetermined permission condition including a condition related to the second vehicle position information P2 is satisfied even when the host vehicle is traveling in the insensitive section N. This is a functional unit that causes a determination process related to joining or leaving to be executed. In the present embodiment, the special control unit 24 corresponds to “special control means” in the present invention. Here, the predetermined permission condition including the condition relating to the second vehicle position information P2 includes at least a condition relating to the estimation error E acquired by the estimation error acquisition unit 23. In the present embodiment, the special control unit 24 includes the road type of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, information on the matching state acquired by the matching state acquisition unit 22, and the estimation acquired by the estimation error acquisition unit 23. Whether or not the permission condition is satisfied is determined based on the error E.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the permission condition that is a criterion for determining whether or not the special control unit 24 causes the merge / exit determination unit 17 to execute the merge / exit determination process is that the host vehicle travels. The road type of the existing road is a toll road, the matching state is “level 2”, and the estimation error E is a predetermined permission threshold A or less. In addition, even if the own vehicle position has a predetermined position error as the permission threshold A, it is considered that the determination is appropriately performed when the joining / leaving determination process by the joining / leaving determination unit 17 is permitted. It is preferable that a maximum value of the position error is set. Such a permission threshold A can be set to 40 [m], for example. Note that the setting method of the permission threshold A is merely an example, and other settings can be changed as appropriate.

  By the way, when the merge / exit determination unit 17 determines whether to merge or leave, the link k corresponding to the road on which the vehicle is actually traveling is certain to some extent among the links k constituting the road network data 32. It is an important precondition that it is specified that the error between the vehicle position specified by the vehicle position specifying unit 12 and the actual vehicle position is smaller than a predetermined value. It is. In the present embodiment, since the conditions as described above are set as the permission conditions, the special control unit 24 appropriately determines whether or not the merge / exit determination unit 17 permits the determination of merge or exit. be able to. Then, matching is performed in a state in which the link k corresponding to the road on which the vehicle is actually traveling is surely specified as one, and the estimation error E is determined by the merging / leaving determining unit 17 Is within the error range that is considered to be appropriately performed, the merge / exit determination process by the merge / exit determination unit 17 is permitted, so that the determination of merge / exit is more appropriate than in the past. The section that can be performed is enlarged. Along with this, the section in which vehicle control and the like can be performed using the determination result is also expanded, so that convenience can be improved.

  Here, a series of flow of the special control will be described with reference to FIG. In this figure, the estimation error E, the vehicle position correction timing, the sensitive section detection flag state, the special control flag state, and the determination flag state are shown in order from the top. The horizontal axis corresponds to the moving distance of the host vehicle, and the vertical axis is set so that the downward direction of the estimation error E is the positive direction. Although not shown, it is assumed that the matching state of “level 2” has been acquired by the matching state acquisition unit 22 in all the sections shown in FIG.

  At the point a where the vehicle position is finally corrected by the vehicle position correction unit 13 before entering the insensitive section N, the estimation error E is minimized. From this state, the estimation error E gradually increases as the moving distance of the host vehicle increases. When the host vehicle enters the insensitive section N at the point b, the sensitive section detection flag is turned off, and normally, the determination flag is turned off as indicated by a broken line at the bottom. However, in the navigation device 1 according to this embodiment, since the estimation error E is less than the permission threshold A in the section from the point b to the point c, the special control unit 24 performs the merge or exit determination by the merge / exit determination unit 17. In order to permit the determination process, the special control flag is turned on in the relevant section. As a result, in the section from the point b to the point c, the determination flag is kept on, and as described above, the section where the determination of joining or leaving can be appropriately performed is expanded as compared with the conventional case. The Note that, in the section from the point c to the exit point d from the insensitive section N, since the estimation error E is equal to or greater than the permission threshold A, the special control flag is turned off. As a result, the determination flag is set as usual. Turned off. At the point d, the sensitive section detection flag is turned on, and the determination flag is turned on accordingly.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 8, there may be a plurality (two in the illustrated example) of connection points of two roads (points where determination processing by the merge / exit determination unit 17 is performed) in the insensitive section N. In such a case, the distance L between two adjacent points among the plurality of points is less than the estimation error E at the connection point on the near side (the connection point corresponding to the node n1 in the illustrated example). In this case, it is not possible to uniquely identify which of the two connection points the vehicle position is located at. Therefore, in this embodiment, in such a case, even if the permission condition is satisfied in the insensitive section N, the special control unit 24 does not operate in the section between the two connection points. The determination flag is temporarily turned off to prohibit the determination process by the merge / exit determination unit 17. This prevents the merge / exit determination unit 17 from making an erroneous determination.

13. Vehicle Control Unit The vehicle control unit 26 is a functional unit that controls the vehicle based on the determination result relating to the timing of joining or leaving by the timing determination unit 19. For example, when the timing determination unit 19 determines the exit timing from the main road to the attachment road and outputs such a determination result to the vehicle control unit 26, after exiting to the attachment road, the engine brake due to the accelerator off. In order to improve the efficiency of the vehicle and appropriately decelerate the vehicle, the vehicle control unit 26 outputs a control signal instructing to increase the gear ratio (reduction ratio) to the automatic transmission provided in the vehicle. In addition, for example, when the timing determination unit 19 determines the timing of merging from the attachment road to the main road and outputs such a determination result to the vehicle control unit 26, the vehicle can be output at the time of merging to the main road. The vehicle control unit 26 outputs a control signal instructing to increase the transmission gear ratio (reduction gear ratio) to the automatic transmission provided in the vehicle in order to appropriately increase the torque and accelerate the vehicle. The vehicle control described above is merely an example, and various other controls such as a brake assist when leaving the vehicle may be used.

14 Procedure of Operation Process Next, the procedure of the operation process (join / exit determination program) executed in the navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure of determination control processing according to the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the exit determination process. Each processing procedure described below is executed by hardware, software (program), or both of the above-described functional units. When each of the above functional units is configured by a program, the arithmetic processing device included in the navigation device 1 operates as a computer that executes the merge / exit determination program that configures each of the above functional units.

14-1. Determination Control Processing Procedure First, the determination control processing procedure by the navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, the vehicle position specifying unit 12 specifies the vehicle position based on the first vehicle position information P1 and the second vehicle position information P2 (step # 01). Next, the determination control unit 20 determines whether or not there is a insensitive section N based on the detection result of the insensitive section detecting unit 21 (step # 02). When it is determined that there is no insensitive section N (step # 02: No), the determination control unit 20 turns on the determination flag (step # 14) and performs an exit determination process (step # 15). The procedure of the exit determination process will be described later.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there is the insensitive section N (step # 02: Yes), the special control unit 24 uses the road network data 32 stored in the map database 31 to indicate the road on which the vehicle is traveling. Information related to the road type is extracted and acquired (step # 03). Then, it is determined whether or not the acquired road type is a toll road (step # 04). If it is determined that the road type is a toll road (step # 04: Yes), then the special control unit 24 acquires information on the matching state acquired by the matching state acquisition unit 22 (step # 05). ). Then, it is determined whether or not the acquired matching state is “level 2” (step # 06). If it is determined that the matching state is “level 2” (step # 06: Yes), then the special control unit 24 acquires the estimation error E acquired by the estimation error acquisition unit 23 (step #). 07). Then, it is determined whether or not the obtained estimation error E is less than the permission threshold A (step # 08). If it is determined that the estimation error E is less than the permission threshold A (step # 08: Yes), then the special control unit 24 determines whether or not there are a plurality of connection points in the insensitive section N. (Step # 09). When it is determined that there are not a plurality of connection points, that is, 0 or 1 (step # 09: No), the special control unit 24 turns on the determination flag (step # 12).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there are a plurality of connection points (step # 09: Yes), the special control unit 24 acquires a distance L between two adjacent points among the plurality of connection points. (Step # 10). Then, it is determined whether or not the estimation error E is less than the acquired point-to-point distance L (step # 11). When it is determined that the estimation error E is less than the distance L between the two points (step # 11: Yes), the special control unit 24 turns on the determination flag (step # 12). On the other hand, when it is determined that the estimation error E is greater than or equal to the distance L between the two points (step # 11: No), the special control unit 24 temporarily sets a determination flag in the section between the two connection points. Turn off (step # 13). In the flowchart of FIG. 9, in order to simplify the display, the determination flag is simply turned off.

  If it is determined in step # 04 that the road type is not a toll road (step # 04: No), the matching state is not “level 2” in step # 06, that is, “level 1” or “level 0”. Is determined (step # 06: No), or when it is determined in step # 08 that the estimation error E is greater than or equal to the permission threshold A (step # 08: No), the special control unit 24 Turns off the determination flag (step # 13). When the above process ends, an exit determination process is executed (step # 15).

14-2. Procedure of Exit Determination Process Next, the procedure of the exit determination process in step # 15 will be described based on FIG. First, the merge / exit determination unit 17 determines whether or not the determination flag is on (step # 21). Next, based on the own vehicle position information P, the data extraction unit 15 acquires information around the own vehicle position from the road network data 32 and the feature data 33 stored in the map database 31 (step # 22). Next, the predicting unit 18 determines whether or not the own vehicle is likely to leave at a branch point between the main road and the connecting road (step # 23). This step # 23 is repeated until it is determined that there is a possibility of leaving, and if it is determined that there is a possibility of leaving (step # 23: Yes), the image recognizing unit 14 determines that the branch point. The image recognition process is performed for the thick broken line provided before and after (Step # 24), and it is determined whether the image recognition of the thick broken line is successful (Step # 25). When the image recognition is successful (step # 25: Yes), the timing determination unit 19 outputs information indicating that to the vehicle control unit 26 at the timing when the exit ends (step # 26), and the exit determination process. Exit. On the other hand, when the image recognition is not successful (step # 25: No), the exit determination process is terminated as it is. Although not shown, vehicle deceleration control is performed thereafter.

[Other Embodiments]

(1) In the above embodiment, the estimation error E is calculated from the point on the basis of the error at the point where the own vehicle position was last corrected by the own vehicle position correcting unit 13 before entering the insensitive section N. The case where it determines based on the movement distance of the own vehicle was demonstrated as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, for example, the configuration may be such that the estimation error E is acquired based on the movement distance of the host vehicle from the point on the basis of the error at the point where the host vehicle enters the insensitive section N. One of the forms. In this case, since the error at the entry point to the insensitive section N is uncertain, it is preferable to set the permission threshold A low.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the host vehicle travels under a permission condition serving as a determination criterion for determining whether or not the special control unit 24 causes the merge / exit determination unit 17 to execute the merge / exit determination process. The case where the road type of the road being used is a toll road, the matching state is “level 2”, and the estimation error E is equal to or less than a predetermined permission threshold A has been described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, it is not always necessary that the road type of the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a toll road, the matching state is “level 2”, and the estimation error E is equal to or less than a predetermined permission threshold A. It is also a preferred embodiment of the present invention that the condition is a permission condition. That is, the special control process according to the present invention can be suitably applied to, for example, a determination process related to merging or exiting at a merging point or a branching point of two city roads having different speed limits.

(3) In the above embodiment, when there are a plurality of connection points of two roads in the insensitive section N, the distance L between two adjacent points among the plurality of points is When it is less than the estimated error E at the connection point, the special control unit 24 temporarily turns off the determination flag in the section between the two connection points and prohibits the determination process by the merge / exit determination unit 17. Described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, for example, when there are a plurality of connection points of two roads in the insensitive section N, the special control unit 24 does not depend on the relationship between the distance L between the two points and the estimation error E, and the insensitive section N It is also a preferred embodiment of the present invention that the determination flag is uniformly turned off.

(4) In the above embodiment, the case where the timing determination unit 19 determines the timing at which the host vehicle actually joins or leaves based on the image recognition result by the image recognition unit 14 has been described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, for example, the timing determination unit 19 is based on the own vehicle position information P specified by the own vehicle position specifying unit 12 and information about the own vehicle position extracted from the road network data 32 stored in the map database 31. One of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is to determine the timing at which the own vehicle actually joins or leaves.

(5) In the above embodiment, the navigation device 1 uses the own vehicle position specifying unit 12, the own vehicle position correction unit 13, the map database 31, and the like that are normally provided in the navigation device 1. In addition to the above, the case where a joining / leaving determination function and a vehicle control function are provided has been described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, normal navigation functions such as the vehicle position display and route guidance are not necessarily functions in the present invention, and the merging / leaving determining device 2 that determines merging or leaving at the connection point of two roads, The present invention can also be applied to the vehicle control device 3 that controls the vehicle based on the determination result by the exit determination device 2.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be suitably used for a merge / exit determination device that determines merge or exit at a connection point of two roads.

2 Join / Exit Determination Device 11 Image Information Acquisition Unit (Image Information Acquisition Unit)
12 own vehicle position specifying part (own vehicle position specifying means)
13 own vehicle position correction unit (own vehicle position correction means)
14 Image recognition unit (image recognition means)
17 Junction / Exit Determination Unit (Join / Exit Determination Unit)
18 Prediction unit (prediction means)
19 Timing determination unit (timing determination means)
20 Determination control unit (determination control means)
22 Matching state acquisition unit (matching state acquisition means)
23 Estimation error acquisition unit (estimation error acquisition means)
24 Special control unit (special control means)
31 Map database (map information storage means)
32 Road network data
n node k link N insensitive section S cut-off section D delay section E estimation error A permission threshold

Claims (10)

The vehicle position is identified based on the first vehicle position information based on GPS signals from a plurality of GPS satellites and the second vehicle position information based on the travel locus acquired from the travel distance and direction of the vehicle. Own vehicle position specifying means to perform,
Based on the own vehicle position specified by the own vehicle position specifying means, merging / leaving determining means for determining merging or leaving at the connection point of two roads,
While the host vehicle is traveling in a sensitive zone where the GPS signal can be received, the merging / leaving determination means is caused to execute a determination process, and while traveling in a non-sensitive zone where the GPS signal cannot be received, the merging / leaving determination is performed. A determination control unit that prohibits the determination process;
Even if the host vehicle is traveling in the insensitive section, if the predetermined permission condition including the condition relating to the second host vehicle position information is satisfied, the special control unit that causes the merging / leaving determination unit to execute a determination process When,
A merging / exiting determination device. Map information storage means for storing road network data constituted by a connection relationship between a plurality of nodes corresponding to an intersection and a plurality of links corresponding to roads connecting each node;
Matching state acquisition means for acquiring a matching state to a link corresponding to a road on which the vehicle is actually traveling;
An estimation error acquisition means for acquiring an estimation error between the position indicated in the second host vehicle position information and the actual host vehicle position,
The merge / exit determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the special control unit determines whether the permission condition is satisfied based on the matching state and the estimation error.   The permission condition is acquired by the matching state acquisition unit by acquiring a matching state in which a link corresponding to a road on which the vehicle is actually traveling is specified as one link, and is acquired by the estimation error acquisition unit. The merge / exit determination device according to claim 2, wherein the estimation error is a condition that is equal to or less than a predetermined permission threshold.   In the case where there are a plurality of determination points by the merge / exit determination unit in the insensitive section, the special control unit has a distance between two adjacent points out of the plurality of points less than the estimation error. The merge / exit determination apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the merge / exit determination unit prohibits the determination process at the two points. Vehicle position correction means for correcting the vehicle position specified by the vehicle position specifying means,
The said estimation error is determined based on the moving distance of the own vehicle from the point where the own vehicle position was corrected last before entering the insensitive section. Confluence exit / exit determination device.   The own vehicle position correcting means corrects at least the own vehicle position specified by the own vehicle position specifying means so as to be positioned at the center of an error circle included in the first own vehicle position information. 6. The merge / exit determination device according to claim 5, wherein the position is corrected.   The insensitive section is necessary until the GPS signal is completely blocked, and until the GPS signal is received and the first vehicle position information can be acquired after exiting the blocked section. The joining / leaving determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: The joining / exit determining means is
A predicting means for predicting a section where the own vehicle may join or leave at a connection point of two roads;
A timing determination unit that determines a timing at which the host vehicle actually joins or leaves in the section predicted by the prediction unit;
The merge / exit determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: Image information acquisition means for acquiring image information around the vehicle position, and image recognition means for performing image recognition of a feature included in the image information,
9. The merge / exit determination apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the timing determination unit determines a timing at which the host vehicle actually merges or leaves based on an image recognition result by the image recognition unit. The vehicle position is determined based on the first vehicle position detected based on GPS signals from a plurality of GPS satellites, and the second vehicle position detected based on the travel distance and traveling direction of the vehicle. The vehicle location function to identify,
Based on the own vehicle position specified by the own vehicle position specifying function, a merging / leaving determination function for determining merging or leaving at a connection point between the main road and the attachment road,
While the vehicle is traveling in a sensitive zone where the GPS signal can be received, the merge / exit determination function is realized, and when the vehicle is traveling in a non-sensitive zone where the GPS signal cannot be received, the merge / exit determination function is stopped. A judgment control function to
Even when the host vehicle is traveling in the insensitive section, if a predetermined permission condition is satisfied, a special control function that makes it possible to realize the merge / exit determination function;
A join / exit determination program for realizing a computer on a computer.

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