JP7151735B2 - Running path estimation method and running path estimation device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a roadway estimation method and a roadway estimation device.

Conventionally, there is known a technique of acquiring or calculating the travel locus of a preceding vehicle, estimating the curve shape of the own lane from the travel locus of the preceding vehicle, and controlling steering (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2013-226973 A

However, in Patent Literature 1, it is difficult to estimate the curve shape of the own lane from the travel trajectories of surrounding vehicles traveling in lanes other than the own lane.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a track estimation method and a track estimation device capable of estimating the track of the own vehicle from the track of the surrounding vehicles.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the travel path of the host vehicle is estimated by enlarging or reducing the travel locus of the surrounding vehicle based on the turning direction and lateral position of the surrounding vehicle.

According to one aspect of the present invention, since the travel path of the vehicle is estimated by enlarging or reducing the travel trajectories of the surrounding vehicles, the travel path of the own vehicle can be estimated using the travel trajectories of the surrounding vehicles traveling in lanes other than the own lane. can be estimated.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a track estimation device 1a according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a roadway estimation method using the roadway estimation device 1a shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a bird's-eye view of the surrounding vehicles (82i, 82j) and their trajectories (83i, 83j) viewed from above the host vehicle 81. FIG. FIG. ₄ shows a running locus _83M composed of _a plurality of locus points ₍ P1, P2 _, P3, _P4 , _P5 , . FIG. 4 is a bird's-eye view for explaining an example of a specific method of correcting and estimating the traveling path of the own vehicle; FIG. 5(a) is a bird's-eye view showing a situation in which the vehicle 81 cannot detect the position of the preceding vehicle 89 due to surrounding vehicles 82, and FIG. It is a bird's-eye view showing a state in which it is impossible to FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a lane estimation device 1b according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing an example of a roadway estimation method using the roadway estimation device 1b shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a bird's-eye view showing a case where it is determined that the vehicle 81 will pass the branch point 87 within a predetermined time. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a lane estimation device 1c according to the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing an example of a roadway estimation method using the roadway estimation device 1c shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a bird's-eye view showing the case where it is determined that the vehicle 81 will pass through the intersection 88 within the predetermined time.

(First embodiment)
Embodiments will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

With reference to FIG. 1, the overall configuration of a track estimation device 1a according to the first embodiment will be described. The track estimation device 1a estimates the track of the own vehicle from the positions of surrounding vehicles. "Surrounding vehicles" are other vehicles that run around the own vehicle, such as the lane (adjacent lane) adjacent to the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling (own lane), the lane further adjacent to the adjacent lane, etc. indicates other vehicles that

The traveling route estimation device 1a includes a position detecting sensor 9 for detecting the positions of surrounding vehicles, and a microprocessor for executing a series of information arithmetic processing for estimating the traveling route of the own vehicle from the positions of the surrounding vehicles detected by the position detecting sensor 9. a computer 8; Both the position detection sensor 9 and the microcomputer 8 are mounted on the own vehicle and connected to each other by cables for transmitting and receiving the positions of surrounding vehicles.

Specific examples of the position detection sensor 9 include radar, laser radar, laser range finder (LRF), and camera, but are not limited to these, and other known methods may be used. As means for obtaining depth information using a camera, not only a stereo camera but also a monocular camera can be used.

The microcomputer 8 can be implemented using a general-purpose microcomputer having a CPU (central processing unit), memory, and input/output unit. The microcomputer 8 installs and executes a computer program (travel route estimation program) for executing a series of information arithmetic processing for estimating the travel route of the own vehicle from the positions of surrounding vehicles. Thereby, the microcomputer 8 functions as an information arithmetic circuit (10, 20, 30, 40) that executes a series of information arithmetic processing. Here, an example of realizing the track estimation device 1a by software is shown, but of course, the information arithmetic circuits (10, 20, 30, 40) shown below are not a general-purpose microcomputer but a dedicated ASIC or the like. It is also possible to configure each as hardware. Further, each information arithmetic circuit (10, 20, 30, 40) realized by the microcomputer 8 may be configured by individual hardware. Further, the microcomputer 8 may also be used as an electronic control unit (ECU) used for other vehicle-related controls.

The microcomputer 8 functions as a position acquisition circuit 10 , a running locus calculation circuit 20 , a lateral deviation amount calculation circuit 30 and a track estimation circuit 40 .

The position acquisition circuit 10 acquires the positions of surrounding vehicles. The position of the surrounding vehicle detected by the position detection sensor 9 may be acquired from the position detection sensor 9 . Of course, information indicating the positions of surrounding vehicles may be obtained from the outside via a wireless communication network.

The travel locus calculation circuit 20 calculates the travel locus of the surrounding vehicle from the history of the positions of the surrounding vehicles acquired by the position acquisition circuit 10 . That is, the running locus calculation circuit 20 calculates the running locus of the surrounding vehicle by connecting the positions of surrounding vehicles detected at a plurality of consecutive times. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the traveling locus calculation circuit 20 calculates the positions (P ₁ , P ₂ , P ₃ , P ₄ , P ₅ , . are repeatedly plotted on the map in consideration of the moving direction and moving distance of the own vehicle at this predetermined time, and a plurality of positions (trajectory points: P ₁ to P ₅ , . . . ) plotted on the map are plotted on a curve Approximate. This approximation curve _83M forms the travel locus of the surrounding vehicle.

The lateral deviation amount calculation circuit 30 calculates the position of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction (hereinafter referred to as the "lateral position"), which is the position of the travel locus calculated by the travel locus calculation circuit 20 with respect to the own vehicle. For example, in a two-dimensional coordinate system with the vehicle as the origin, the vehicle front-rear direction as the x-axis, and the vehicle width direction as the y-axis, the lateral position is the intersection of the travel locus and the y-axis, that is, the y-coordinate of the y-intercept. can be shown. The lateral position will be described later with reference to FIG.

Alternatively, the lateral deviation amount calculation circuit 30 may determine the lane to which the travel locus belongs as the lateral position of the travel locus. For example, a camera or the like mounted on the own vehicle is used to detect lane markers attached to the road surface, and the positions of the lane markers relative to the own vehicle are calculated. Then, from the position of the lane marker and the position of the travel locus, the lane in which the surrounding vehicle travels, that is, the lane to which the travel locus belongs (an adjacent lane, a lane further adjacent to the adjacent lane, etc.) is determined. Since the width of the lane varies depending on the road section, instead of the measured value, for example, the lateral position of the traveling trajectory determined to be the adjacent lane is set to 3 m, and the traveling trajectory determined to be the lane further adjacent to the adjacent lane. is set to 6 m, for example.

Based on the turning direction of the surrounding vehicle and the lateral position calculated by the lateral deviation amount calculating circuit 30, the traveling path estimation circuit 40 expands or contracts the traveling locus of the surrounding vehicle to estimate the traveling path of the own vehicle. The traveling path estimation circuit 40 identifies the turning direction of the surrounding vehicle from the traveling locus of the surrounding vehicle calculated by the traveling locus calculating circuit 20 . For example, if the travel locus is curved to the right, it is determined that the turning direction is to the right, and if the travel locus is to curve to the left, it is determined that the turning direction is to the left.

The track estimation circuit 40 includes a reference track selection section 40a, a reference track correction section 40b, and a track determination section 40c.

The reference travel trajectory selection unit 40a selects a travel trajectory (hereinafter referred to as a "reference travel trajectory") that is used as a reference in estimating a travel path from among the travel trajectories of a plurality of surrounding vehicles. When the position acquisition circuit 10 acquires the positions of a plurality of surrounding vehicles, a plurality of each of the traveling trajectories and lateral positions are also calculated. In this case, the reference running locus selection unit 40a selects a running locus suitable for estimating the running path based on the lateral position of the running locus. Selection of the reference travel locus will be described later with reference to FIG.

The reference traveling locus correction unit 40b corrects the reference traveling locus selected by the reference traveling locus selecting unit 40a based on the turning direction of the surrounding vehicle and the lateral position of the reference traveling locus. Correction of the reference travel locus will be described later with reference to FIG.

The travel path determination unit 40c sets the reference travel locus corrected by the reference travel locus correction unit 40b as the travel path of the host vehicle.

A method of selecting the lateral positions (Di, Dj) of the travel loci (83i, 83j) and the reference travel locus will be specifically described with reference to FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the position acquisition circuit 10 acquires the positions of a plurality of surrounding vehicles (82i, 82j), and the travel locus calculation circuit 20 calculates the travel loci (83i, 83j) of the surrounding vehicles (82i, 82j). calculate. Then, the lateral deviation amount calculation circuit 30 calculates each of the lateral positions (Di, Dj) of the travel locus (83i, 83j) with respect to the own vehicle 81 . As shown in FIG. 3, since the travel locus (83i, 83j) is curved to the left, the travel path estimation circuit 40 determines that the surrounding vehicle is turning to the left.

The reference travel locus selection unit 40a selects a reference travel locus from a plurality of travel loci (83i, 83j) based on the lateral position (Di, Dj) of the travel locus. Specifically, the reference travel locus selection unit 40a selects the travel loci (83i, 83j) of surrounding vehicles that are closer to the host vehicle 81 than the predetermined reference distance as the reference travel locus. For example, when there are a plurality of surrounding vehicles, the absolute value of the lateral position (Di, Dj) is the first reference distance so as to select from the surrounding vehicles in the own lane and adjacent lanes from among the plurality of traveling trajectories. Select the travel locus (83i, 83j) smaller than (3m). When the absolute values of the lateral positions (Di, Dj) of the plurality of trajectories (83i, 83j) are less than the first reference distance (3m), the surrounding vehicle (82i) , 82j) and the own vehicle 81 is less than the second reference distance. Here, the "distance between surrounding vehicles (82i, 82j) and own vehicle 81" is a concept that includes not only the distance in the vehicle width direction but also the distance in the traveling direction. For example, among the travel trajectories (83i, 83j) in which the absolute values of the lateral positions (Di, Dj) are smaller than the first reference distance (3 m), the travel trajectory 83j of the surrounding vehicle 82j closest to the own vehicle 81 is Select as the reference travel locus.

Alternatively, the reference traveling locus selection unit 40a may select the traveling locus 83j having the smallest absolute value of the lateral position (Di, Dj) as the reference traveling locus. In this case, the reference travel locus selection unit 40a does not consider "the distance between the surrounding vehicles (82i, 82j) and the own vehicle 81". Further, the reference travel locus selection unit 40a may select the travel locus with the smallest "distance between the surrounding vehicles (82i, 82j) and the host vehicle 81" as the reference travel locus. In this case, the reference running locus selector 40a does not consider the "absolute value of the lateral position (Di, Dj)".

When the lane to which the traveling locus belongs (adjacent lane, lane further adjacent to the adjacent lane, etc.) is used as the lateral position of the traveling locus, for example, the reference traveling locus selecting unit 40a selects the traveling locus belonging to the adjacent lane. , the trajectory belonging to the lane further adjacent to the adjacent lane is not selected.

An example of a specific method for estimating the running path of the own vehicle 81 by correcting the reference running locus _83M will be described with reference to FIG. The reference traveling locus correction unit 40b enlarges or reduces the reference traveling locus _83M selected by the reference traveling locus selecting unit 40a based on the turning direction of the surrounding vehicle and the lateral position _DM of the reference traveling locus _83M .

First, the reference traveling locus correction unit 40b calculates the turning radius R and the turning center 84 at each locus point (P ₁ to P ₅ , . . . ). For example, the coordinates of the turning radius R and the turning center 84 are calculated by the method of least squares or the like using the trajectory point P ₃ and two points (P ₂ , P ₄ ) before and after the point to be calculated. Similarly, the turning radius R and turning center 84 are calculated for each trajectory point (P ₁ to P ₅ , . . . ).

Next, the reference traveling locus correction unit _40b expands each locus point (P ₁ to P ₅ , . Reduce to turning radius (RD _M ). The reference traveling locus correction unit 40b determines whether to enlarge or reduce based on the turning direction and lateral position _DM of the reference traveling locus _83M .

For example, as in the travel locus 83i in FIG. 3, when the turning direction is the left direction and the lateral position Di of the travel locus 83i with respect to the own vehicle 81 is on the left, the own vehicle 81 follows the travel locus 83i of the surrounding vehicle 82i. Located outside the turning direction. In this case, each locus point (P ₁ to P ₅ , . . . ) of the running locus 83i is expanded to the turning radius (R+Di) in the same manner as in FIG.

On the other hand, as in the traveling locus 83j in FIG. 3, when the turning direction is to the left and the lateral position Dj of the traveling locus 83j with respect to the own vehicle 81 is to the right, the owning vehicle 81 follows the traveling locus 83j of the surrounding vehicle 82j. Located inside the turning direction. In this case, contrary to FIG. 4, each locus point (P ₁ to P ₅ , . . . ) of the running locus 83j is reduced to the turning radius (RDj).

In this way, the reference running locus correction unit 40b changes the distance (turning radius) from the turning center 84 to the locus points (P ₁ to P ₅ , . . . ) without changing the turning center 84 . If the own vehicle 81 is positioned outside the traveling locus in the turning direction, the turning radius is increased, and if the own vehicle 81 is positioned inside, the turning radius is reduced. Then, the reference traveling locus correction unit 40b can correct the reference traveling locus _83M by performing curve approximation again with respect to the enlarged or reduced locus point (P ₃ ′).

The reference running locus correction unit 40b reduces the size of expansion or contraction as the turning radius R of the running locus _83M increases. That is, when the lateral position D is constant, the larger the turning radius R, the smaller the enlargement ratio (=(R+D _M )/R) and the reduction ratio (=(R−D _M )/R).

As the lateral position _DM of the surrounding vehicle 82 is farther from the host vehicle 81, the reference running locus correction unit 40b increases the size of expansion or contraction. That is, when the turning radius R is constant, the _larger the absolute value of the lateral position DM, the larger the enlargement and reduction ratios.

In the first embodiment, the travel path determination unit 40c determines the reference travel locus 91 corrected by the reference travel locus correction unit 40b as the travel path of the host vehicle.

An example of a roadway estimation method using the roadway estimation device 1a shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, the operating procedure of the microcomputer 8 in the track estimation device 1a shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The processing shown in FIG. 2 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle.

First, in step S110, the position acquisition circuit 10 acquires the positions of surrounding vehicles.

Proceeding to step _S120 , the traveling locus calculation circuit ₂₀ , as shown in FIG. (approximate curve 83 _M ) is calculated.

Proceeding to step S130, the lateral deviation amount calculation circuit 30 calculates the lateral position (Di, Dj) of the travel locus (83i, 83j) calculated by the travel locus calculation circuit 20 with respect to the host vehicle 81, as shown in FIG. .

Proceeding to step S140, the reference travel locus selection unit 40a selects a reference travel locus from among a plurality of travel loci (83i, 83j) based on the lateral position (Di, Dj) of the travel locus, as shown in FIG. to select. For example, a traveling locus (83i, 83j) whose absolute value of the lateral position (Di, Dj) is smaller than the first reference distance (3 m), and the traveling locus 83j of the surrounding vehicle 82j closest to the host vehicle 81. is selected as the reference trajectory _83M . However, the method of selecting the reference travel locus is not limited to this, and other methods described above may be used. Note that selection of the reference travel locus may be performed only when the positions of a plurality of surrounding vehicles are obtained in step S110. When only the position of one surrounding vehicle is acquired, the reference traveling locus selection unit 40a may select the traveling locus of the surrounding vehicle as the reference traveling locus. Further, if there is no travel locus whose absolute value of the lateral position is smaller than the first reference distance, the processing may be interrupted and restarted from step S110, or the travel locus having the smallest absolute value of the lateral position may be selected as the reference travel locus. It may be selected as a trajectory.

Proceeding to step S150, the reference traveling locus correction unit 40b calculates the turning radius R and the turning center 84 at each locus point (P ₁ to P ₅ , . . . ) as shown in FIG.

Proceeding to step S160, the reference running locus correction unit 40b, as shown in FIG. 4, converts each locus point (P ₁ to P ₅ , . R+D _M ) or down to the turning radius (R−D _M ). A determination of enlargement or reduction is made based on the turning direction and lateral position of the reference travel locus _83M . Then, the reference traveling locus correction unit 40b corrects the reference traveling locus _83M by performing curve approximation again for each enlarged or reduced locus point (P ₃ ′).

Proceeding to step S170, the travel path determination unit 40c determines the reference travel locus 91 corrected by the reference travel locus correction unit 40b as the travel path of the host vehicle.

Proceeding to step S180, it is determined whether or not the ignition switch of the host vehicle 81 has been turned off, and the above-described steps S110 to 170 are repeated at a predetermined cycle until the ignition switch is turned off. If turned off (YES at S180), the above processing cycle ends.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the following effects are obtained.

The microcomputer 8 enlarges or reduces the traveling trajectories (83i, 83j) of the surrounding vehicles (82i, 82j) to estimate the traveling route of the own vehicle 81 . As a result, it is possible to estimate the route of the own vehicle 81 using the travel loci (83i, 83j) of the surrounding vehicles (82i, 82j) traveling in lanes other than the own lane. For example, as shown in FIG. 5(a), consider a situation in which the own vehicle 81 cannot detect the position of the preceding vehicle 89 due to surrounding vehicles 82 and the like. The curve shape of the travel locus (adjacent lane) of the surrounding vehicle 82 is different from the curve shape of the travel locus (own lane) of the preceding vehicle 89 . Therefore, when the conventional method of estimating the course of the own vehicle 81 from the travel locus of the preceding vehicle 89 is applied, the curve shape 90 of the own lane cannot be properly estimated as shown in FIG. 5(b). According to the first embodiment, even in the situation shown in FIG. 5(a), the curve shape of the own vehicle 81 can be accurately estimated using the travel locus 83 of the surrounding vehicle 82 traveling in the adjacent lane or the like. .

As shown in FIG. 4, the reference traveling locus correction unit 40b reduces the size of expansion or contraction as the turning radius R of the traveling locus _83M increases. As a result, the running path can be estimated appropriately according to the shape of the curve.

As shown in FIG. 4, the reference running locus correction unit 40b increases the size of expansion or contraction as the lateral position _DM of the surrounding vehicle 82 is farther from the host vehicle 81. FIG. As a result, even when the lane in which the vehicle 81 travels and the lane in which the surrounding vehicle 82 travels are different (either the adjacent lane or the next adjacent lane), it is possible to appropriately estimate the running route.

The microcomputer 8 estimates the running route based on the traveling trajectories (83i, 83j) of the surrounding vehicles that are closest to the host vehicle 81. FIG. The closer the positions of the surrounding vehicles (82i, 82j) to the own vehicle 81, the higher the detection accuracy of the positions. Therefore, by estimating the travel path based on the travel trajectories (83i, 83j) of the surrounding vehicles (82i, 82j) that are closest to the own vehicle 81, an appropriate can estimate the track.

In addition, the running path is estimated based on the travel loci 83j of the surrounding vehicles in the lane adjacent to the lane in which the host vehicle 81 is traveling. As a result, the running path can be appropriately estimated from the highly accurate running locus 83j.

(Second embodiment)
With reference to FIG. 6, the overall configuration of the track estimation device 1b according to the second embodiment will be described. The travel path estimation device 1b acquires map information including at least road branch information, and does not estimate the travel path of the vehicle 81 when it is determined that the vehicle 81 will pass through a branch point. When it is determined that the vehicle 81 does not pass through the branch point, the travel path determination unit 40c determines the reference travel trajectory 91 corrected by the reference travel trajectory correction unit 40b as the travel path of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 6, the track estimation device 1b further includes a map database 7. FIG. Both the map database 7 and the microcomputer 8 are mounted on the own vehicle 81 and are connected to each other by cables for transmitting and receiving map information including at least road branch information.

The microcomputer 8 further functions as a map acquisition circuit 50 as well as an information calculation circuit (10, 20, 30, 40). The map acquisition circuit 50 acquires map information including at least road branch information from the map database 7 .

Other configurations are the same as those of the lane estimation device 1a of FIG. 1, and the description thereof is omitted.

An example of the roadway estimation method using the roadway estimation device 1b shown in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, the operating procedure of the microcomputer 8 in the track estimation device 1b shown in FIG. 6 will be described. The processing shown in FIG. 7 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle.

The flowchart of FIG. 7 further includes step S165, and the content of step S170 is different from that of FIG. The processing contents of steps S110 to S160 and S180 in FIG. 7 are the same as those in FIG. 2, and description thereof will be omitted.

After step S 160 , the process proceeds to step S 165 , where the map acquisition circuit 50 acquires map information including at least road branch information from the map database 7 . Specifically, the map acquisition circuit 50 reads from the map database 7 the map information including branch information of the road on which the vehicle 81 travels.

Proceeding to step S170, the travel route determination unit 40c estimates the travel route of the host vehicle from the corrected reference travel locus 91, the map information, and the absolute value of the lateral position _DM . The travel route determining unit 40c determines whether or not the vehicle 81 will pass through the junction within a predetermined time based on the map information. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, there is a point on the road on which the vehicle 81 travels, within a predetermined distance ahead of the vehicle 81, at which the road branches into two or more roads (85, 86). It is determined whether or not there is a branch point 87). When the absolute value of the lateral position D _M of the reference travel locus 83 _M is equal to or greater than the third reference distance (1.5 m) and the vehicle 81 passes through the branch point 87 within a predetermined time, the travel path determination unit 40 c If so, the running path of the own vehicle 81 is not estimated. In other words, the traveling path determination unit 40c determines that the surrounding vehicle whose traveling locus can be calculated is traveling in a lane other than the own lane (the lateral position _DM is away from the vehicle by the third reference distance (1.5 m) or more). In addition, when it is determined that the own vehicle 81 passes through the branch point 87, the reference traveling locus 91 corrected by the reference traveling locus correction unit 40b is not set as the traveling path of the own vehicle 81. On the other hand, the traveling path determination unit 40c determines whether the absolute value of the lateral position _DM of the reference traveling locus _83M is less than the third reference distance (1.5 m), or when the vehicle 81 reaches the branch point 87 within a predetermined time. If it is determined that the vehicle 81 does not pass through, the reference traveling locus 91 corrected by the reference traveling locus correction unit 40b is set as the traveling path of the own vehicle 81 . In other words, the traveling path determination unit 40c determines that the surrounding vehicle whose traveling locus can be calculated is traveling in the own lane (the lateral position DM is less than the third reference distance (1.5 m)), or that the own vehicle 81 is When it is determined that the vehicle does not pass through the branch point, the reference travel locus 91 corrected by the reference travel locus correction unit 40b is set as the travel path of the host vehicle 81 .

As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the host vehicle 81 passes through the branch point 87, the running path is not estimated. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, when the surrounding vehicle 82 deviates in a different direction (road 86) from the traveling route (road 85) of the own vehicle 81 at the branch point 87, it is possible to prevent the wrong route from being estimated. can. In other words, when the travel locus 83 of the surrounding vehicle and the travel path of the own vehicle belong to different roads (85, 86) with respect to the branch point 87, the travel path determination unit 40c determines the reference travel after correction. To prevent the locus 91 from being set as the running path of the own vehicle 81. - 特許庁This avoids estimating the wrong track.

In step S170, the running path determination unit 40c may determine the running path based only on the presence or absence of the branch point 87. FIG. For example, regardless of the lane position of the surrounding vehicle for which the travel locus can be calculated, if it is determined that the own vehicle 81 will pass through the branch point 87 within a predetermined time, the travel path determining unit 40c determines whether the reference travel locus _83M is The running path of the own vehicle 81 may not be estimated regardless of the lateral position _DM .

(Third embodiment)
Referring to FIG. 9, the overall configuration of a track estimation device 1c according to the third embodiment will be described. The travel route estimation device 1c acquires at least the travel route information of the own vehicle 81 on the map, and estimates the travel route based on the travel loci 83 of the surrounding vehicles 82 similar to the travel route of the own vehicle 81 . Only when it is determined that the reference traveling locus 91 corrected by the reference traveling locus correcting unit 40b is similar to the traveling route of the own vehicle 81, the traveling path determining unit 40c determines the corrected reference traveling locus 91 as the vehicle's own vehicle. It is determined as a vehicle track.

As shown in FIG. 9, the route estimation device 1c further includes a navigation device 6. FIG. The navigation device 6 , map database 7 and microcomputer 8 are all mounted on the own vehicle 81 . The navigation device 6 and the microcomputer 8 are connected to each other by a cable for transmitting and receiving travel route information of the own vehicle 81 .

The microcomputer 8 further functions as a route acquisition circuit 60 as well as information arithmetic circuits (10, 20, 30, 40, 50). The route acquisition circuit 60 acquires travel route information of the own vehicle 81 from the navigation device 6 . Further, the map acquisition circuit 50 acquires map information including road branch information, intersection information, and road shape information (including turning radius information).

Other configurations are the same as those of the lane estimation device 1b shown in FIG. 6, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

An example of the roadway estimation method using the roadway estimation device 1c shown in FIG. 9 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, the operating procedure of the microcomputer 8 in the track estimation device 1c shown in FIG. 9 will be described. The processing shown in FIG. 10 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle.

The flow chart of FIG. 10 further includes step S100, and the content of step S170 is different from that of FIG. The processing contents of steps S110 to S160 and S180 in FIG. 10 are the same as those in FIG. 7, and description thereof will be omitted.

In step S<b>100 , the route acquisition circuit 60 acquires travel route information of the own vehicle 81 from the navigation device 6 . After that, the process proceeds to step S110.

In step S170, when it is determined that the absolute value of the lateral position D _M of the reference travel locus 83 _M is greater than or equal to the third reference distance and the host vehicle 81 passes through the branch point 87, the travel path determination unit 40c does not set the corrected reference travel locus 91 as the travel path of the host vehicle 81 . This point is the same as the second embodiment.

In the third embodiment, furthermore, in step S170, the lane determination unit 40c determines whether the branch point 87 is the intersection 88 or not. Then, when the branch point 87 is the intersection 88, the travel path determination unit 40c determines whether or not the reference travel locus 91 corrected in step S160 is similar to the travel route of the own vehicle 81 acquired in step S100. .

Then, when determining that the branch point 87 is the intersection 88 and that the corrected reference travel locus 91 is similar to the travel route of the own vehicle 81, the travel route determination unit 40c performs the correction in step S160. A reference travel locus 91 is set as the travel path of the own vehicle 81 .

Note that even if it is determined that the branch point 87 is the intersection 88 and the corrected reference travel locus 91 is similar to the travel route of the own vehicle 81, the travel route determination unit 40c determines the following conditions: holds, the corrected reference travel locus 91 may not be set as the travel path of the own vehicle 81 . That is, the traveling path determining unit 40c determines that the absolute value of the lateral position _DM of the reference traveling locus _83M is equal to or longer than the third reference distance (1.5 m) for a predetermined period of time (eg, 5 seconds) or longer. In this case, the corrected reference travel locus 91 may not be set as the travel path of the own vehicle 81 .

As described above, according to the third embodiment, since the travel trajectories of the surrounding vehicles that are similar to the travel route of the own vehicle 81 are used, the surrounding vehicles that are traveling parallel to the travel route of the own vehicle 81 can travel. The trajectory can be used to properly estimate the track.

Although the third embodiment has been described as an example based on the second embodiment, it may be implemented based on the first embodiment. That is, in step S170, the travel route determining unit 40c determines whether or not the reference travel locus 91 corrected in step S160 is similar to the travel route of the own vehicle 81 obtained in step S100. If they are not similar, the travel path determination unit 40c does not set the reference travel locus 91 corrected by the reference travel locus correction unit 40b as the travel path of the host vehicle. On the other hand, if they are similar, the travel path determination unit 40c sets the reference travel locus 91 corrected by the reference travel locus correction unit 40b as the travel path of the host vehicle.

In step S170, the traveling path determining unit _40c determines whether the absolute value of the lateral position DM is greater than or equal to the third reference distance, whether the host vehicle 81 passes through the branch point 87, and whether the branch point 87 is an intersection. It does not judge whether it is 88 or not. Step S165 (map reading) is also unnecessary.

Note that the track estimation devices (1a, 1b, 1c) do not have to include the position detection sensor 9. In this case, for example, the lane estimation devices (1a to 1c) are provided with wireless communication devices, and the position acquisition circuit 10 can acquire information indicating the positions of surrounding vehicles from the outside via a wireless communication network. Similarly, the track estimation devices (1a-1c) may not have the map database 7 or the navigation device 6. FIG. In this case, for example, the map acquisition circuit 50 and the route acquisition circuit 60 can acquire map information and travel route information from the outside via a computer network.

Furthermore, the lane estimation devices (1a to 1c) may not be mounted on the own vehicle 81. FIG. For example, it may be the backend (the cloud itself) in a cloud computing model. The own vehicle 81, which is the front end, is connected to the track estimation device (1a to 1c), which is the back end, via a network such as the Internet. The traveling route estimation device (1a to 1c) obtains information indicating the position of the surrounding vehicle 82 from the surrounding vehicle 82 itself or the own vehicle 81 (detection result of the position detection sensor 9), estimates the traveling route of the own vehicle 81, and makes an estimation. You may provide the driving|running|working path which carried out to the own vehicle 81 via a network.

Each function shown in each of the above embodiments may be implemented by one or more processing circuits. Processing circuitry includes programmed processing devices, such as processing devices that include electrical circuitry. Processing devices also include devices such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and conventional circuit components arranged to perform the functions described in the embodiments.

Although the contents of the present invention have been described above along with the embodiments, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to these descriptions and that various modifications and improvements are possible.

1a, 1b, 1c track estimation device 10 position acquisition circuit 40 track estimation circuit 81 host vehicle 82, 82i, 82j surrounding vehicles 83, 83i, 83j, 83 _M running trajectory 87 branch point Di, Dj, D _M lateral position P ₁ ~ P ₅ Position of surrounding vehicles R Turning radius

Claims (8)

A track estimation method in a track estimation device comprising a computer for setting a running track of a vehicle based on the running track of the surrounding vehicle based on the history of the position of the surrounding vehicle using a position acquisition circuit for acquiring the positions of the surrounding vehicle. ,
The computer is
Acquiring at least the driving route of the own vehicle on the map,
The travel locus of the surrounding vehicle is calculated based on the travel locus of the surrounding vehicle based on the turning direction of the surrounding vehicle in the travel locus of the surrounding vehicle and the lateral position of the travel locus of the surrounding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle. and setting the travel locus of the host vehicle by expanding or contracting a turning radius calculated based on the travel locus of the surrounding vehicle while keeping the turning center constant. A track estimation method in a track estimation device comprising a computer for setting a running track of a vehicle based on the running track of the surrounding vehicle based on the history of the position of the surrounding vehicle using a position acquisition circuit for acquiring the positions of the surrounding vehicle. ,
The computer is
The travel locus of the surrounding vehicle is calculated based on the travel locus of the surrounding vehicle based on the turning direction of the surrounding vehicle in the travel locus of the surrounding vehicle and the lateral position of the travel locus of the surrounding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle. While keeping the turning center constant, the turning radius calculated based on the traveling trajectory of the surrounding vehicle is expanded or reduced to set the traveling trajectory of the own vehicle,
Get map information including at least road branch information,
A running path estimation method, wherein when it is determined that the vehicle will pass through a branch point, the running path of the vehicle is not set. 3. The roadway estimation method according to claim 1 , wherein the computer reduces the enlargement rate or reduction rate as the turning radius of the travel locus of the surrounding vehicle increases. The lane estimation method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the computer increases the size of expansion or contraction as the lateral position of the surrounding vehicle is farther from the own vehicle. 5. The computer according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the computer sets the travel locus of the own vehicle based on the travel locus of the surrounding vehicle closest to the own vehicle. of track estimation method. The computer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the computer sets the travel trajectory of the own vehicle based on the travel trajectories of the surrounding vehicles in a lane adjacent to the travel lane of the own vehicle. of track estimation method. a position acquisition circuit that acquires the position of surrounding vehicles;
a track estimating circuit for setting a travel trajectory of the own vehicle based on the travel trajectory of the surrounding vehicle based on the position history of the surrounding vehicle;
a route acquisition circuit for acquiring at least the travel route of the own vehicle on a map,
The traveling path estimation circuit calculates the traveling locus of the surrounding vehicle based on the turning direction of the surrounding vehicle in the traveling locus of the surrounding vehicle and the lateral position of the traveling locus of the surrounding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle. A travel path estimation characterized in that the travel locus of the own vehicle is set by expanding or contracting the turning radius calculated based on the travel locus of the surrounding vehicle while keeping the turning center calculated based on the locus constant. Device. a position acquisition circuit that acquires the position of surrounding vehicles;
a track estimating circuit for setting a travel trajectory of the own vehicle based on the travel trajectory of the surrounding vehicle based on the position history of the surrounding vehicle;
a map acquisition circuit for acquiring map information including at least road branch information;
The track estimation circuit is
The travel locus of the surrounding vehicle is calculated based on the travel locus of the surrounding vehicle based on the turning direction of the surrounding vehicle in the travel locus of the surrounding vehicle and the lateral position of the travel locus of the surrounding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle. setting the travel locus of the own vehicle by expanding or contracting the turning radius calculated based on the travel locus of the surrounding vehicle while keeping the turning center constant;
A running path estimation device, wherein when it is determined that the vehicle will pass through a branch point, the running path of the vehicle is not set.

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