JP5013214B2 - Lane determination device, lane determination program, and navigation device using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lane determination device and a lane determination program for determining the lane of a road on which the host vehicle is traveling, and a navigation device using the same.

  In recent years, a lane for determining a traveling lane that is a road lane on which the host vehicle is traveling, based on image recognition of a lane marking that divides each lane of the road, for the purpose of appropriately performing route guidance in a navigation device A determination device is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 below). In addition, a lane determination device capable of determining an appropriate driving lane even immediately after passing through a point where no lane marking is provided and a driving lane cannot be determined based on image recognition, etc. Technology is also known (see, for example, Patent Document 2 below).

  With respect to such a lane determination device, for example, in Patent Document 2 below, current location information management means for managing current location information including an estimated trajectory, and information on an approaching intersection based on the current location information are acquired to generate an intersection polygon. An intersection polygon generating means, an intersection exit point specifying means for specifying an exit point from the intersection by overwriting an estimated locus on the intersection polygon generated by the intersection polygon generating means on the condition that the current location has entered the intersection, and an intersection A configuration is disclosed that includes a lane determination unit that determines a lane of an exit road by comparing the exit point of the intersection specified by the exit point specifying unit and the lane information of the road connected to the intersection. With the configuration as described above, this lane determination device performs lane determination on the exit road at the same time as the exit from the intersection even when the vehicle has passed an intersection where it is difficult to determine the travel lane based on image recognition or the like. It is possible to quickly recognize routes and provide guidance.

JP 2000-105898 A JP 2006-162409 A

  In the lane determination device disclosed in Patent Literature 2, the generated intersection polygon is overwritten with the estimated trajectory obtained by dead reckoning navigation, and the exit lane from the intersection is specified by specifying the exit point from the intersection. Is determined. For this reason, it is necessary to acquire the information of the estimated trajectory of the own vehicle in the intersection with high accuracy, and the calculation processing load for that is increased. Further, in order to generate the intersection polygon as described above, it is necessary to prepare detailed intersection information including the shape of the entire intersection in a database, so that the amount of data in the database increases and the database There was a problem that the cost for the production would also increase.

  On the other hand, when the lane determination using the estimated trajectory as described above is not performed, the above-described problem does not occur. However, if no processing related to the lane determination is performed when passing through the unknown section, the traveling lane is unknown each time the host vehicle passes through the unknown section. Therefore, all the lanes of the road after leaving the unknown section are determined as travel lanes in which the host vehicle may be traveling. However, this makes the determination of the driving lane from the beginning every time the vehicle passes an unknown section where the driving lane cannot be determined based on image recognition or the like, resulting in poor efficiency.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and when passing through an unknown section where the determination of a driving lane based on image recognition or the like cannot be performed, the traveling lane after leaving the unknown section is efficiently used. It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique that makes it possible to make a precise determination.

  In order to achieve this object, the characteristic configuration of the lane determination device according to the present invention includes a travel lane determination unit that determines a travel lane that is a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling, and a determination of a travel lane by the travel lane determination unit. When there is an unknown section that cannot be used, an exit lane determination unit that determines an exit lane that is a travel lane after exiting from the unknown section, and for each lane after exit from the unknown section, the travel lane Lane identification availability determination means for determining whether or not a traveling lane can be identified by the determination means, and the exit lane determination means is determined by the lane identification availability determination means to be able to identify a traveling lane. The lane is excluded from the exit lane candidates and the exit lane is determined.

  If the lane that travels after exiting the unknown section is a lane that can be identified by the travel lane determination means, even if the exit lane is incorrectly determined when leaving the unknown section, the exit of the unknown section Later, after traveling a predetermined distance, it is possible to accurately identify the travel lane. Therefore, when traveling on such a lane, the exit lane determination does not necessarily have to be accurate when exiting from an unknown section, and there is little need to perform complicated arithmetic processing for identifying the lane. . According to the above characteristic configuration, when the exit lane determining means determines the exit lane, the exit lane is determined by excluding the lane determined by the lane identification availability determination means that the travel lane can be identified from the exit lane candidates. The lanes can be narrowed down to lanes for which the traveling lane cannot be specified by the traveling lane determining means. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of calculation processing for determining the traveling lane after leaving the unknown section. Further, when the vehicle travels in a lane where the travel lane can be specified after leaving the unknown section, the travel lane can be accurately specified after traveling the predetermined distance after leaving the unknown section. Therefore, comprehensively, it becomes possible to efficiently and accurately determine the travel lane after leaving the unknown section.

  Here, a feature information acquisition unit that acquires feature information related to a feature provided on a road on which the host vehicle travels is provided, and the lane identification availability determination unit is configured to determine whether the travel lane is based on the feature information. It is preferable that the determination unit determines whether or not the traveling lane can be specified.

  According to this configuration, by using the feature information regarding the feature provided in each lane of the road on which the host vehicle travels, the determination as to whether or not the driving lane can be specified by the driving lane determination unit is performed. The lane identification availability determination unit can be appropriately performed.

  In addition, the feature information includes lane line form information indicating the form of lane lines that divide each lane of the road, and the lane identification availability determining unit is configured to determine the form of lane lines on both sides of the lane for one lane. It is preferable to adopt a configuration in which it is determined that the traveling lane can be identified by the traveling lane determining means when the combination of the two does not coincide with the combination of the lane markings on both sides of the other lanes.

  For one lane, if the combination of the lane markings on both sides of the lane does not match the combination of the lane markings on both sides of the other lane, multiple lanes are run based on the combination of the lane markings It is possible to specify a single lane from the lanes. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the traveling lane can be specified by the traveling lane determining unit.

  Further, the feature information includes restriction sign form information indicating a form of restriction sign indicating traffic restriction on a road, and the lane specification availability determination means is one or more provided for the lane for one lane. It is preferable that the travel lane determination unit determines that the travel lane can be specified when the combination of the control marks does not match the combination of one or more of the control marks provided in other lanes. .

  For one lane, if the combination of one or more regulatory indications provided in the lane does not match the combination of one or more regulatory indications provided in the other lane, the combination of the regulatory indications Based on this, it is possible to specify a single lane from a plurality of traveling lanes. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the traveling lane can be specified by the traveling lane determining unit.

  The exit lane determining means determines that the travel lane determination means determines that the travel lane can be specified by the travel lane determination means for all lanes before entering the unknown section. It is preferable that the traveling lane determined by the lane determining means is determined as the exit lane.

  According to this configuration, when the driving lanes can be specified for all the lanes after exiting from the unknown section, the situation in which the exit lane cannot be determined because all the exit lane candidates are excluded in the exit lane determination. In addition, it is possible to maintain a state in which a single driving lane is specified. In addition, even if the exit lane determination is incorrect when exiting from an unknown section, it is possible to accurately identify the travel lane after traveling a predetermined distance after exiting the unknown section. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the calculation processing load. Therefore, the traveling lane after leaving the unknown section can be determined efficiently and accurately.

  The vehicle further comprises lane movement determination means for determining a lane movement range that is a range of the number of lanes that the vehicle may have moved while traveling in the unknown section based on the vehicle speed and the travel distance of the vehicle. The exit lane determination means is set based on the travel lane determined by the travel lane determination means before entering the unknown section and the lane movement range determined by the lane movement determination means. It is preferable that the exit lane is determined from lane candidates.

  According to this configuration, the lane movement that the host vehicle may have performed in the unknown section is compared by comparing the predetermined travel distance required for the lane movement with the actual distance traveled by the host vehicle in the unknown section. The exit lane candidate can be set based on the number of times, that is, the lane movement range that is the range of the number of lanes that the host vehicle may have moved. Therefore, it is possible to narrow down the range of road lanes after exiting an unknown section, and it is possible to efficiently determine the exit lane using the determination result of the travel lane before entering the unknown section. it can. At this time, the exit lane candidate is set by a relatively simple process based on the vehicle speed and travel distance of the host vehicle traveling in the unknown section, and the exit lane is determined in order to determine the exit lane. It is possible to reduce the calculation processing load for determination.

  Further, the lane movement determination means obtains a unit lane movement distance that is a travel distance required for the host vehicle to move from the running lane to an adjacent lane based on the vehicle speed of the host vehicle, and determines the travel distance of the host vehicle. It is preferable that the lane movement range is determined by repeating the process of increasing by one lane each time the unit lane movement distance is exceeded until exiting from the unknown section.

  According to this configuration, the lane movement range is increased by one lane stepwise every time the travel distance of the host vehicle exceeds the unit lane travel distance based on the vehicle speed and travel distance of the host vehicle traveling in the unknown section. The exit lane candidate can be appropriately set by a relatively simple process.

  The unit lane moving distance is a value obtained by multiplying a reference lane moving time, which is a reference time required for the host vehicle to move from a running lane to an adjacent lane, by the vehicle speed of the host vehicle. It is preferable.

  According to this configuration, the unit lane movement distance can be appropriately determined according to the vehicle speed of the host vehicle. Therefore, the exit lane candidate can be appropriately set based on the vehicle speed and the travel distance of the host vehicle.

  Further, in the configuration described so far, the image information acquisition means for acquiring image information around the own vehicle position, and image recognition means for performing image recognition in the form of the lane markings included in the image information, The travel lane determining means determines the travel lane based on the combination of the lane line form recognized by the image recognition means and the form of the lane line of the road on which the host vehicle represented by the lane line form information is traveling. A configuration is preferable.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to accurately determine the travel lane based on the combination of the lane markings recognized by the image recognition unit and the lane marking on the road along which the host vehicle represented by the lane marking configuration information travels. It can be carried out.

  Here, since the travel lane determination means recognizes the travel lane by recognizing the form of the lane line existing around the host vehicle, the unknown section cannot recognize the form of the lane line by the image recognition means. It becomes a section of the road.

  Further, the vehicle further comprises a traveling direction detection means for detecting a change in the traveling direction of the host vehicle, and the traveling direction detection means causes a change in the traveling direction of the host vehicle that is larger than a change amount of the traveling direction assumed when the lane moves. Preferably, the exit lane determining means determines that all the lanes on the road on which the host vehicle is traveling after exiting the unknown section are the exit lanes.

  When there is a course change that exceeds the normal lane movement, such as when a right turn or a left turn is made at the intersection, the determination of the exit lane by the exit lane determination means becomes meaningless. Therefore, according to this configuration, when there is a course change exceeding the normal lane movement, the processing by the exit lane determination unit is stopped by stopping the process for determining the travel lane after exiting from the unknown section. Lane misjudgment can be prevented.

  A characteristic configuration of the navigation device according to the present invention includes a lane determination device that has been described so far, a navigation calculation unit that performs route guidance according to a predetermined application program based on the exit lane determined by the lane determination device, It is in the point with.

  According to this characteristic configuration, predetermined navigation processing such as route guidance by the navigation device can be appropriately performed using the information on the traveling lane determined by the lane determination device.

  The characteristic configuration of the lane determination program according to the present invention includes a travel lane determination step for determining a travel lane that is a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling, and an unknown section that is a section in which the travel lane determination unit cannot determine the travel lane. In some cases, an exit lane determination step for determining an exit lane that is a travel lane after exiting from the unknown section, and for each lane after exit from the unknown section, the travel lane determination means can identify the travel lane. A lane identification determination step that determines whether or not the vehicle is running, and in the exit lane determination step, the lane that is determined by the lane identification determination step that the traveling lane can be specified is The process is to execute the process of determining the exit lane by excluding it from the exit lane candidates.

  According to this feature configuration, when determining the exit lane in the exit lane determination step, the exit lane is determined by excluding the lane determined to be able to identify the travel lane in the lane identification availability determination step from the exit lane candidates. Can be narrowed down to lanes in which the traveling lane cannot be specified in the traveling lane determination step. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of calculation processing for determining the traveling lane after leaving the unknown section. Further, when the vehicle travels in a lane where the travel lane can be specified after leaving the unknown section, the travel lane can be accurately specified after traveling the predetermined distance after leaving the unknown section. Therefore, comprehensively, it becomes possible to efficiently and accurately determine the travel lane after leaving the unknown section.

  It should be noted that this lane determination program can naturally incorporate some additional techniques mentioned as examples of suitable configurations for the above-described lane determination apparatus.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a navigation device 1 including a lane determination device 2 according to the present embodiment. When the lane determination device 2 passes through an unknown section U (see FIG. 6), which is a section in which the travel lane determination section 7 cannot determine the travel lane, the exit lane determination section 11 includes a lane identification availability determination section 8. The lane determined to be able to specify the travel lane is excluded from the candidates for the exit lane, and processing for determining the travel lane (exit lane) after exiting the unknown section U is executed. And the navigation apparatus 1 performs a predetermined navigation process with reference to the determination result of the leaving lane.

  A navigation device 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a functional unit for performing various processes on input data using a common arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU or the like as a core member. ) Or both. In the present embodiment, the navigation device 1 includes an image information acquisition unit 3, a vehicle position information acquisition unit 4, a data extraction unit 5, an image recognition unit 6, a travel lane determination unit 7, a lane identification availability determination unit 8, an unknown section. The detection unit 9, the lane movement determination unit 10, the exit lane determination unit 11, the interruption determination unit 12, and the navigation calculation unit 13 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 functional unit is configured by software (program), the software is stored in a storage unit such as a RAM or a ROM that can be referred to by the arithmetic processing unit. The map database 15 includes, as a hardware configuration, a recording medium (storage means) such as a hard disk drive, a flash memory, a DVD drive equipped with a DVD-ROM, and a CD drive equipped with a CD-ROM. Hereinafter, the configuration of each part of the navigation device 1 including the lane determination device 2 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

1. Map Database The map database 15 is a database in which map information M divided for each predetermined area and a plurality of feature information F associated with the map information M are stored. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the map information M and the feature information F stored in the map database 15. As shown in this figure, the map database 15 stores a road network layer m1, a road shape layer m2, and a feature layer m3.

  The road network layer m1 is a layer indicating connection information between roads. Specifically, it has information on a large number of nodes n having position information on a map expressed by latitude and longitude, and information on a large number of links k that form a road by connecting two nodes n. It is configured. Each link k includes information such as the type of road (type of highway, toll road, national road, prefectural road, etc.), link length, and the like as link information. The road shape layer m2 is a layer stored in association with the road network layer m1 and indicating the shape of the road. Specifically, information on a number of road shape complementary points s, road width information, etc. having position information on a map that is arranged between two nodes n (on the link) and expressed in latitude and longitude are provided. Configured. Moreover, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, the road shape layer m2 also has the lane information about each road. Here, the lane information includes information on the number of lanes for each traveling direction of each road. The map information M is configured by the information stored in the road network layer m1 and the road shape layer m2.

  The feature layer m3 is configured in association with the road network layer m1 and the road shape layer m2, and is a layer in which information of various features provided on the road and around the road, that is, the feature information F is stored. is there. The feature in which the feature information F is stored in the feature layer m3 includes a road marking provided on the road surface. Examples of features related to such road markings include, for example, lane markings (various lane markings such as solid lines, broken lines, and double lines) that divide road lanes, and various traffic regulations, such as lanes. Arrow-shaped markings (various arrows such as straight-ahead arrows, right-turn arrows, left-turn arrows), pedestrian crossings, stop lines, speed displays, zebra zones, and the like are included. In addition to such road markings, the features in which the feature information F is stored can include various features such as traffic lights, signs, overpasses, and tunnels.

  The feature information F includes position information of each feature, feature type information, and form information as its contents. Here, the position information includes information on the position (latitude and longitude) of the representative point of each feature on the map and the direction of each feature. The representative point of the feature is set, for example, at the center position in the length direction and the width direction of each feature. The feature type information is information representing the feature type of each feature. Here, it is assumed that the feature type basically defines a feature having the same shape as one feature type. Therefore, the feature type information is information representing a specific type of road marking such as a solid line marking line, a broken line marking line, a right turn arrow, a stop line, and a pedestrian crossing. Further, the form information includes information such as the shape, size, and color of each feature.

2. Image Information Acquisition Unit The image information acquisition unit 3 is a functional unit that acquires image information G around the vehicle position captured by the imaging device 21. This image information acquisition unit 3 corresponds to “image information acquisition means” in the present invention. Here, the imaging device 21 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 21, for example, a back camera that images the road surface behind the host vehicle as shown in FIG. 3 is preferably used. And the image information acquisition part 3 takes in the analog imaging information imaged with the imaging device 21 at a predetermined time interval, converts it into the image information G of a digital signal, and acquires it. 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 3 can continuously acquire the image information G of a plurality of frames captured by the imaging device 21. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the image information G acquired by the image information acquisition unit 3. The image information G acquired here is output to the image recognition unit 6.

3. Own vehicle position information acquisition unit The own vehicle position information acquisition unit 4 is a functional unit that acquires own vehicle position information P indicating the current position of the own vehicle. This own vehicle position information acquisition unit 4 corresponds to “own vehicle position information acquisition means” in the present invention. Here, the vehicle position information acquisition unit 4 is connected to the GPS receiver 22, the direction sensor 23, and the distance sensor 24. Here, the GPS receiver 22 is a device that receives GPS signals from GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites. This GPS signal is normally received every second and output to the vehicle position information acquisition unit 4. The own vehicle position information acquisition unit 4 can analyze a signal from a GPS satellite received by the GPS receiver 22 and acquire information such as the current position (latitude and longitude), traveling direction, and moving speed of the own vehicle. it can. The direction sensor 23 is a sensor that detects a traveling direction of the host vehicle or a change in the traveling direction. The azimuth sensor 23 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, and the like. Then, the direction sensor 23 outputs the detection result to the vehicle position information acquisition unit 4. The distance sensor 24 is a sensor that detects a vehicle speed and a moving distance of the host vehicle. The distance sensor 24 integrates, for example, a vehicle speed pulse sensor that outputs a pulse signal each time a vehicle drive shaft or wheel rotates a certain amount, a yaw / G sensor that detects the acceleration of the host vehicle, and the detected acceleration. It is composed of a circuit or the like. Then, the distance sensor 24 outputs information on the vehicle speed and movement distance as the detection result to the vehicle position information acquisition unit 4. In this embodiment, the direction sensor 23 functions as a traveling direction detection unit that detects a change in the traveling direction of the host vehicle.

  And the own vehicle position information acquisition part 4 performs the calculation which pinpoints an own vehicle position by a well-known method based on the output from these GPS receiver 22, the direction sensor 23, and the distance sensor 24. FIG. Further, the vehicle position information acquisition unit 4 acquires the map information M around the vehicle position extracted from the map database 15 by the data extraction unit 5 and performs known map matching based on the map information M to determine the vehicle position. Corrections are also made to fit on the road shown in the map information M. In this way, the host vehicle position information acquisition unit 4 acquires host vehicle position information P including information on the current position of the host vehicle represented by latitude and longitude and information on the traveling direction of the host vehicle. The own vehicle position information P acquired in this way is information that can specify the travel lane that is the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling when the road on which the host vehicle is traveling has a plurality of lanes. is not. Therefore, the navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which a travel lane determination unit 7 described later determines a travel lane. The vehicle position information P acquired by the vehicle position information acquisition unit 4 is output to the data extraction unit 5, the travel lane determination unit 7, and the navigation calculation unit 13.

4). Data extraction unit The data extraction unit 5 is a functional unit that extracts necessary map information M and feature information F from the map database 15 based on the vehicle position information P acquired by the vehicle position information acquisition unit 4. is there. In the present embodiment, the data extraction unit 5 extracts and acquires the feature information F of the target feature existing around the host vehicle based on the host vehicle position information P, and outputs it to the image recognition unit 6. . In addition, the data extraction unit 5 extracts and acquires the feature information F of the target feature existing on the road after leaving the unknown section U, and outputs it to the lane identification determination unit 8. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the data extraction unit 5 corresponds to the “feature information acquisition unit” in the present invention. Here, in the present embodiment, “target feature” is a target of image recognition processing by the image recognition unit 6, and a lane line that is a target of determination processing by the lane specification determination unit 8 regarding whether or not lane specification is possible. Represents road markings such as traffic regulations. In the present embodiment, the data extraction unit 5 acquires lane line form information Z indicating the form of lane lines that divide each lane of the road on which the host vehicle travels, and a regulation sign indicating traffic regulation on the road The restriction marking form information R representing the form is acquired. In addition, the data extraction unit 5 extracts and acquires lane information of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling based on the host vehicle position information P and the map information M around the host vehicle. Output. The lane information acquired here includes information on the number of lanes in the traveling direction of the host vehicle on the road on which the host vehicle is traveling.

  Further, the data extraction unit 5 extracts map information M around the vehicle position used for map matching by the vehicle position information acquisition unit 4 and outputs the map information M to the vehicle position information acquisition unit 4. Further, the data extraction unit 5 extracts the map information M of the area requested by the navigation calculation unit 13 from the map database 15 for use in navigation processing by the navigation calculation unit 13, and sends it to the navigation calculation unit 13. Output.

5. Image Recognition Unit The image recognition unit 6 is a functional unit that performs image recognition processing on the image information G (see FIG. 4) acquired by the image information acquisition unit 3. The image recognition unit 6 corresponds to “image recognition means” in the present invention. In the present embodiment, the image recognition unit 6 uses the feature information F of the target feature around the host vehicle acquired by the data extraction unit 5 to perform image recognition processing of the target feature included in the image information G. I do. Here, the target features to be subjected to the image recognition process are road markings such as lane markings and traffic regulations provided on the road surface as described above. Specifically, the image recognizing unit 6 performs binarization processing, edge detection processing, and the like on the acquired image information G, and the target feature (division line and traffic regulation included in the image information G). Contour information) is extracted. Thereafter, the image recognition unit 6 extracts contour information that matches one of the forms shown in the form information of the target feature included in the feature information F extracted by the data extraction unit 5. When contour information that matches the shape information is extracted, the feature related to the contour information is recognized as the target feature. Then, the positional relationship between the subject vehicle and the target feature related to the contour information is calculated, and the information on the positional relationship between the feature type of the subject feature and the subject vehicle is sent to the traveling lane determination unit 7 as an image recognition result. Output. The positional relationship between the host vehicle and the target feature included in the image information G depends on the position of the target feature in the image information G and the mounting position, mounting angle, and angle of view of the imaging device 21 to the host vehicle. The calculation can be performed based on the vehicle position calculated in advance based on the information and the information indicating the relationship between each position in the image information G.

  For example, the image recognizing unit 6 uses the feature information F of the lane markings around the host vehicle included in the feature information F acquired by the data extracting unit 5 in order to determine the traveling lane by the traveling lane determining unit 7. The image recognition processing is performed on the lane marking as the target feature included in the image information G. Specifically, the image recognition unit 6 recognizes the types of lane markings that exist around the host vehicle and the positional relationship between the lane markings and the host vehicle. Alternatively, image recognition processing of the restriction sign as the target feature included in the image information G using the feature information F of the restriction sign around the host vehicle included in the feature information F acquired by the data extraction unit 5 I do. Specifically, the image recognizing unit 6 recognizes the types of regulatory signs existing around the host vehicle. Then, the image recognition unit 6 outputs the image recognition result of such a feature to the travel lane determination unit 7.

6). Traveling Lane Determination Unit The traveling lane determination unit 7 is a functional unit that determines a traveling lane that is a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling. The travel lane determination unit 7 corresponds to “travel lane determination means” in the present invention. The travel lane determination unit 7 recognizes an image of the form of a lane line around the host vehicle in an area other than the unknown section U, which will be described later, and the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling based on the combination of the form of the lane line. A certain driving lane is determined. In the present embodiment, the travel lane determination unit 7 is based on the combination of the lane line forms recognized by the image recognition unit 6 and the lane line form of the road on which the host vehicle represented by the lane line form information Z is traveling. To determine the driving lane. Hereinafter, the travel lane determination process by the travel lane determination unit 7 is referred to as a travel lane determination process. Specifically, for example, the traveling lane determination unit 7 determines the types of lane lines (line types such as a solid line, a broken line, and a double line) around the host vehicle indicated by the image recognition result by the image recognition unit 6 and each section. The travel lane is determined based on the positional relationship between the line and the host vehicle and the feature information F of the lane markings existing around the host vehicle. Then, the travel lane determination unit 7 generates travel lane information indicated by the determination result of the travel lane determination process as travel lane information S1.

  More specifically, for example, when the image information G as shown in FIG. 4 is acquired by the back camera as the imaging device 21, the feature information of the lane markings around the host vehicle as shown in FIG. When F is acquired, the traveling lane determination unit 7 determines that the L1 lane among the four lanes indicated by L1 to L4 is a traveling lane. That is, in the image shown in the image information G shown in FIG. 4, there is a solid dividing line on the left side in the traveling direction (right side in FIG. 4) with respect to the center in the width direction of the image that is the position of the host vehicle. On the right side (left side in FIG. 4) is a broken lane marking. Further, on the outer side, two broken lane markings and one solid lane marking are arranged in that order. On the other hand, according to the feature information F shown in FIG. 5, the road on which the host vehicle is traveling is four lanes, there are solid lane markings on both sides in the width direction of the road, and the road in the center in the width direction. It can be seen that there are three broken lane markings separating each lane. Therefore, in the illustrated example, the traveling lane determination unit 7 can identify that the traveling lane in which the host vehicle is traveling is the L1 lane among the four lanes by comparing these pieces of information. In FIG. 5, it is assumed that the traveling direction of the host vehicle is upward.

  By the way, in the traveling lane determination processing method based on the comparison between the lane marking image recognition result and the feature information F as described above, the types of lane markings on both sides of the host vehicle are the same as the L2 lane and the L3 lane. When there are a plurality of lanes that are the same, it may not be possible to specify one traveling lane. Therefore, the traveling lane determination unit 7 determines whether or not the lane moves based on whether or not the host vehicle straddles the lane line based on the position information of the lane line indicated in the image recognition result by the image recognition unit 6, and the determination A traveling lane determination process based on the result is also performed. Alternatively, the travel lane may be determined based on the image recognition result of the target feature (for example, the maximum speed indicator) provided only on the specific lane by the image recognition unit 6.

  When the vehicle lane determination process described above can identify one lane on which the host vehicle is traveling, the traveling lane determination unit 7 generates traveling lane information S1 with the one lane as the traveling lane. . In addition, when it is not possible to identify one traveling lane by these processes, the traveling lane determination unit 7 sets the traveling lane information S1 as a traveling lane by using a plurality of lanes where the host vehicle may be traveling. Generate. Note that the travel lane determination unit 7 has a plurality of lanes in the traveling direction (one side) of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling based on the host vehicle position information P when the travel lane determination is necessary. The traveling lane determination process is performed only when the vehicle is present. The travel lane information S1 as a determination result is output to the exit lane determination unit 11 and the navigation calculation unit 13.

7). Lane identification availability determination unit The lane identification availability determination unit 8 is a functional unit that determines whether or not a traveling lane can be identified by the traveling lane determination unit 7 for each lane after leaving the unknown section U. The lane identification determination unit 8 corresponds to “lane identification determination unit” in the present invention. In the present embodiment, the lane identification availability determination unit 8 detects that there is an unknown section U before entering the unknown section U. The presence of an unknown section U ahead of the road on which the host vehicle travels can be detected with reference to, for example, a node n corresponding to an intersection or a toll gate stored in the map database 15.

  Based on the feature information F extracted and acquired by the data extraction unit 5, the lane identification availability determination unit 8 can identify the traveling lane by the traveling lane determination unit 7 for each lane after leaving the unknown section U. It is determined whether or not. As described above, in the present embodiment, the feature information F includes the lane marking form information Z and the regulation sign form information R. The lane identification availability determination unit 8 can identify a traveling lane by the traveling lane determination unit 7 based on the lane marking form information Z and the regulation marking form information R extracted and acquired by the data extraction unit 5. It is determined whether or not.

  For example, when the determination based on the lane marking form information Z is performed, the lane identification determination unit 8 determines whether the combination of the lane markings on both sides of the lane is another combination for one lane present on the traveling road. It is determined whether or not it matches the combination of lane markings on both sides of the lane. Then, for a lane whose combination of lane markings on both sides does not match the combination of lane markings on both sides of any other lane, the driving lane determination unit 7 determines that the driving lane can be specified. On the other hand, for a lane whose combination of lane markings on both sides matches a combination of lane markings on both sides of any other lane, the driving lane determining unit 7 determines that the driving lane cannot be specified. For example, if the combination of lane markings on both sides of each lane of the road after leaving the unknown section U is a combination as shown in FIG. L1 is "solid line-dashed line", the second lane L2 is "dashed line-dashed line", the third lane L3 is "dashed line-dashed line", and the fourth lane L4 is "dashed line-solid line". And about the 1st lane L1 and the 4th lane L4, the combination of the division line form of both sides does not correspond with the combination of the division line form of both sides of any other lane. On the other hand, regarding the second lane L2 and the third lane L3, the combinations of the forms of the lane markings on both sides coincide with each other. Therefore, in this case, the lane identification availability determination unit 8 determines that the traveling lane can be identified by the traveling lane determination unit 7 for the first lane L1 and the fourth lane L4, and the second lane L2 and the second lane L4. For the three lanes L3, the travel lane determination unit 7 determines that the travel lanes cannot be specified.

  Moreover, when performing the determination based on the regulation sign form information R, the lane identification availability determination unit 8 determines one or more regulation signs provided in the lane with respect to one lane existing on the traveling road. It is determined whether or not the combination matches a combination of one or more restriction signs provided in other lanes. And about the lane in which the combination of a regulation sign is not in agreement with the combination of the regulation sign provided in any other lane, it determines with the travel lane determination part 7 being able to identify a travel lane. On the other hand, for a lane whose combination of restriction signs matches the combination of restriction signs provided in any other lane, the traveling lane determination unit 7 determines that the traveling lane cannot be specified. For example, if the combination of the restriction signs provided on the road after leaving the unknown section U is a combination as shown in FIG. 7, the “left turn lane” in the first lane L1 and the second lane L2 respectively. A regulation sign indicating “straight lane and maximum speed”, “straight lane” in the third lane L3, “straight lane” in the fourth lane L4, and “right lane” in the fifth lane L5 is provided. And about the 1st lane L1, the 2nd lane L2, and the 5th lane L5, the combination of the regulation sign is not in agreement with the combination of the regulation sign provided in any other lane. On the other hand, with respect to the third lane L3 and the fourth lane L4, the combinations of the regulatory markings coincide with each other. Therefore, in this case, the lane identification availability determination unit 8 determines that the traveling lane can be identified by the traveling lane determination unit 7 for the first lane L1, the second lane L2, and the fifth lane L5. For the third lane L3 and the fourth lane L4, the travel lane determination unit 7 determines that the travel lane cannot be specified.

  The determination by the lane identification availability determination unit 8 may be made based on only one of the lane marking form information Z and the regulation sign form information R, or based on a combination of both. May be. The determination result determined here is output to the exit lane determination unit 11.

8). Unknown Section Detection Unit The unknown section detection unit 9 is a functional unit that detects an entry point of the own vehicle into the unknown section U. When the unknown section detection unit 9 detects that the host vehicle has entered the unknown section U, the lane movement determination unit 10 performs a process of determining the lane movement range A in the leaving lane determination process by the leaving lane determination unit 11. The reference point a is set. In the present embodiment, as described above, the travel lane determination unit 7 uses the feature information F of the lane line existing around the host vehicle acquired by the data extraction unit 5 and the image of the lane line by the image recognition unit 6. The traveling lane is determined based on the recognition result. Therefore, in this embodiment, the section in which the travel lane determination unit 7 cannot determine the travel lane is the road section in which the image recognition unit 6 cannot recognize the lane marking. Therefore, the unknown section detection unit 9 detects that the host vehicle is traveling in the unknown section U when the image recognition unit 6 cannot recognize the lane markings around the host vehicle. More specifically, since the travel lane determination unit 7 determines the travel lane based on the image recognition results of the lane markings on both sides of the own vehicle, the unknown section detection unit 9 uses the image recognition unit 6 to determine the vehicle lane. A section in which both of the lane markings on both sides cannot be recognized as an unknown section U is detected. As such an unknown section U, for example, a section in which no lane marking is originally provided on the road surface, such as an intersection, or a section in which image recognition cannot be performed because the lane marking is blurred corresponds. 6, 8, and 10 show examples when the inside of an intersection where no lane marking is provided is detected as an unknown section U. When it is detected that the host vehicle is traveling in the unknown section U, the unknown section detection unit 9 outputs the result to the lane movement determination unit 10 and the exit lane determination unit 11.

9. Lane movement determination unit The lane movement determination unit 10 is a lane movement that is a range of the number of lanes that the vehicle may have moved while traveling in the unknown section U based on the vehicle speed V and the travel distance of the vehicle. This is a functional unit that determines the range A. The lane movement determination unit 10 corresponds to the “lane movement determination unit” in the present invention. In the present embodiment, the lane movement determination unit 10 first determines the travel distance required for the host vehicle to move from the traveling lane to the adjacent lane based on the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle acquired by the distance sensor 24. A unit lane moving distance D is obtained. That is, the unit lane movement distance D is a reference distance for determining that there is a possibility that lane movement for one lane has been performed when the host vehicle travels beyond this distance. Here, the unit lane movement distance D is a value obtained by multiplying the reference lane movement time T by the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle, as shown in the following equation (1).
[Unit lane travel distance D] = [reference lane travel time T] × [vehicle speed V] (1)
In this equation, the reference lane movement time T is a reference time required for the host vehicle to move from a running lane to an adjacent lane. Specifically, as the reference lane movement time T, it is preferable to set a time required for lane movement (lane change) by a standard driving operation, for example, a constant value of about 2 to 3 seconds. As an example, when the reference lane travel time T is set to 2 seconds and the host vehicle is traveling at a vehicle speed V of 60 [km / hour], the unit lane travel distance D is about 33 [m]. It becomes. In the description of the present embodiment, the symbol “D” relating to the unit lane movement distance comprehensively represents the unit lane movement distances Da to Dc at the reference points a to c in the examples of FIGS. is there.

  Further, as shown in the examples of FIGS. 6, 8 and 10, the lane movement determination unit 10 calculates the unit lane movement distance D as described above until the own vehicle leaves the unknown section U. Is repeated each time the travel distance exceeds the unit lane travel distance D. That is, each time the traveling distance of the host vehicle exceeds the unit lane movement distance D, the lane movement determination unit 10 determines a point (for example, the points b and c in FIG. 6) that exceeds the unit lane movement distance D as a reference point. Then, a new unit lane movement distance D based on the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle at the reference point is obtained. In the present embodiment, the travel distance of the host vehicle is detected by the distance sensor 24. The lane movement determination unit 10 increases the lane movement range A by one lane every time the traveling distance of the host vehicle exceeds the unit lane movement distance D. Here, the lane movement determination unit 10 sets the lane movement range A when entering the unknown section U to “0” (A = 0), and every time the travel distance of the host vehicle exceeds the unit lane movement distance D, One is added to the value of the movement range A (A = A + 1). The lane movement determination unit 10 determines the lane movement range A when the host vehicle leaves the unknown section U as the lane movement range A in the unknown section U.

10. Exit lane determination unit The exit lane determination unit 11 determines an exit lane that is a travel lane after exiting from the unknown section U when there is an unknown section U that is a section in which the travel lane determination unit 7 cannot determine the travel lane. It is a functional part to do. This exit lane determination unit 11 corresponds to “exit lane determination means” in the present invention. Hereinafter, the determination process of the travel lane after the exit from the unknown section U by the exit lane determination unit 11 is referred to as an exit lane determination process. In this embodiment, the exit lane determination unit 11 first widens the lane movement range A when exiting from the unknown section U to both sides from the travel lane shown in the travel lane information S1 before entering the unknown section U. One or more lanes included in the range are acquired as a leaving lane candidate C that is a candidate for a driving lane after leaving the unknown section U. For example, when the lane movement range A is “1” (A = 1), the exit lane determination unit 11 includes the lane included in the range expanded by one lane on both sides from the travel lane indicated in the travel lane information S1. That is, the travel lane indicated in the travel lane information S1 and two lanes adjacent to both sides thereof are acquired as exit lane candidates C after exiting from the unknown section U.

  At this time, the exit lane determination unit 11 exits within the range of one or more lanes indicated by the lane information based on the lane information of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, acquired by the data extraction unit 5. Lane candidate C is acquired. That is, the exit lane determination unit 11 is based on the information on the number of lanes in the traveling direction of the host vehicle on the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, which is indicated in the lane information acquired by the data extraction unit 5 based on the map information M. Exit lane candidate C is acquired so as to be within the range of the number of lanes. For example, when the lane movement range A is 1 (A = 1), a total of three lanes, the traveling lane indicated in the traveling lane information S1 and the lanes adjacent to both sides thereof, are the exit lane candidates C. When the number of lanes of the road on which the host vehicle is running indicated by the lane information acquired by the extraction unit 5 is “2”, the exit lane determination unit 11 acquires the two lanes as the exit lane candidate C. . Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a lane that does not exist on the road on which the host vehicle is traveling from being acquired as the exit lane candidate C.

  Here, the exit lane determination unit 11 determines the exit lane by excluding the lanes determined by the lane identification availability determination unit 8 that the travel lane can be identified from the exit lane candidate C. That is, the exit lane determination unit 11 determines, as the exit lane, the lane determined by the lane identification availability determination unit 8 that the travel lane is not identifiable among the exit lane candidates C acquired as described above. Exit lane information S2 is generated based on the determination result. By the way, as in the case where the number of races on the road on which the host vehicle is traveling is small (three lanes or less), the lane identification enable / disable determination unit 8 determines the travel lane determination unit 7 for all lanes after leaving the unknown section U. May determine that the traveling lane can be specified. In such a case, all the lanes are excluded from the exit lane candidate C, which causes a disadvantage that the exit lane information S2 is not generated at all. Therefore, in this embodiment, the exit lane determination unit 11 determines that the exit lane candidate C is determined when the travel lane determination unit 7 determines that the travel lane can be identified for all the lanes. Without considering the above, the travel lane determined by the travel lane determination means 7 before entering the unknown section U is determined as the exit lane. Hereinafter, a specific example of the exit lane determination process will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, an example of a determination process for a leaving lane that is a traveling lane after leaving the unknown section U will be described using the examples illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. In this example, the lane identification availability determination unit 8 determines whether the traveling lane can be identified by the traveling lane determination unit 7 based on the lane marking form information Z for each lane after leaving the unknown section U. A case of determination will be described. In this case, as described above, the lane identification availability determining unit 8 determines, for one lane existing on the traveling road, the combination of the lane markings on both sides of the lane is the lane marking on both sides of the other lane. It is determined whether or not the combination matches. In the example of FIG. 5, for the first lane L1 and the fourth lane L4 in which the combination of the lane markings on both sides does not match the combination of the lane markings on both sides of any other lane, the traveling lane determination unit 7 Regarding the second lane L2 and the third lane L3, in which it is determined that the traveling lane can be specified, and the combination of the lane markings on both sides matches the combination of the lane markings on both sides of any other lane, The travel lane determination unit 7 determines that the travel lane cannot be specified.

  In this example, when the unknown section detection unit 9 detects that the host vehicle has entered the unknown section U, the lane movement determination unit 10 sets the entry point of the host vehicle to the unknown section U as the reference point a, and the reference The unit lane movement distance Da (Da = T × Va) is obtained based on the vehicle speed Va at the point a. And the lane movement determination part 10 is the point where the actual travel distance of the host vehicle from the reference point a (entrance point to the unknown section U) detected by the distance sensor 24 exceeds the unit lane travel distance Da. The point is set as a new reference point b, and the unit lane movement distance Db (Db = T × Vb) is obtained based on the vehicle speed Vb at the reference point b. In addition, the lane movement determination unit 10 increases the lane movement range A by one lane. Here, since the lane movement range A when entering the unknown section U is “0” (A = 0), the lane movement range A after passing through the reference point b is “1”. The lane movement determination unit 10 further moves the unit lane based on the vehicle speed Vc at the reference point c at a point where the travel distance of the host vehicle exceeds the unit lane movement distance Db and sets the point as a new reference point c. A distance Dc (Dc = T × Vc) is obtained. In addition, the lane movement determination unit 10 increases the lane movement range A by one lane. Here, since the lane movement range A after passing through the reference point b is “1” (A = 1), the lane movement range A after passing through the reference point c is “2”. Thereafter, in this example, the host vehicle has left the unknown section U before the travel distance of the host vehicle from the reference point c exceeds the unit lane travel distance Dc. Thus, the lane movement determination unit 10 ends the determination process of the lane movement range A at the point where the host vehicle leaves the unknown section U. Therefore, in this example, the lane movement determination unit 10 determines that the lane movement range A when leaving the unknown section U is “2”.

  Next, the exit lane determination unit 11 extends the two lanes indicated by the lane movement range A determined by the lane movement determination unit 10 on both sides from the first lane L1 that is the driving lane indicated by the driving lane information S1. A lane included in the range is acquired as an exit lane candidate C from the unknown section U. However, at this time, the exit lane determination unit 11 acquires the exit lane candidate C within the range of one or more lanes indicated by the lane information based on the lane information acquired by the data extraction unit 5. In this example, as shown in FIG. 6, it is known that the road on which the host vehicle is traveling has four lanes from the first lane L1 to the fifth lane L5 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. Therefore, in this example, the exit lane determination unit 11 acquires three lanes from the first lane L1 to the third lane L3 as exit lane candidates C within the lane range indicated in the lane information.

  Next, the exit lane determination unit 11 excludes the lanes for which the travel lane is determined to be identifiable by the lane identification availability determination unit 8 from the exit lane candidate C, and determines that the travel lane is not identifiable. Exit lane information S2 is generated with the exit lane as the exit lane. As described above, in this example, it is determined that the driving lane can be specified for the first lane L1 and the fourth lane L4, and the driving lane is determined not to be specified for the second lane L2 and the third lane L3. The Therefore, in this example, the leaving lane determination unit 11 excludes the first lane L1 from the three lanes from the first lane L1 to the third lane L3 acquired as the leaving lane candidate C, and the second lane L2 and the second lane L2 Two lanes of the three lanes L3 are determined as travel lanes after leaving the unknown section U, and such exit lane information S2 is generated. In the exit lane information S2 shown in FIG. 6, the lanes displaying “●” and “◯” represent the exit lane candidate C, and the lanes finally displaying “●” are determined as exit lanes. (The same applies to FIGS. 8 and 10).

  According to such an exit lane determination process, the travel lane after exiting from the unknown section U can be efficiently and accurately determined. In other words, if the travel lane in which the vehicle travels after leaving the unknown section U is a lane that can be specified in a single manner by the travel lane determination unit 7, after leaving the unknown section U, after traveling a predetermined distance Since the traveling lane is accurately identified immediately, there is no particular problem even if the exit lane determination is incorrect. Therefore, with respect to such a single identifiable lane, the exit lane is determined by excluding it from the exit lane candidate C in the hope that an appropriate travel lane will be identified after exit. Therefore, the exit lanes from the unknown section U can be narrowed down to lanes that cannot be specified as a single unit, so that it is possible to reduce the amount of calculation processing for determining the traveling lane after exiting from the unknown section U. . Therefore, comprehensively, it is possible to efficiently and accurately determine the traveling lane after leaving the unknown section U.

  Next, another example of the determination process of the exit lane that is the travel lane after exiting from the unknown section U will be described using the examples illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. In this example, the lane identification availability determination unit 8 determines whether the traveling lane can be identified by the traveling lane determination unit 7 on the basis of the regulation sign form information R for each lane after leaving the unknown section U. A case of determination will be described. In this case, as described above, the lane identification availability determination unit 8 provides, for one lane existing on the traveling road, a combination of one or two or more regulatory markings provided in the lane. It is determined whether or not it matches a combination of one or more regulatory signs. In the example of FIG. 7, for the first lane L1, the second lane L2, and the fifth lane L5 that do not match the combination of the restriction signs provided in any other lanes, the traveling lane determination unit 7 For the third lane L3 and the fourth lane L4 in which it is determined that the traveling lane can be specified and the combination of the regulatory markings matches the combination of the regulatory markings provided in any of the other lanes, the traveling lane determining unit 7 Thus, it is determined that the traveling lane cannot be specified.

  Since the determination process of the lane movement range A by the lane movement determination unit 10 has already been described, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. In this example, the lane movement determination unit 10 moves the lane when leaving the unknown section U. The range A is determined as “1”. Then, the exit lane determination unit 11 acquires three lanes from the first lane L1 to the third lane L3 as exit lane candidates C within the lane range indicated by the lane information. Next, the exit lane determination unit 11 excludes the lanes for which the travel lane is determined to be identifiable by the lane identification availability determination unit 8 from the exit lane candidate C, and determines that the travel lane is not identifiable. Exit lane information S2 is generated with the exit lane as the exit lane. As described above, in this example, it is determined that the driving lane can be specified for the first lane L1, the second lane L2, and the fifth lane L5, and the driving lane can be specified for the third lane L3 and the fourth lane L4. It is determined that it is not. Therefore, in this example, the exit lane determination unit 11 excludes the first lane L1 and the second lane L2 from the three lanes from the first lane L1 to the third lane L3 acquired as the exit lane candidate C, One lane of the three lanes L3 is determined as a travel lane after leaving the unknown section U, and such exit lane information S2 is generated.

Next, another example of the determination process of the exit lane that is the travel lane after exiting from the unknown section U will be described using the examples illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. In this example, the lane identification availability determination unit 8 travels by the travel lane determination unit 7 for each lane after leaving the unknown section U based on the combination of both the lane marking form information Z and the regulation sign form information R. A case where it is determined whether or not a lane can be specified will be described. In the case of the example shown in FIG. 9, based on only the lane marking form information Z, the driving lanes cannot be specified for the second lane L2 and the third lane L3 as in the case of the example of FIG. However, the second lane L2 is provided with a regulation sign indicating “straight lane” and the third lane L3 is provided with a regulation sign indicating “straight lane and maximum speed”. These distinctions can be made by referring to. Therefore, in this example, the traveling lane determination unit 7 can identify traveling lanes for all lanes. In this case, the exit lane determination unit 11 does not determine the lane movement range A and acquires the exit lane candidate C, and the travel lane determination means 7 before entering the unknown section U based on the travel lane information S1. The determined travel lane is determined as the travel lane after leaving, and such exit lane information S2 is generated.
The exit lane information S2 as a determination result is output to the navigation calculation unit 13.

11. Interruption determination unit The interruption determination unit 12 exits when the direction sensor 23 serving as the advancing direction detecting means detects a change in the advancing direction of the host vehicle that is larger than the amount of change in the advancing direction assumed when the lane moves. This is a functional unit that performs determination to interrupt the determination process of the exit lane by the lane determination unit 11. In the present embodiment, the interruption determination unit 12 determines whether the exit lane is determined by the exit lane determination unit 11 when an output greater than a predetermined value regarding the amount of change in the traveling direction of the host vehicle is output from the direction sensor 23. A determination is made to interrupt the determination process. That is, the interruption determination unit 12 does not perform interruption determination as long as the output from the direction sensor 23 is less than the specified value. And when the interruption determination by this interruption determination part 12 is performed, the leaving lane determination part 11 is irrespective of the determination result by the traveling lane determination part 7, the lane specific availability determination part 8, and the lane movement determination part 10. A process of generating all the lanes of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling from the unknown section U as the exit lane information S2 is performed. This is because the determination process by the exit lane determination unit 11 is meaningless when there is a change in the course of the host vehicle that exceeds normal lane movement, such as a right turn or a left turn at an intersection. . Thereby, the erroneous determination of the exit lane by the exit lane determination unit 11 can be prevented.

12 Navigation Calculation Unit The navigation calculation unit 13 is a functional unit that mainly operates in accordance with an application program AP for executing a guidance function as the navigation device 1. The navigation calculation unit 13 corresponds to the “navigation calculation means” in the present invention. Here, the application program AP includes the vehicle position information P acquired by the vehicle position information acquisition unit 4, the map information M extracted by the data extraction unit 5, and the travel lane determined by the travel lane determination unit 7. The operation is performed with reference to the travel lane information S1 and the exit lane information S2 as information. Then, according to the application program AP, for example, the navigation calculation unit 13 acquires the map information M around the host vehicle from the map database 15 by the data extraction unit 5 and displays the map image on the display input device 25. Based on the vehicle position information P, the vehicle position mark is superimposed on the map image and displayed. In addition, the navigation calculation unit 13 searches for a route from the departure point to the destination according to the application program AP, and further, based on the searched route and the vehicle position information P, the display input device Route guidance is performed using one or both of the audio output device 25 and the audio output device 26. At this time, the application program AP refers to the information on the travel lane determined by the travel lane determination unit 7 and the exit lane determination unit 11, and performs navigation operations such as display of the vehicle position, route search, and route guidance. Specifically, for example, the determined travel lane is displayed on the display / input device 25, or an operation such as stopping route guidance that requires an excessive lane change according to the determined travel lane is performed.

  By the way, various application programs AP (hereinafter simply referred to as “apps”) that operate in the navigation calculation unit 13 include applications that change whether or not they can be operated according to the specific state of the traveling lane. For example, an application that can operate only when the driving lane is specified as one lane, such as an application that guides the number of lane movements, or an application that encourages exit from a right-turn exclusive lane, Some of them are unnecessary if you know that they are not specific lanes. According to the exit lane determination processing by the exit lane determination unit 11 according to the present invention, as described above, it is possible to efficiently and accurately determine the travel lane after exiting the unknown section U from a comprehensive viewpoint. It has become. Therefore, it is possible to maintain a relatively long state in which many applications can operate according to the specific state of the travel lane.

  In the present embodiment, the navigation calculation unit 13 is connected to the display input device 25 and the audio output device 26. The display input device 25 is a combination of a display device such as a liquid crystal display device and an input device such as a touch panel. The audio output device 26 includes a speaker and the like. The navigation calculation unit 13 and one or both of the display input device 25 and the audio output device 26 cooperate to function as guidance information output means, operate according to the application program AP, and output guidance information.

13. Procedure of Lane Determination Processing Next, a procedure of lane determination processing (lane determination program) executed in the navigation device 1 including the lane determination device 2 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an overall procedure of the lane determination processing according to the present embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a detailed processing procedure of the exit lane determination process. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed processing procedure of the lane movement 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 a lane determination program that configures each of the above functional units.

13-1. Overall lane determination process First, the overall procedure of the lane determination process will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, when determining the travel lane, the navigation device 1 first acquires the vehicle position information P by the vehicle position information acquisition unit 4 (step # 01). Next, the feature extraction information F of the target feature existing around the host vehicle is extracted and acquired from the map database 15 by the data extraction unit 5 (step # 02). Further, the image information acquisition unit 3 acquires the image information G captured by the imaging device 21 mounted on the host vehicle (step # 03). Then, the image recognition unit 6 performs image recognition processing of the target feature included in the image information G (step # 04). Thereafter, the travel lane determination unit 7 performs travel lane determination processing to acquire travel lane information S1 (step # 05). Here, the travel lane determination process by the travel lane determination unit 7 is a travel lane determination process performed in an area other than the unknown section U as described above. Since the content of the travel lane determination process by the travel lane determination unit 7 has already been described, the description thereof is omitted here. Next, whether or not there is an unknown section U that is a section in which the traveling lane determination section 7 cannot determine the traveling lane ahead of the road on which the vehicle travels with reference to the map database 15 by the lane identification determination section 8. Is determined (step # 06). If the lane identification determination unit 8 determines that there is no unknown section U ahead (step # 06: No), the process ends. If the lane identification enable / disable determining unit 8 determines that there is an unknown section U ahead (step # 06: Yes), an exit lane determination process is executed (step # 07). This is the end of the lane determination process.

13-2. Exit Lane Determination Process Next, the procedure of the exit lane determination process will be described. As shown in FIG. 12, first, the data extraction unit 5 acquires the lane line form information Z and the regulation sign form information R on the road after leaving the unknown section U (step # 21). Next, the lane identification enable / disable determining unit 8 determines, for each lane after exiting from the unknown section U, the traveling lane determining unit based on the lane marking form information Z and the regulation sign form information R acquired by the data extracting unit 5. 7 determines whether the travel lane can be identified (step # 22). Next, the lane identification determination unit 8 determines whether all lanes can be identified (step # 23). If it is determined that all lanes can be specified (step # 23: Yes), then the interruption determination unit 12 determines whether or not the exit lane determination process by the exit lane determination unit 11 has been interrupted. Is determined (step # 31). When the interruption determination unit 12 determines to interrupt the exit lane determination process (step # 31: Yes), the process of step # 33 described later is executed. On the other hand, if the interruption determination unit 12 has not made the determination to interrupt the determination process of the leaving lane (step # 31: No), the leaving lane determination unit 11 indicates the unknown section U indicated in the travel lane information S1. The travel lane before entering is determined as the exit lane, and such exit lane information S2 is generated (step # 32).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that not all lanes can be specified (step # 23: No), the unknown section detection unit 9 determines whether or not the host vehicle has entered the unknown section U. (Step # 24) When it is detected that the host vehicle has entered the unknown section U (Step # 24: Yes), a lane movement determination process is executed (Step # 25). The detailed processing procedure of this lane movement determination processing will be described later in detail based on the flowchart of FIG. Next, it is determined whether or not the interruption determination unit 12 has determined to interrupt the exit lane determination process by the exit lane determination unit 11 (step # 26). If the interruption determination unit 12 determines that the determination process of the exit lane is interrupted (step # 26: Yes), the exit lane determination unit 11 uses the data extraction unit 5 to map information M around the host vehicle. Based on the lane information, the lane information of the road on which the vehicle after leaving the unknown section U is traveling is extracted and acquired (step # 33). For example, if there is a determination that the lane movement determination process is interrupted by the interruption determination unit 12 due to the vehicle turning left or right within an intersection as an unknown section U, the data extraction unit 5 performs the left or right turn. Extract the lane information of the later road. The exit lane determination unit 11 determines all the lanes acquired in step # 33 as exit lanes, and generates such exit lane information S2 (step # 34).

  On the other hand, if the interruption determination unit 12 has not made the determination to interrupt the exit lane determination process (step # 26: No), the lane movement determination unit 10 is based on the vehicle speed V and the travel distance of the host vehicle. Thus, the lane movement range A that is the range of the number of lanes that the vehicle may have moved while traveling in the unknown section U is determined (step # 27). The exit lane determination unit 11 acquires lane information on the road after exiting from the unknown section U (step # 28), and from the travel lane indicated by the travel lane information S1 within the lane range indicated by the lane information. A lane included in the range expanded by the lane movement range A on both sides is acquired as an exit lane candidate C (step # 29). Next, the exit lane determination unit 11 determines the exit lane by excluding from the exit lane candidate C a lane whose travel lane can be identified by the travel lane determination unit 7, and generates such exit lane information S2 ( Step # 30). The exit lane determination process ends when the process of step # 30, step # 32, or step # 34 is executed to generate exit lane information S2.

13-3. Lane Movement Determination Process Next, details of the lane movement determination process in step # 25 will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the lane movement determination unit 10 first sets the lane movement range A when entering the unknown section U to “0” (A = 0) (step # 41). Next, the lane movement determination unit 10 determines the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle at the reference point a (see FIGS. 6, 8, and 10) that is an entry point to the unknown section U based on the detection result of the distance sensor 24. Information is acquired (step # 42). Then, the lane movement determination unit 10 calculates and obtains the unit lane movement distance Da (see FIGS. 6, 8 and 10) based on the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle acquired in step # 42 (step # 43). . Since the method of calculating the unit lane movement distance Da has already been described, the description thereof is omitted here. Thereafter, the lane movement determination unit 10 acquires information on the travel distance from the reference point a that is the entry point to the unknown section U based on the detection result of the distance sensor 24 (step # 44).

  Further, the unknown section detection unit 9 determines whether or not the own vehicle has left the unknown section U (step # 45). If the host vehicle has not left the unknown section U (step # 45: No), the interruption determination unit 12 then determines whether to interrupt the determination process for the lane movement range A. (Step # 46). When the interruption determination unit 12 determines to interrupt the determination process for the lane movement range A (step # 46: Yes), the lane movement determination process by the lane movement determination unit 10 is terminated. On the other hand, if the interruption determination unit 12 does not determine that the determination process for the lane movement range A is interrupted (step # 46: No), the lane movement determination unit 10 next acquires the self-acquisition acquired in step # 44. It is determined whether or not the travel distance of the vehicle is equal to or greater than the unit lane travel distance Da obtained in step # 43 (step # 47). If the travel distance of the host vehicle is less than the unit lane travel distance Da (step # 47: No), the process returns to step # 44 until the travel distance of the host vehicle becomes equal to or greater than the unit lane travel distance Da (step (# 47: Yes), it is determined whether or not the own vehicle has left the unknown section U (step # 45), and whether or not the determination process of the lane movement range A is interrupted (step # 46).

  When the traveling distance of the host vehicle becomes equal to or greater than the unit lane movement distance Da (step # 47: Yes), the lane movement determination unit 10 adds “1” to the value of the lane movement range A (A = A + 1) (step # 48), and the lane movement range A is set to “1” (A = 1). Further, the lane movement determination unit 10 sets a new reference point b (see FIGS. 6, 8 and 10) at a point where the traveling distance of the host vehicle exceeds the unit lane movement distance Da (step # 49), and processing Returns to step # 42. Thereafter, the lane movement determination unit 10 determines that the own vehicle leaves the unknown section U (step # 45: Yes), or the interruption determination unit 12 interrupts the determination process for the lane movement range A (step # 46: Every time the travel distance of the host vehicle exceeds the unit lane travel distance D, the unit lane travel distance D with the point exceeding the unit lane travel distance D as a reference point is obtained and the travel distance of the host vehicle is Each time exceeds the unit lane movement distance D, the process of adding “1” to the value of the lane movement range A (A = A + 1) is repeated.

  When the host vehicle leaves the unknown section U (step # 45: Yes), the lane movement determination unit 10 determines the lane movement range A when the host vehicle leaves the unknown section U as the unknown section U. Is determined as the lane movement range A of the host vehicle (step # 50). This is the end of the lane movement determination process.

[Other Embodiments]
(1) In the above embodiment, the case where the traveling lane determination unit 7 determines a traveling lane based on the feature information F such as the lane marking form information Z and the regulation marking form information R has been described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the configuration is such that the travel lane is determined based on the feature information F other than the lane marking form information Z and the regulation sign form information R, for example, information indicating the form of the instruction sign represented by the stop line, the center line, This is also a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the driving lane is based on information provided from a facility installed outside the host vehicle, such as road traffic information delivered from VICS (registered trademark; Vehicle Information and Communication System). It is one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention to have a configuration for determining the above.

(2) In the above embodiment, the lane identification availability determination unit 8 determines the road after leaving the unknown section U based on the feature information F such as the lane marking form information Z and the regulation sign form information R. The case where it is determined whether or not each traveling lane can be specified as one has been described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, for example, based on the feature information F other than the lane marking form information Z and the regulation sign form information R, it may be configured to determine whether or not each traveling lane can be specified in a single manner. This is one of the preferred embodiments. Also, for example, it is determined whether or not each lane can be uniquely identified based on information provided from a facility installed outside the host vehicle, such as road traffic information distributed from VICS. It is good also as composition to do.

(3) In the above embodiment, when all the lanes on the road after exiting from the unknown section U can be specified in a single manner, the exit lane determination unit 11 determines the travel lane before entering the unknown section U. As an example, the case of determining as the exit lane has been described. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, in such a case, for example, lane movement determination by the lane movement determination unit 10 is performed, and based on the lane movement range A determined in the lane movement determination, the driving lane before entering the unknown section U is It is also a preferred embodiment of the present invention that all the lanes included in the range expanded by the lane movement range A are determined to be exit lanes. Or it is good also as a structure which determines all the lanes after leaving from the unknown area U as a leaving lane, without performing such a lane movement judgment.

(4) In the above embodiment, the lane movement determination process expands the lane movement range A when exiting from the unknown section U to both sides from the travel lane shown in the travel lane information S1 before entering the unknown section U by the lane movement determination process. The case where one or two or more lanes included in the range are acquired as an exit lane candidate C after exiting from the unknown section U has been described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, for example, acquiring all lanes after exiting from the unknown section U as exit lane candidates C without performing such lane movement determination processing is also one preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this case, after leaving the unknown section U with a relatively light calculation processing load that only removes lanes that can be specified by the traveling lane determination unit 7 from all the lanes after leaving the unknown section U. The traveling lane can be efficiently and accurately determined.

(5) In the above embodiment, a case where a constant value of about 2 to 3 seconds, for example, is given as the reference lane movement time T for obtaining the unit lane movement distance D by the lane movement determination unit 10 will be described as an example. did. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, it is one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention to set the reference lane moving time T to a different value depending on the vehicle speed V. As a method for obtaining such a value of the reference lane movement time T, for example, a method for obtaining the reference lane movement time T corresponding to each of a plurality of vehicle speed ranges by referring to a table in advance, or the vehicle speed V as a variable. A method of obtaining by a predetermined arithmetic expression is used.

(6) In the above embodiment, the case where the lane movement determination unit 10 calculates and obtains the unit lane movement distance D by a predetermined formula based on the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle has been described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, for example, the lane movement determination unit 10 may be configured to obtain the unit lane movement distance D by referring to a table in which the unit lane movement distance D corresponding to each of a plurality of vehicle speed ranges is previously defined. This is one of the preferred embodiments.

(7) In each of the above embodiments, the case where all the configurations of the navigation device 1 including the lane determination device 2 are mounted on a vehicle has been described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, for example, a part of the configuration excluding the imaging device 21 is installed outside the vehicle in a state of being connected via a communication network such as the Internet, and transmits and receives information and signals via the communication network. Configuring the lane determination device 2 and the navigation device 1 is also one preferred embodiment of the present invention.

(8) In the above embodiments, the case where the lane determination device 2 is used for the navigation device 1 has been described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, for example, it is naturally possible to use the lane determination device 2 for other purposes such as a vehicle travel control device.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be suitably used for a lane determination device and a lane determination program for determining the lane of a road on which the host vehicle is traveling, and a navigation device using the lane determination device.

The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the navigation apparatus containing the lane determination apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a structure of the map information and feature information which are stored in the map database The figure which shows an example of the arrangement configuration of the imaging device to the own vehicle The figure which shows an example of the image information acquired by the image information acquisition part The figure which shows an example of the feature information around the own vehicle acquired by the data extraction part Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the exit lane determination process by an exit lane determination part. The figure which shows an example of the feature information after the unknown area leaving obtained by the data extraction part Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the exit lane determination process by an exit lane determination part. The figure which shows an example of the feature information after the unknown area leaving obtained by the data extraction part Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the exit lane determination process by an exit lane determination part. The flowchart which shows the whole procedure of the lane determination process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Flowchart showing detailed processing procedure of exit lane determination processing The flowchart which shows the detailed process sequence of a lane movement determination process

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Navigation apparatus 2 Lane determination apparatus 3 Image information acquisition part (image information acquisition means)
5 Data extraction part (feature information acquisition means)
6 Image recognition unit (image recognition means)
7 Travel lane determination unit (travel lane determination means)
8 Lane specific availability determination unit (lane specific availability determination means)
10 Lane movement determination unit (lane movement determination means)
11. Exit lane determination unit (exit lane determination means)
13 Navigation Calculation Unit (Navigation Calculation Unit)
23 Direction sensor (traveling direction detection means)
F feature information G image information Z lane marking form information R regulatory marking form information A lane movement range U unknown section V vehicle speed D unit lane movement distance C exit lane candidate AP application program

Claims (13)

Traveling lane determining means for determining a traveling lane that is a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling;
An exit lane determination means for determining an exit lane that is a travel lane after exiting from the unknown section when there is an unknown section that is a section in which the travel lane determination means cannot determine the travel lane;
For each lane after leaving the unknown section, lane identification availability determination means for determining whether the traveling lane can be identified by the traveling lane determination means,
The exit lane determination unit is a lane determination device that determines the exit lane by excluding the lane determined by the lane identification availability determination unit that the travel lane can be identified from the exit lane candidates. Comprising feature information acquisition means for acquiring feature information relating to features provided on the road on which the vehicle travels;
The lane determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lane identification availability determination unit determines whether or not a traveling lane can be identified by the traveling lane determination unit based on the feature information. The feature information includes lane line form information representing the form of a lane line that divides each lane of the road,
The lane identification enable / disable determining means, for one lane, when the combination of the lane markings on both sides of the lane does not match the combination of the lane markings on both sides of the other lane, The lane determination apparatus according to claim 2, wherein it is determined that the lane can be specified. The feature information includes restriction sign form information indicating a form of restriction sign indicating traffic restriction on a road,
The lane identification availability determination means, for one lane, when a combination of one or more regulatory signs provided in the lane does not match a combination of one or more regulatory signs provided in another lane The lane determination device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the travel lane determination means determines that a travel lane can be specified.   The exit lane determination means determines the travel lane before entering the unknown section when the travel lane determination means determines that the travel lane can be identified for all lanes by the travel lane determination means. The lane determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the travel lane determined by the means is determined as the exit lane. Lane movement determination means for determining a lane movement range that is a range of the number of lanes that the host vehicle may have moved while traveling in the unknown section based on the vehicle speed and the travel distance of the host vehicle;
The exit lane determination means is set based on the travel lane determined by the travel lane determination means before entering the unknown section and the lane movement range determined by the lane movement determination means. The lane determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the exit lane is determined from candidates.   The lane movement determination means obtains a unit lane movement distance that is a travel distance required for the host vehicle to move from the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling to an adjacent lane based on the vehicle speed of the host vehicle. The lane determination apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the lane movement range is determined by repeating a process of increasing by one lane every time the unit lane movement distance is exceeded until the unit lane movement distance is exited from the unknown section.   The unit lane movement distance is a value obtained by multiplying a reference lane movement time, which is a reference time required for the own vehicle to move from a running lane to an adjacent lane, by the vehicle speed of the own vehicle. The described lane determination device. Image information acquisition means for acquiring image information around the vehicle position, and image recognition means for performing image recognition in the form of lane markings included in the image information,
The traveling lane determining unit determines a traveling lane based on a combination of the lane markings recognized by the image recognition unit and a lane marking of a road on which the host vehicle represented by the lane marking configuration information travels. The lane determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.   The lane determination device according to claim 9, wherein the unknown section is a road section in which the image recognition unit cannot recognize the form of the lane markings. It further comprises a traveling direction detection means for detecting a change in the traveling direction of the host vehicle,
When the travel direction detection means detects a change in the travel direction of the host vehicle that is larger than the amount of change in the travel direction assumed when the lane moves, the exit lane determination means exits the unknown section. The lane determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein all lanes of a road on which a subsequent host vehicle is traveling are determined as the exit lanes. The lane determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
Based on the exit lane determined by the lane determination device, navigation calculation means for performing route guidance according to a predetermined application program,
A navigation device comprising: A traveling lane determination step for determining a traveling lane that is a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling;
An exit lane determination step for determining an exit lane that is a travel lane after exiting from the unknown section when there is an unknown section that is a section in which the travel lane determination unit cannot determine the travel lane;
For each lane after leaving the unknown section, let the computer execute a lane identification availability determination step for determining whether the traveling lane can be identified by the traveling lane determination means,
In the exit lane determination step, a lane determination program for executing a process of determining the exit lane by excluding the lane determined to be able to identify a traveling lane by the lane identification enable / disable determination step from the exit lane candidates .