JP2012168144A - Device, method, and program for guiding lane - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology for facilitating recognition of a recommended lane.SOLUTION: A lane guiding device comprises: reference lane specifying means for specifying a lane with higher recognition easiness as a reference lane among a first and second lanes existing at lateral ends in a travelling direction of the vehicle in a travelling road including a plurality of lanes, the recognition easiness being based on a shape of the travelling road; recommended lane specifying means for specifying a recommended lane on which the vehicle should travel among the plurality of lanes; and recommended lane guiding means for guiding a position of the recommended lane based on the reference lane as a reference.

Description

  The present invention relates to a lane guidance apparatus, method, and program for guiding a position of a recommended lane in which a vehicle should travel.

  Conventionally, an apparatus for guiding a position of a recommended lane that a vehicle should travel is known (Patent Document 1, Reference, 0121). Here, it is disclosed that the position of a recommended lane is guided using the number of lanes counted from the lane at the end of the road. Thus, the driver can identify the recommended lane by counting the number of lanes from the end of the road by the number of guided lanes.

JP 2007-266975 A

However, when it is difficult to recognize the lane at the end of the road, there is a problem that the recommended lane cannot be easily recognized based on the lane at the end of the road.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique for easily recognizing a recommended lane.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, the reference lane specifying means is a traveling vehicle including a first lane and a second lane that respectively exist at the ends of the vehicle in the traveling direction on a traveling road including a plurality of lanes. The one with the higher recognition degree based on the shape of the road is specified as the reference lane. The recommended lane identifying means identifies a recommended lane that the vehicle should travel from among a plurality of lanes. The recommended lane guide means guides the position of the recommended lane based on the reference lane. In the above configuration, since the reference lane specifying means specifies the higher one of the first lane and the second lane existing at the end of the traveling road as the reference lane, the recommended lane guide means recognizes easily. It is possible to guide the position of the recommended lane based on the high lane. Therefore, the driver can easily recognize the recommended lane.

  The reference lane specifying means may specify the reference lane for the traveling road by referring to a database that predefines the reference lane for each traveling road. Further, when traveling on a traveling road, a process of specifying a reference lane based on the shape of the traveling road may be performed. Here, the shape of the traveling road may be any shape that contributes to the ease of recognizing the first lane and the second lane, and may be, for example, the shape and position of the first lane and the second lane itself. That is, the ease of recognition may be specified based on the shapes and positions of the first lane and the second lane. Further, the end of the traveling road is not limited to the boundary between the traveling road and an area other than the road, but includes a boundary between the traveling road and another road. That is, when a traveling road having a plurality of lanes in the same direction as the lane in which the vehicle travels and an opposing road having an opposite lane in the opposite direction to the lane in which the vehicle travels are adjacent to each other, the boundary between these roads Is also included at the end of the road.

The recommended lane identifying means may identify a recommended lane that the vehicle should travel, and the recommended lane can be recommended based on various viewpoints. For example, when a planned travel route of a vehicle for reaching the destination is set, the recommended lane identifying unit may identify a lane that can enter a road on the planned travel route as the recommended lane. The recommended lane specifying means may specify a lane in which the vehicle can smoothly travel as a recommended lane based on traffic conditions such as traffic jams and the presence or absence of obstacles.
The recommended lane guiding means may guide the position of the recommended lane by voice, may guide the position of the recommended lane by an image, or may guide the position of the recommended lane by both of them.

  Here, when the traveling road has a shape in which only the second lane of the first lane and the second lane is a dedicated lane for the specific vehicle, the first lane that is not the dedicated lane than the second lane that is the dedicated lane. It is easier to recognize that this is the lane at the end of the road. If the second lane is a dedicated lane, the driver should regard the second lane as a dedicated lane as the lane at the end of the road, or drive in a lane adjacent to the second lane as a dedicated lane This is because it is impossible to clearly determine whether the lane is at the end of the road. Therefore, when only the second lane of the first lane and the second lane is the dedicated lane, the reference lane specifying means determines that the first lane is more easily recognized than the second lane. The first lane may be specified as the reference lane. The specific vehicle may be a vehicle belonging to a specific vehicle type such as a bus, a truck, or a two-wheeled vehicle, or may be a vehicle in a specific state such as a broken vehicle. In other words, the dedicated lane may be a bus-only lane or the like, or a broken-out vehicle lane.

  The first lane is recognized when the traveling road has a shape adjacent to another road without using a boundary feature in which only the second lane of the first lane and the second lane forms a boundary between the roads. The degree of ease is higher than the degree of easy recognition of the second lane. When the second lane is adjacent to another road without passing through the boundary feature, it is impossible to clearly determine whether the second lane is a lane included in the traveling road or a lane included in the other road, It becomes impossible to clearly recognize that the second lane is the lane at the end of the road. On the other hand, when the first lane is not adjacent to another road, or when the first lane is adjacent to another road via a boundary feature, the first lane is the lane at the end of the traveling lane. Since this can be clearly recognized, the recognition ease of the first lane is higher than the recognition ease of the second lane. Therefore, the reference lane specifying means determines that the first lane is easily recognized when the second lane of the first lane and the second lane is adjacent to another road without passing through the boundary feature. The first lane may be specified as the reference lane assuming that it is higher than the recognition degree. In the present invention, when a certain lane and an opposite lane are provided adjacent to each other, these lanes belong to different roads. The boundary feature may be a feature that forms a boundary between roads, and is preferably a feature peculiar to the boundary between roads. Examples of boundary features include median strips, guardrails, road lights, traffic signs, planting, and the like provided at the boundaries between roads. In addition, the boundary feature may be a structure having a predetermined size (height or width), or a structure having a predetermined color (having a hue, saturation, or brightness different from the road by a predetermined amount or more). It may be a thing. Further, the boundary feature may not be a structure, and may be a region having a predetermined width or more provided at a boundary between roads.

  Further, when the traveling road has a shape in which the first lane is the outermost lane of the curve in front of the vehicle and the second lane is the innermost lane of the curve, the first lane is easily recognized by the second lane. It becomes higher than ease. When approaching the front curve, the first lane on the outermost side of the curve can be seen closer to the front front of the vehicle than the second lane on the innermost side, and the pillar provided on the side of the windshield of the vehicle This is because it is unlikely to be hidden. Therefore, the reference lane specifying means may specify the first lane as the reference lane when the first lane is the outermost lane of the curve ahead of the vehicle and the second lane is the innermost lane of the curve.

  Furthermore, as in the present invention, a method for guiding the position of a recommended lane with reference to a lane with a high degree of recognition can be applied as a program or a method. 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.

It is a block diagram of the navigation apparatus containing a lane guidance apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows a lane guidance process. (3A)-(3C) are figures which show a road.

Here, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.
(1) Configuration of navigation device:
(2) Lane guidance processing:
(3) Other embodiments:

(1) Configuration of navigation device:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device 10 including a lane guide device according to the present invention. The navigation device 10 is provided in the vehicle V. The navigation device 10 includes a control unit 20 and a recording medium 30. The control unit 20 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like, and executes a program stored in the recording medium 30 or the ROM. The recording medium 30 records map information 30a. The map information 30a includes node data (not shown) indicating nodes set on the road and link data LD indicating information regarding the road between the nodes. Further, the link data LD includes shape interpolation point information LD1, feature information LD2, and lane information LD3. The shape interpolation point information LD1 is data indicating the position of a shape interpolation point that specifies the shape of the road. The feature information LD2 is data indicating the position and shape of a feature (a median strip, a traffic sign, etc.) existing on the road and its periphery. The feature information LD2 includes the number of lanes included in the road, the position of the lane, the approach road (link) when traveling in the lane, and the attributes of the lane (normal lane, bus lane, broken vehicle lane, etc.) It is the data which shows etc. In the present embodiment, the road is constituted by lanes in which the traveling directions of the vehicles are substantially the same (for example, within a predetermined angle), and the lanes in which the traveling directions are substantially opposite belong to different roads. . The road ends mean left and right ends when the front of the vehicle in the traveling direction is the front.

  In addition, the vehicle V in the present embodiment includes a GPS receiving unit 41, a vehicle speed sensor 42, a gyro sensor 43, and a user I / F unit 44. The GPS receiver 41 receives radio waves from GPS satellites and outputs a signal for calculating the current position of the vehicle V via an interface (not shown). The control unit 20 acquires this signal and acquires the current position of the vehicle V. The vehicle speed sensor 42 outputs a signal corresponding to the rotational speed of the wheel provided in the vehicle V. The control unit 20 acquires this signal via an interface (not shown) and acquires the vehicle speed of the vehicle V. The gyro sensor 43 outputs a signal corresponding to the angular velocity acting on the vehicle V. The control unit 20 acquires this signal via an interface (not shown), and acquires the traveling direction of the vehicle V. The vehicle speed sensor 42 and the gyro sensor 43 are used for correcting the current position of the vehicle V specified from the output signal of the GPS receiver 41.

  The user I / F unit 44 includes an output device that outputs various guides based on a control signal output from the control unit 20. The user I / F unit 44 of the present embodiment includes a speaker that outputs guidance by voice and a display that outputs guidance by image.

The lane guidance program 21 includes a reference lane identifying unit 21a, a recommended lane identifying unit 21b, and a recommended lane guiding unit 21c.
The reference lane identification unit 21a has a high degree of recognition based on the shape of the traveling road out of the first lane and the second lane that respectively exist at the lateral ends of the traveling direction of the vehicle V on the traveling road on which the vehicle V travels. This is a module that causes the control unit 20 to execute the function of specifying the direction as the reference lane. Specifically, by the function of the reference lane identifying unit 21a, the control unit 20 uses the first lane as a reference when the traveling road has a shape in which only the second lane of the first lane and the second lane is a dedicated lane. Lane. That is, by the function of the reference lane identifying unit 21a, the control unit 20 identifies a traveling road based on the current position of the vehicle V and the map information 30a, and link data LD (shape interpolation point information LD1, feature information LD2 regarding the traveling road). , Lane information LD3).

  Based on the function of the reference lane identifying unit 21a, the control unit 20 identifies the rightmost lane and the leftmost lane of the traveling road based on the lane information LD3 regarding the traveling road. Based on the function of the reference lane identifying unit 21a, the control unit 20 identifies the attribute for each of the rightmost lane and the leftmost lane based on the lane information LD3 about the traveling road, and either the rightmost lane or the leftmost lane. If only one is a bus lane, the lane that is not the bus lane is specified as the reference lane. Of the right lane and the left lane, the lane that is not the bus lane corresponds to the first lane, and the lane that is the bus lane corresponds to the second lane.

  In addition, the control unit 20 has a shape in which only the second lane of the first lane and the second lane is adjacent to another road without using the median as a boundary feature by the function of the reference lane specifying unit 21a. When the traveling road has, the first lane is the reference lane. That is, by the function of the reference lane identifying unit 21a, the control unit 20 searches for an oncoming road adjacent to the traveling road based on the map information 30a. The opposite road adjacent to the travel road is a road corresponding to a link having the start and end nodes of the link corresponding to the travel road as the end and start nodes, respectively. When there is an oncoming road adjacent to the traveling road, the control unit 20 refers to the feature information LD2 based on the function of the reference lane identifying unit 21a to determine whether or not there is a median between the traveling road and the oncoming road. Determine whether. Then, by the function of the reference lane identifying unit 21a, the control unit 20 can cause the lane on the opposite side when only one of the right-end lane and the left-end lane is adjacent to each other without an intermediate road. Is identified as the reference lane. Of the rightmost lane and the leftmost lane, the lane that is not adjacent to the opposite road or that is adjacent to the opposite road via the median strip corresponds to the first lane, and that passes through the opposed road and the median strip. The adjacent lane without anyway corresponds to the second lane.

  Further, the function of the reference lane identifying unit 21a causes the control unit 20 to have a shape in which the first road is the outermost lane of the curve ahead of the vehicle V and the second lane is the innermost lane of the curve. The first lane is the reference lane. That is, by the function of the reference lane identification unit 21a, the control unit 20 identifies, based on the shape interpolation point information LD1, the lane that is the outermost lane of the front curve of the rightmost lane and the leftmost lane, and The lane is the reference lane. Of the right and left lanes, the outermost lane of the curve corresponds to the first lane, and the innermost lane of the curve corresponds to the second lane.

  The recommended lane identification unit 21b is a module that causes the control unit 20 to execute a function of identifying a recommended lane that the vehicle V should travel from among a plurality of lanes. In the present embodiment, the search for a planned travel route for reaching the purpose is performed by a function of a route search unit (not shown), and the control unit 20 performs the current travel on the planned travel route by the function of the recommended lane identifying unit 21b. The lane of the traveling road that can enter the road to be traveled next to the road is specified as the recommended lane.

  The recommended lane guide 21c is a module that causes the control unit 20 to perform a function of guiding the position of the recommended lane with reference to the reference lane. That is, by the function of the recommended lane guide 21c, the control unit 20 specifies the number of lanes counted from the reference lane to the recommended lane as the number of guide lanes, and guides the position of the recommended lane using the number of guide lanes. . Specifically, the control unit 20 outputs a voice signal including the number of guide lanes as a part of the guidance message to the user I / F unit 44 and causes the user I / F unit 44 to output a guidance message based on the voice signal. For example, “We recommend that you drive in the“ Guidance lane ”lane from the left lane (right end) of the road. ”Is output.

  In the above configuration, since the control unit 20 identifies the first lane and the second lane that exist at both ends of the road as the reference lane, the control unit 20 uses the one with the higher recognition degree as a reference. The recommended lane position can be guided. Therefore, the driver can easily recognize the recommended lane.

  Here, when the traveling road has a shape in which only the second lane of the first lane and the second lane is a bus lane, the first lane that is not a bus lane than the second lane that is a bus lane It is easier to recognize that this is the lane at the end of the road. If the second lane is a bus-only lane, the driver should regard the second lane, which is a bus-only lane, as the lane at the end of the road, or adjacent to the inside of the second lane, which is a bus-only lane This is because it becomes impossible to clearly determine whether the lane should be regarded as the lane at the end of the traveling road. Therefore, when the first lane is not a bus-only lane and the second lane is a bus-only lane, the control unit 20 assumes that the first lane is easier to recognize than the second lane. The first lane is specified as the reference lane.

  In addition, when the traveling road has a shape in which only the second lane of the first lane and the second lane is adjacent to another road without passing through the median strip, the first lane is easily recognized as the second lane. It becomes higher than the ease of recognition. When the second lane is adjacent to another road without going through the median, it is not possible to clearly determine whether the second lane is a lane included in the traveling road or a lane included in the other road, It becomes impossible to clearly recognize that the second lane is the lane at the end of the road. On the other hand, when the first lane is not adjacent to another road, or when the first lane is adjacent to another road via a median, the first lane is the lane at the end of the traveling lane. Since this can be clearly recognized, the recognition ease of the first lane is higher than the recognition ease of the second lane. Therefore, the control unit 20 recognizes that the first lane is easily recognized when the second lane is adjacent to another road without passing through the median. The first lane is identified as the reference lane because it is higher than the degree of recognition.

  Further, when the traveling road has a shape in which the first lane is the outermost lane of the curve in front of the vehicle and the second lane is the innermost lane of the curve, the first lane is easily recognized by the second lane. It becomes higher than ease. The first lane on the outermost side of the front curve can be visually recognized at a position closer to the front front of the vehicle than the second lane on the innermost side, and is less likely to be hidden by the pillar provided on the side of the windshield of the vehicle. It is. Therefore, the control unit 20 specifies the first lane as the reference lane when the first lane is the outermost lane of the curve ahead of the vehicle and the second lane is the innermost lane of the curve.

(2) Lane guidance processing:
Next, the lane guidance process executed by the function of the lane guidance program 21 will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the lane guidance process. 3A, 3B, and 3C are schematic diagrams illustrating roads on which the vehicle V travels. The lane guidance process in FIG. 2 is executed, for example, when the vehicle V approaches the intersection on the planned travel route within a predetermined distance. In step S100 of FIG. 2, the control unit 20 acquires the lane information LD3 for the travel road X, and acquires the total number of lanes of the travel road X based on the lane information LD3. In step S105, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the total number of lanes on the traveling road X is four or more lanes.

  When the total number of lanes of the traveling road X is four or more lanes, in step S110, the control unit 20 specifies the recommended lane E by the function of the recommended lane specifying unit 21b, and the control unit 20 further uses the function of the reference lane specifying unit 21a. It is determined whether the recommended lane E is other than the leftmost lane L and the rightmost lane R of the traveling road X. In the examples of FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C, the second, third, and third lanes from the left end are specified as the recommended lane E for reaching the destination G, respectively. When the recommended lane E is other than the leftmost lane L and the rightmost lane R of the traveling road X, the control unit 20 uses the function of the reference lane identifying unit 21a in step S115 to control the leftmost lane L and the right end based on the lane information LD3. It is determined whether or not the traveling road X has a shape in which only one of the two lanes R is a bus-only lane. Note that the control unit 20 identifies the lanes existing at both ends of the traveling road X in the section of the predetermined range W in front of the vehicle V as the left lane L and the right lane R, respectively. The predetermined range W is a range that is within a predetermined distance forward from the current position of the vehicle V. For example, the predetermined range W corresponds to a range in which a normal driver recognizes the front of the traveling road X while driving the vehicle V.

  If it is determined that the driving road X has a shape in which only one of the leftmost lane L and the rightmost lane R is a bus lane, the control unit 20 causes the left lane to function in step S120 by the function of the reference lane identifying unit 21a. A lane that is not a bus-only lane among L and the rightmost lane R is identified as a reference lane S. In the example of FIG. 3A, only the leftmost lane L (second lane) is the bus lane B, and therefore the right lane R (first lane) that is not the bus lane B is identified as the reference lane S. That is, the control unit 20 determines that the rightmost lane R is the end lane and the rightmost lane R is the reference, assuming that the rightmost lane R is the end lane higher than the recognizable degree. The lane S is identified.

  If it is not determined in step S115 that the road X has a shape in which only one of the left lane L and the right lane R is a bus-only lane, the control unit uses the function of the reference lane identification unit 21a in step S125. 20 determines whether the traveling road X has a shape in which only one of the leftmost lane L and the rightmost lane R is adjacent to the oncoming road Y without passing through the median strip. If the driving road X has a shape in which only one of the leftmost lane L and the rightmost lane R is adjacent to the opposite road Y without passing through the median strip, control is performed by the function of the reference lane identifying unit 21a in step S130. The unit 20 identifies the lane on the opposite side of the lane L on the left side of the traveling road X and the lane R on the right side opposite to the adjacent lane without passing through the opposite road Y and the central separation zone as the reference lane S. In the example of FIG. 3B, since only the rightmost lane R (second lane) is adjacent to the oncoming road Y without passing through the median strip, the lane L (first lane) on the opposite side of the lane R is the reference lane. S is specified. That is, the control unit 20 determines that the left lane L is the end lane and that the left lane L is the end lane, and the left lane L is the reference. The lane S is identified.

  If it is not determined in step S125 that the traveling road X has a shape in which only one of the leftmost lane L and the rightmost lane R does not pass through the opposite road Y and the median strip, the reference lane is determined in step S135. The control unit 20 determines whether or not a curve exists in front of the vehicle V on the traveling road X by the function of the specifying unit 21a. Specifically, the control unit 20 has a curve section in which the curvature radius is a predetermined radius (for example, 150 m) or less in at least a part of the predetermined range W ahead of the vehicle V on the traveling road X based on the shape interpolation point information LD1. Is determined, and it is determined that there is a curve ahead of the vehicle V when the curve section exists. When it is determined that there is a curve ahead of the vehicle V, the control unit 20 determines which of the leftmost lane L and the rightmost lane R is the outermost lane of the curve by the function of the reference lane identifying unit 21a in step S140. The reference lane S is specified. In the example of FIG. 3C, the traveling road X curves rightward within the predetermined range W, and the leftmost lane L (first lane) that is the outermost lane is identified as the reference lane S. That is, the control unit 20 specifies the left lane L as the reference lane S, assuming that the left lane L is more easily recognized than the right lane R.

  If it is not determined in step S135 that there is a curve ahead of the vehicle V on the road X, the control unit 20 uses the function of the reference lane identifying unit 21a in step S145 to determine whether the left lane L or the right lane R The one near the recommended lane E is identified as the reference lane S. Close to the recommended lane E means that the number of other lanes existing between the reference lane S and the recommended lane E is small. Also, if it is determined in step S105 that the total number of lanes on the road X is less than 4 lanes, the left lane L and the right lane R closer to the recommended lane E are selected as the reference lane in step S145. S is specified. Further, when it is determined in step S110 that the recommended lane E is either the left lane L or the right lane R, in step S145, the recommended lane E is close to the recommended lane E out of the left lane L and the right lane R. Is identified as the reference lane S. In this case, the recommended lane E matches the reference lane S.

  As described above, when the reference lane S is specified in any of steps S120, S130, S140, and S145, the control unit 20 calculates the recommended lane from the reference lane S by the function of the recommended lane guide 21c in step S150. The number of lanes counted up to E is specified as the number of guide lanes, and the recommended lane position is guided using the number of guide lanes. That is, the control unit 20 outputs a voice signal including the number of guide lanes as a part of the guidance message to the user I / F unit 44 and causes the user I / F unit 44 to output a guidance message based on the voice signal. In the case of Figure 3A: “We recommend driving in the third lane from the rightmost lane of the road. ”Is output. In the case of FIG. 3A, the leftmost lane L is closer to the recommended lane E than the rightmost lane L. However, even if the lane L that is the bus-only lane B should be regarded as the end of the driving road X, The recommended lane E can be easily recognized based on the lane R. In the case of Figure 3B: “We recommend that you drive in the third lane from the left lane of the road. ”Is output. In the case of FIG. 3B, the rightmost lane R is closer to the recommended lane E than the leftmost lane L, but the leftmost lane L does not have to be determined whether the lane R belongs to the traveling road X or the opposite road Y. The recommended lane E can be easily recognized on the basis of. In the case of Fig. 3C: “It is recommended to drive in the third lane from the left lane of the road. ”Is output. In the case of FIG. 3C, the rightmost lane R is closer to the recommended lane E than the leftmost lane L, but the recommended lane E is easily recognized based on the leftmost lane L visible near the front in front of the vehicle V. it can.

  By the way, since step S115 precedes steps S125 and S135, if the leftmost lane L of the road X in FIG. 3B is a bus-only lane B, a median strip between the road X and the opposite road Y Regardless of the presence or absence, the lane R on the opposite road Y side is set as the reference lane S. Similarly, if the leftmost lane L of the traveling road X in FIG. 3C is a bus-only lane B, the rightmost lane R is set as the reference lane S regardless of the direction of the curve ahead. Here, whether or not the left lane L, which is a bus lane B, should be regarded as the end of the traveling road X cannot be clearly determined unless the specifications of the navigation device 10 are confirmed by a manual or the like. On the other hand, whether or not the lane R in FIG. 3B is the lane at the end of the traveling road X is determined based on whether the lane R on the right end is the lane R of the opposite road Y with another vehicle traveling in the same direction as the vehicle V. This can be determined by checking both the vehicle V and the other vehicle traveling in the opposite direction on the opposite lane K closest to the rightmost lane R. Further, whether or not the rightmost lane R in FIG. 3C is an end lane can be recognized when the vehicle V approaches the curve. In other words, by setting the leftmost lane L, which is a bus-only lane B, as the reference lane S and avoiding it with the highest priority, the lanes that are not likely to be recognized depending on the driving conditions of the vehicle V and other vehicles are selected as the reference lane. S can be prevented with the highest priority.

  Further, since step S125 precedes step S135, even if the traveling road X in FIG. 3B curves leftward, the leftmost lane L that becomes the innermost lane of the curve is set as the reference lane S. Whether or not the lane R in FIG. 3B is the lane at the end of the traveling road X depends on whether the lane R is traveling in the same direction as the vehicle V and the opposite direction to the vehicle V in the opposite lane K on the opposite road Y. Although it cannot be determined unless both the other vehicle traveling at the same time are confirmed, it can be recognized that the innermost lane of the curve is the end lane when the vehicle V approaches the curve. In other words, by avoiding the lane R adjacent to the oncoming road Y as the reference lane S without going through the median strip, the lane that may not be recognized depending on the traveling state of the vehicle V or other vehicles Can be preferentially prevented from being set as the reference lane S.

  In step S145, the number of guide lanes can be reduced by specifying the reference lane S which is closer to the recommended lane E out of the left lane L and the right lane R, and the recommended lane can be reduced from the reference lane S. The number of times of counting lanes up to E can be suppressed. Accordingly, the driver can easily recognize the recommended lane E. If the left lane L and the right lane R coincide with the recommended lane E in steps S110 and S145, the left lane L and the right lane R closer to the recommended lane E, that is, the recommended lane E The position of the recommended lane E is guided by using the same as the reference lane S. For example, “We recommend that you drive in the left lane (right end) of the road. ”Is output. In this way, when either the left lane L or the right lane R matches the recommended lane E, the driver does not have to count the number of lanes, so the left lane L and the right lane R can be easily recognized. Regardless of whether the reference lane S is closer to the recommended lane E.

  When the total number of lanes of the traveling road X is 1 to 2 lanes, either the leftmost lane L or the rightmost lane R always matches the recommended lane E. Therefore, when the total number of lanes on the traveling road X is 1 to 2 lanes, the recommended lane E is guided using the recommended lane E itself as the reference lane S. If the total number of lanes on the travel road X is one lane, the lane guidance process may be canceled because it is not meaningful to identify and guide the recommended lane E in the first place. When the total number of lanes on the driving road X is three lanes, it can occur only when either the leftmost lane L or the rightmost lane R matches the recommended lane E, or when the recommended lane E is the central lane. . If either the left lane L or the right lane R matches the recommended lane E, it is recommended that you drive in the left lane (right end) of the road as described above. Is displayed. When the total number of lanes on the road X is 3 lanes, the lanes other than the end are uniquely determined as the center lane. Therefore, the total number of lanes on the road X is 3 lanes and the recommended lane E is the center lane. In that case, “We recommend driving in the middle lane of the road. It is sufficient to output a guidance message.

(3) Other embodiments:
The above embodiment is an example for carrying out the present invention, and the following embodiment can also be adopted. For example, in the lane guidance process of FIG. 2, the set of steps S115 to S120, the set of steps S125 to S130, and the set of steps S135 to S140 are not necessarily executable. Only the set may be executed. Even in this case, it is possible to make the driver recognize the recommended lane E more easily than when none of the group of steps S115 to S120, the group of steps S125 to S130, and the group of steps S135 to S140 is executed. . Moreover, the execution order in the case of executing two or more sets of the set of steps S115 to S120, the set of steps S125 to S130, and the set of steps S135 to S140 is not limited to the order shown in FIG. For example, for the traveling road X and the oncoming road Y with a large amount of traffic, the leftmost lane L and the rightmost lane R adjacent to the oncoming road Y can be reliably recognized without the central separation zone. The set may precede the set of steps S125 to S130.

  When guiding the recommended lane E, the control unit 20 identifies the reference lane S with reference to a database in which the reference lane S specified based on the ease of recognition based on the shape of the road is specified for each road. May be. Furthermore, the specific vehicle is not limited to a bus, and may be a vehicle belonging to another vehicle type such as a truck or a two-wheeled vehicle, or may be a vehicle in a specific state such as a broken vehicle. That is, the dedicated lane may be a broken vehicle avoidance lane or the like. The median strip may be a predetermined structure that separates the traveling road X and the opposite road Y when adjacent to each other, or may be an area that is a predetermined width or more apart. . Furthermore, in step S125, the control unit 20 determines the boundary features (for example, guardrails, road lights, road signs, and planting) other than the oncoming road Y and the central separation zone in the left lane L and the right lane R of the traveling road X. The lane on the side opposite to the adjacent lane may be specified as the reference lane S without passing through the tree. In addition, the boundary feature may be a structure having a predetermined size (height or width), or a structure having a predetermined color (having a hue, saturation, or brightness different from the road by a predetermined amount or more). It may be a thing. Further, the boundary feature may not be a structure, and may be a region having a predetermined width or more provided at a boundary between roads.

  With the function of the recommended lane specifying unit 21b, the control unit 20 may specify the recommended lane E that the vehicle should travel, and the recommended lane E can be recommended based on various viewpoints. For example, by the function of the recommended lane identifying unit 21b, the control unit 20 may identify, as the recommended lane E, a lane in which the vehicle can smoothly travel based on traffic conditions for each lane such as traffic jams and the presence or absence of obstacles. With the function of the recommended lane guide 21c, the control unit 20 may guide the position of the recommended lane E with an image, or may guide the position of the recommended lane with both an image and a sound. For example, as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, an arrow that schematically indicates the lane count from the reference lane S may be displayed, or a number that indicates the number of guide lanes may be displayed as shown in a white circle.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Navigation apparatus, 20 ... Control part, 21 ... Lane guidance program, 21a ... Reference | standard lane identification part, 21b ... Recommended lane identification part, 21c ... Recommended lane guidance part, 30 ... Recording medium, 30a ... Map information, 41 ... Reception , 42 ... Vehicle speed sensor, 43 ... Gyro sensor, 44 ... User I / F part, B ... Bus lane, G ... Destination, K ... Oncoming lane, LD ... Link data, LD1 ... Shape interpolation point information, LD2 ... Feature information, LD3 ... lane information, E ... recommended lane, S ... reference lane, V ... vehicle, W ... predetermined range, X ... traveling road, Y ... opposite road.

JP 2007-178383 A

Claims (6)

Of the first lane and the second lane that respectively exist at the ends in the direction of travel of the vehicle on a road that includes a plurality of lanes, the one that is more easily recognized based on the shape of the road is identified as the reference lane A reference lane identifying means;
Recommended lane identifying means for identifying a recommended lane that the vehicle should travel from among the plurality of lanes;
Recommended lane guidance means for guiding the position of the recommended lane relative to the reference lane;
A lane guide device comprising: The reference lane specifying means determines the first lane as the reference lane when the traveling road has a shape in which only the second lane of the first lane and the second lane is a dedicated lane for the specific vehicle. And
The lane guide apparatus according to claim 1. The reference lane specifying means is configured such that the traveling road has a shape adjacent to another road without a boundary feature in which only the second lane of the first lane and the second lane forms a boundary between the roads. And having the first lane as the reference lane,
The lane guide apparatus according to claim 1. The reference lane identifying means may be configured such that the first lane is the outermost lane of the curve ahead of the vehicle and the second lane is the innermost lane of the curve when the traveling road has a shape. A lane as the reference lane,
The lane guide apparatus according to claim 1. Of the first lane and the second lane that respectively exist at the ends in the direction of travel of the vehicle on a road that includes a plurality of lanes, the one that is more easily recognized based on the shape of the road is identified as the reference lane A reference lane identification process;
A recommended lane identifying step for identifying a recommended lane that the vehicle should travel from among the plurality of lanes;
A recommended lane guidance process for guiding the position of the recommended lane with respect to the reference lane;
Lane guide method including Of the first lane and the second lane that respectively exist at the ends in the direction of travel of the vehicle on a road that includes a plurality of lanes, the one that is more easily recognized based on the shape of the road is identified as the reference lane Reference lane identification function,
A recommended lane identifying function for identifying a recommended lane that the vehicle should travel from among the plurality of lanes;
A recommended lane guidance function for guiding the position of the recommended lane with respect to the reference lane;
A lane guidance program that runs a computer.

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