JP6386300B2 - Vehicle position specifying device and driving support device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to specifying the position of a vehicle.

  In recent years, map data that details the number of road lanes, the type and size of traffic lights, the location and size of pedestrian crossings, and the location and size of signs and road markings (hereinafter referred to as “detailed map data”). Is previously stored, and a device for specifying the vehicle position using such map data has been proposed. For example, when detailed map data is prepared only for a part of the area and the approximate position specified by the GPS (Global Positioning System) positioning unit is within the area where the detailed map data is prepared, the detailed map data Has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 4277717

  Since the positioning result by the GPS positioning unit includes an error, the approximate position specified based on the positioning result may be greatly deviated from the actual position. In addition, because the amount of detailed map data is reduced or the detailed map data is delayed, the area where the detailed map data exists is limited to a comparatively narrow area such as the vicinity of the main intersection. There is. As a result, although the actual vehicle position is within the area where the detailed map is prepared, the approximate position of the specified vehicle is not within the area, so the vehicle position is identified based on the detailed map. The problem of not being possible can occur. In addition, since the vehicle is traveling, even if it is determined that the approximate position is within the area where the detailed map data is prepared, when the detailed position of the vehicle is determined using the detailed map data, There is a problem that the vehicle position cannot be specified based on the detailed map data because the vehicle is out of the region. These problems are not limited to the case where the approximate position is specified by the GPS positioning unit. For example, when using a so-called inertial navigation device that records the travel distance and direction using a vehicle speed sensor and a gyro to specify the current position. This is a common problem when the approximate position is specified (estimated) by an arbitrary method. In addition, the conventional vehicle positioning device has been desired to be downsized, reduced in cost, resource saving, easy manufacturing, improved usability, and the like.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms.

  (1) According to one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle position specifying device is provided. The vehicle position specifying device includes: a first map data storage unit that stores map data of a first map including a link that represents a road and a node that represents an intersection; of the region represented by the first map; Map data of a second map corresponding to a specific area which is a part of the area, wherein the features in the specific area are expressed with higher precision than the first map. A second map data storage unit for storing; a vehicle position specifying unit for specifying the position of the vehicle; and a distance specifying unit for specifying a moving distance of the vehicle from the node; and the first map data storage unit Is associated with a specific node that is at least one of the nodes arranged outside the specific area, and the specific area along a specific link constituted by one or more links from the specific node Distance to Distance information indicating the following predetermined distance is stored, and the vehicle position specifying unit; if the vehicle is estimated to pass through the specific node, specifies a relative position of the vehicle with respect to the specific node; Based on the relative position, the predetermined distance, and the specified moving distance, when it is specified that the vehicle has reached a position away from the specific node along the specific link by the predetermined distance, The position of the vehicle is specified using the second map. According to the vehicle position specifying device of this aspect, specifying the position of the vehicle based on the second map is executed when the vehicle reaches a position separated from the specific node along the specific link by a predetermined distance. And since this predetermined distance is made less than the distance from the specific node to the specific area along the specific link, the vehicle travels along the specific link, and after passing the specific area, Based on this, it can be suppressed that the current position is specified. For this reason, it can control that the present position of vehicles cannot be specified based on the 2nd map.

  (2) The vehicle position specifying device according to the above aspect further includes an image data acquisition unit that acquires captured image data of a state outside the vehicle, and the first map data storage unit is associated with the specific node. The landmark information and position information of the feature related to the specific node are stored, and the vehicle position specifying unit specifies the relative position based on the captured image data and the mark information and position information. May be. According to the vehicle position specifying device of this aspect, the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the specific node is specified based on the mark information and position information stored in advance and the captured image data. The relative position of the vehicle can be specified with higher accuracy than the configuration in which the relative position of the vehicle is specified by, for example. Therefore, since it can be specified with high accuracy that the vehicle has reached a position separated from the specific node along the specific link by a predetermined distance, the position of the vehicle can be specified with high accuracy using the second map.

  (3) The vehicle position specifying device of the above aspect further includes a behavior specifying unit that specifies the behavior of the vehicle including a right turn or a left turn, and the vehicle position specifying unit specifies a right turn or a left turn as the behavior of the vehicle. Then, you may specify that the position of the said vehicle is the same position as the position of the said specific node as said relative position. According to the vehicle position specifying device of this aspect, when a right turn or a left turn of the vehicle is specified, the relative position is specified as the same position as the position of the specific node. Therefore, in the case where the vehicle turns right or left at the specific node and enters the specific link, the relative position with respect to the specific node can be specified with high accuracy.

  (4) According to the other form of this invention, a driving assistance device provided with the vehicle position specific device of the said form is provided. The driving support device includes a vehicle control unit that controls the vehicle based on the second map according to the position of the vehicle when the position of the vehicle is within the specific region, and the position of the vehicle is the specific At least one of a notification unit that notifies a warning based on the second map according to the position of the vehicle when it is within the region. According to the driving support device of this aspect, since the vehicle control or the alarm notification is executed based on the current position and the second map accurately identified by the vehicle position identifying device, the vehicle at an appropriate timing Control or alarm notification can be executed.

  The present invention can be realized in various forms. For example, the present invention can be realized in the form of a vehicle control device, a vehicle, a vehicle position specifying method, a computer program for realizing each device or method, a non-temporary recording medium on which the computer program is recorded, and the like.

It is a block diagram showing a schematic structure of a vehicle position specifying device as one embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the 1st map in 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of 1st map data. It is explanatory drawing which shows the 2nd map in 1st Embodiment typically. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of 2nd map data. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the vehicle position specific process in 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the vehicle position specific | specification apparatus 100a of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the vehicle position specific process in 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the node data in 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the vehicle position specific process in 3rd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the driving assistance device to which the vehicle position specific device of 4th Embodiment is applied. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the driving assistance process performed in the driving assistance apparatus 300 of 4th Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the driving assistance device in a modification. It is the 1st explanatory view showing the 1st map in a modification typically. It is the 2nd explanatory view showing the 1st map in a modification typically.

A. First embodiment:
A-1. Device configuration:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle position specifying device as one embodiment of the present invention. A vehicle position specifying device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a vehicle (not shown) and specifies the position of the vehicle. Based on the position specified by the vehicle position specifying device 100, for example, automatic control of steering, braking and output (hereinafter also referred to as “vehicle control”), a map showing the current position to the driver, An alarm can be notified, route search and route guidance can be performed (hereinafter also referred to as “driving assistance”). The above-mentioned vehicle means any vehicle that can travel on the road, such as an automobile, a truck, a taxi, a bus, a motorcycle, or a bicycle.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle position specifying device 100 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 110, a read only memory (ROM) 121, a random access memory (RAM) 122, a hard disk 130, and a sensor input interface (I). / F) unit 141 and an image input interface (I / F) unit 142. Each of these components is connected to the internal bus 190.

  The CPU 110 functions as a vehicle position specifying unit 111, a distance specifying unit 112, an image data acquiring unit 113, and a positioning result acquiring unit 114 by executing a control program stored in the ROM 121.

  The vehicle position specifying unit 111 executes a vehicle position specifying process described later to specify the current position of the vehicle. The distance specifying unit 112 specifies the distance traveled by the vehicle. For example, the travel distance can be specified using a vehicle speed measured by a vehicle speed sensor described later. The image data acquisition unit 113 acquires image data of a captured image obtained by the imaging camera 230 and sends it to the CPU 110 or stores it in the hard disk 130. In the present embodiment, the imaging camera 230 is a digital video camera having a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and acquires video data (image data) having a predetermined number of pixels.

  The positioning result acquisition unit 114 acquires information (latitude, longitude, and altitude) related to the current position, which is a positioning result by the GPS (Global Positioning System) positioning unit 250. The GPS positioning unit 250 calculates the current position based on a signal output from a global positioning system (GPS) satellite. Since a known device can be adopted as the GPS positioning unit 250, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The hard disk 130 includes a first map data storage unit 131, a second map data storage unit 132, and a feature information storage unit 133. The first map data storage unit 131 stores data (hereinafter referred to as “first map data”) representing a schematic map (hereinafter referred to as “first map”) in which roads are represented by links and nodes. .

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a first map in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the first map data. FIG. 3 shows data corresponding to a part of the first map shown in FIG. 3A shows an example of data related to a link (hereinafter referred to as “link data”), and FIG. 3B shows an example of data related to a node (hereinafter referred to as “node data”).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first map is represented by a plurality of links and nodes. A node corresponds to an intersection or a branch point on an actual road. In FIG. 2, a total of nine nodes are represented. Of these, the two nodes N1a and N2a correspond to specific nodes described later. The remaining seven nodes N1b, N2b, N3b, N4b, N5b, N6b, and N7b are not specific nodes. A link corresponds to a road portion between nodes. For example, the link L1 corresponds to a road portion between two nodes N1a and N1b. Similarly, link L2 is a road part between two nodes N1b and N2a, link L3 is a road part between two nodes N2a and N4b, and link L4 is a road part between two nodes N4b and N1a. The link L5 corresponds to the road portion between the two nodes N2a and N5b, and the link L6 corresponds to the road portion between the two nodes N1a and N3b. In FIG. 2, nodes corresponding to the other ends of the two links L10 and L11 having the node N1b as an end are omitted. In FIG. 2, the bidirectional lane is represented by a single link, but may be represented by different links.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the link data is composed of information on each field of the identifier, connection node, and length of each link. In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the identifier of each link is made to coincide with the code of each link shown in FIG. In the “connection node” field, an identifier of a node corresponding to the end point of each link is set. In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the identifier of each node is made to match the code of each node shown in FIG. In the “length” field, the length of each link (length along the road) is set. The link data may include arbitrary information that characterizes the road, such as the road shape, the number of lanes, and the road type, in addition to the above-described three pieces of information. Further, the coordinates of each point of the point sequence forming each link may be included.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the node data is composed of information on each field of each node identifier, connection flag, position information, connection link, specific link, switching point, and landmark feature data. In the “connection flag” field, a flag indicating whether or not the node is a specific node is set. The specific node will be described with reference to FIG.

  An area Ar1 indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2 is an area (hereinafter referred to as a “specific area”) represented by a second map described later. The link L1 is a link extending inside and outside the specific area Ar1. In the present embodiment, a link extending between the inside and the outside of the specific area Ar1 is referred to as a “specific link”. As shown in FIG. 2, the link L2 corresponds to a specific link similarly to the link L1.

  The specific node is a node arranged outside the specific area on the specific link. Further, the specific node is a node related to a process of specifying the current position using the first map data without using the positioning result by the GPS positioning unit 250 in the vehicle position specifying process described later. It is a node which becomes the starting point of the distance to. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the specific node moves from the specific area along the specific link and arrives first, in other words, the specific links L1, L2 among the nodes outside the specific area. Are set to the nodes N1a and N2a closest to the specific area. The connection flag “1” shown in FIG. 3 indicates that the node is a specific node, and the connection flag “0” indicates that the node is not a specific node.

  In the “position information” field shown in FIG. 3B, the position of the node (latitude, longitude, and altitude) is set. In the “connection link” field, an identifier of a link connected to the node is set. An identifier of a specific link is set in the “specific link” field. For example, since the node N1a is connected to the link L1, which is a specific link, “L1” is set in the specific link field. For nodes that are not connected to a specific link, “-” is set in the “connection link” field.

  In the “switching point” field, a length along a specific link from the node to the switching point is set. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a switching point Cp1 is set for the link L1, and a length D1 along the link L1 from the node N1a to the switching point Cp1 is set for the node N1a. In the example of FIG. 3, the length D1 corresponds to 300 meters. As shown in FIG. 2, the switching point Cp1 is set at the intersection of the specific area Ar1 and the link L1. As shown in FIG. 2, the switching point Cp2 is set for the link L2, and the length D2 along the link L2 from the node N2a to the switching point Cp2 is set for the node N2a. In the example of FIG. 3, the length D2 is set to 150 m. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the switching point Cp2 corresponds to a position closer to the node N2a along the link L2 than the intersection between the specific area Ar1 and the link L2. The above-mentioned switching point means a point set in advance by the administrator as a point where the map used when specifying the position of the vehicle is to be switched from the first map to the second map. The details of the switching point will be described in the vehicle position specifying process described later.

  In the “marking feature data” field shown in FIG. 3B, data (hereinafter referred to as “marking feature”) used for specifying a specific node in the vehicle position specifying process (to be described later) ( Hereinafter, an identifier of “marking feature data” is set. In the present embodiment, the landmark feature data means a data group representing the image, name, and various attributes of the landmark feature. As will be described later, each feature data is stored in the feature information storage unit 133 in association with an identifier, and the identifier of the landmark feature data is set in the above-described landmark feature data field. . In the present embodiment, a sign indicating the name of the node N1a is set in the node N1a as a landmark feature, which is installed in a traffic light arranged in the node N1a. For nodes that are not connected to a specific link, “-” is set in the “marking feature data” field.

  The values of the fields shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B are set in advance by the administrator. In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the values of the fields of the position information and the landmark feature data are represented as schematic values for convenience of explanation.

  The second map data storage unit 132 shown in FIG. 1 is a map data (hereinafter referred to as “second map”) that is a map that expresses features such as roads, signs, and road markings with higher accuracy than the first map. Map data). In the present embodiment, the second map corresponds to a part of the area represented by the first map. Specifically, it corresponds to the specific area Ar1 described above shown in FIG.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a second map in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the second map data. FIG. 5 shows data corresponding to a part of the first map shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, in addition to each lane of the road, the second map includes roads such as center lines of each lane, road markings such as stop lines and pedestrian crossings, and roads such as traffic lights and signs. Things are also expressed. In FIG. 4, the identifier (code) of the corresponding link or node in the first map is displayed for convenience of explanation.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the second map data includes data relating to “road surface”, “road edge”, “road marking”, “signal”, “signpost”, “lane”, and “other three-dimensional objects”. Including. In FIG. 5, contents included in the second map data are listed, and specific data is not shown.

  As the “road surface”, for example, information on an intersection, a separation zone, a road shoulder, and a sidewalk is set. For example, the information regarding the intersection includes information such as the size of the intersection and the position of the intersection. As the “road end”, information on the road end line is set. The information about the road edge line includes the distance from the road center position (the center of the separation band), the coordinates of each point of the point sequence forming the road edge line, and the like.

  As the “road marking”, for example, information related to lane markings, stop lines, pedestrian crossings, and road markings is set. For example, the information regarding the stop line includes information regarding the arrangement position and size of the stop line. In FIG. 5, the identifier “0A2” of the stop line 13 shown in FIG. 4 is described, indicating that the position and size of the stop line 13 are set. Further, for example, the information regarding the road marking includes information regarding the type of road marking in addition to the position and size of the road marking.

  As the “signal”, for example, information related to a vehicle signal and information related to a pedestrian signal are set. The information on the vehicle signal includes, for example, information on the position, size, and shape of the traffic light, information on the presence / absence and type of an arrow signal, and information on the presence / absence of an intersection name sign. The information related to the pedestrian signal includes, for example, information related to the position, size, and shape of the traffic light.

  As the “label”, for example, information related to an existing label is set. Specifically, information indicating the type and information such as the position, size, shape, and color of the sign are included. In FIG. 5, the identifier “0A1” of the parking prohibition sign 12 shown in FIG. 4 is described, which indicates that the position, size, shape, color, and the like are set for the sign 12.

  As the “lane”, for example, information on the lane center line, information on inter-lane connection, and the like are set. Information on the lane center line includes the number of lane center lines, the position of each lane center line, and the like. In FIG. 5, the identifier “0B1” of the lane center line 11 shown in FIG. 4 is described, indicating that the number, position, etc. are set for the lane center line 11.

  As the “other three-dimensional object”, for example, information on curbstones, walls, guardrails, utility poles, and street lamps is set. For example, the information on the curb includes the position and size of the curb.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the second map data includes highly accurate information about the position, type, size, shape, etc. of many features. Therefore, the data amount of the second map data is very large. However, as described above, the second map data corresponds to only a partial area of the first map and does not correspond to all areas. For this reason, the amount of data is reduced compared to the configuration in which the second map corresponds to all areas of the first map, and a hard disk with a relatively small storage capacity can be used as the hard disk 130.

  In the feature information storage unit 133 shown in FIG. 1, data of various features for which identifiers are set in the first map data and the second map data are stored in association with the identifiers.

The sensor input interface unit 141 is connected to a vehicle speed sensor 240 and a GPS positioning unit 250 arranged in the vehicle, and relays signals from these sensors to the CPU 110 via the internal bus 190. The vehicle speed sensor 240 detects the traveling speed of the vehicle. Since a known device can be employed as the vehicle speed sensor 240, detailed description thereof is omitted. The image input interface unit 142 is connected to the imaging camera 230. The imaging camera 230 is a digital video camera having a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and acquires video data (image data) having a predetermined number of pixels. In the present embodiment, the imaging camera 230 is mounted on the vehicle so that the imaging range is in front of the vehicle.
The image input interface unit 142 relays image data obtained by the imaging camera 230 to the CPU 110 via the internal bus 190.

  In the vehicle position specifying device 100 according to the first embodiment having the above-described configuration, by executing a vehicle position specifying process to be described later, the current position is more determined using the second map when the vehicle exists in the specific area. It is specified with high accuracy, and it is suppressed that the current position cannot be specified using the second map.

  The first map data storage unit 131 described above corresponds to the first map data storage unit in the claims. The second map data storage unit 132 corresponds to the second map data storage unit in the claims.

A-2. Vehicle location processing:
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the vehicle position specifying process in the first embodiment. In the vehicle position specifying device 100, when the ignition of the vehicle is turned on and the power of the vehicle position specifying device 100 is turned on, the vehicle position specifying process is executed. In the following, it is assumed that the vehicle is driven along a route RT1 indicated by a dashed arrow in FIG.

  The positioning result acquisition unit 114 acquires the positioning result obtained by the GPS positioning unit 250, and specifies the position indicated by the positioning result as a position estimated as the current position of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as “estimated current position”) ( Step S105). The vehicle position specifying unit 111 refers to the node data and determines whether or not the estimated current position specified in step S105 is near the specific node (step S110). In the present embodiment, the vicinity of a specific node means that the distance to the specific node is 0 meter or more and 50 meters or less. A range in which the distance to the specific node is an arbitrary distance may be set as the vicinity of the specific node.

  If it is determined in step S110 described above that the estimated current position is not near the specific node (step S110: NO), step S105 described above is executed. On the other hand, when it is determined that the estimated current position is in the vicinity of the specific node (step S110: YES), the image data acquisition unit 113 acquires image data obtained by imaging by the imaging camera 230 (step S110). S115). The vehicle position specifying unit 111 extracts landmark candidate features in the image represented by the image data acquired in step S115 (step S120). The landmark candidate feature means a feature that is a candidate for the landmark feature described above. Specifically, if it is in the vicinity of the node N1a, a feature having an outline similar to the “signpost with the name of the intersection” that is a landmark feature associated with the node N1a is extracted from the captured image. . The vehicle position specifying unit 111 determines whether or not the landmark candidate feature extracted in step S120 is the landmark feature of the particular node (step S125). For example, when a sign with an intersection name is extracted from an image captured in the vicinity of the node N1a, information on the character string of the sign and a mark for the node N1a as shown in FIG. Compared with the information about the character string stored as the feature data, if these match, it is determined that the landmark candidate feature is the landmark feature of the specific node, and if they do not match, the landmark candidate feature is It can be determined that it is not a landmark feature of a specific node.

  If it is determined in step S125 described above that the landmark candidate feature is not a landmark feature (step S125: NO), the process returns to step S105. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S125 that the landmark candidate feature is a landmark feature (step S125: YES), the vehicle position identifying unit 111 identifies the landmark feature as a landmark feature based on the captured image. The current position on the first map is specified from the positional relationship between the feature and the vehicle (step S130). Therefore, the current position with higher accuracy is specified as compared with the estimated current position based on the GPS positioning result.

  The vehicle position specifying unit 111 determines whether or not the vehicle is traveling on the specific link (step S135). For example, in the configuration in which the link data includes the coordinates of the point sequence of the link, whether or not the specific link is running is obtained again by the GPS positioning unit 250, and the position of the positioning result is on the specific link. It can be determined by whether or not it is within a predetermined distance from any point of the point sequence.

  If it is determined in step S135 described above that the vehicle is not traveling on the specific link (step S135: NO), the process returns to step S105 described above. For example, when the vehicle travels on the link L4 shown in FIG. 2 toward the node N1a, and reaches the node N1a and then goes straight without turning left, the vehicle does not exist on the link L1. In this case, only the estimated current position based on the positioning result of the GPS positioning unit 250 in step S105 and the current position specified by the captured image and the first map data in step S130 are obtained as the current position of the vehicle. .

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S135 described above that the vehicle is traveling on the specific link (step S135: YES), the distance specifying unit 112 specifies the travel distance from the specific node (step S140). ). For example, the distance from the current position specified in step S130 is obtained from the elapsed time since the execution of step S125 and the travel speed history received from the vehicle speed sensor 240, and the current position specified in step S130. The distance from the specific node can be specified from the positional relationship with the specific node. When the vehicle travels along the route RT1 of FIG. 2 and turns left at the node N1a and exists in the link L1, the distance from the node N1a to the position is measured.

  The vehicle position specifying unit 111 refers to the value of the switching point field of the node data shown in FIG. 3B and whether the current position has reached the switching point based on the distance from the specific node measured in step S140. It is determined whether or not (step S145). If it is determined that the current position has not reached the switching point (step S145: NO), step S140 described above is executed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the current position has reached the switching point (step S145: YES), the image data acquisition unit 113 acquires image data obtained by imaging by the imaging camera 230 (step S150). . For example, when the vehicle travels on the link L1 toward the node N1b along the route RT1 shown in FIG. 2 and reaches the switching point Cp1 where the distance from the node N1a is D1 (300 meters), the image data is To be acquired. Since the switching point Cp1 is located at the boundary between the inside and the outside of the specific area Ar1, the feature in the specific area Ar1 is reflected in the image acquired in step S150. Further, for example, when the vehicle travels on the link L2 toward the node N1b and reaches a switching point Cp2 that is a point at a distance D2 (150 meters) from the node N2a, image data is acquired. Since the switching point Cp2 is located outside the specific area Ar1, the feature located outside the specific area Ar1 is reflected in the image obtained by executing step S150 for the first time. The feature may not be visible. However, as will be described later, since step S150 is repeatedly executed, the feature in the specific area Ar1 is captured in the captured image obtained in step S150 executed after the vehicle enters the specific area Ar1. become.

  The vehicle position specifying unit 111 extracts a landmark from the image acquired in step S150 (step S155). A landmark means a feature that can be represented by the second map, for example, a feature as shown in FIG. In step S155, for example, a contour pattern of a feature that can be a landmark is registered in advance, and contour extraction is performed by edge extraction or the like in the captured image, and the extracted contour and a pre-registered contour pattern are obtained. The landmarks may be extracted by comparison. Note that, as described above, in the image captured at the switching point Cp1 on the link L1, the landmark in the specific area Ar1 can be extracted, so that the landmark can be extracted. On the other hand, in the image captured at the switching point Cp2, there is a possibility that the feature outside the specific area Ar1 is reflected and the feature in the specific area Ar1 is not captured. In this case, no landmark is extracted in step S155.

  The vehicle position specifying unit 111 specifies the landmark extracted in step S155 based on the second map data, and specifies the current position on the second map from the positional relationship between the specified landmark and the vehicle (step S160). As shown in FIG. 4, many landmarks are set on the second map. Therefore, in step S160, since the current position of the vehicle is specified from the positional relationship between a number of landmarks and the vehicle in the captured image, a highly accurate position is specified.

  Here, the above-described steps S150 to S160 are executed when it is determined that the current vehicle position has reached, for example, the switching point Cp1 shown in FIG. 2, and thus the highly accurate position on the second map in the specific area Ar1. Is identified. In other words, it can be suppressed that the steps S150 to S160 are executed after traveling on the link L1 from the node N1a toward the node N1b and exceeding the specific area Ar1, and the current position cannot be specified on the second map. .

  After executing step S160, the vehicle position specifying unit 111 determines whether or not the current position specified in step S160 has deviated from the specific area (step S165), and determines that the current position has not deviated from the specific area. Then, the process returns to step S150 described above, and steps S150 to S160 are executed again. Therefore, the current position on the second map is continuously specified as the vehicle travels. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S165 that the current position is out of the specific area, the process returns to step S105 described above, and steps S105 to S160 are executed again.

  In the vehicle position specifying device 100 of the first embodiment described above, the landmark in the captured image is specified, and the current position is specified based on the second map from the positional relationship between the specified landmark and the vehicle. The operation starts when the current position of the vehicle reaches the switching point. This switching point is set as a point where the distance along the specific link from the specific node to the switching point is equal to or less than the distance along the specific link from the specific node to the specific area Ar1. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the start of the process of specifying the current position based on the identification of the landmark and the second map after traveling along the specific link and passing the specific area Ar1. For this reason, it can control that the present position of vehicles cannot be specified based on the 2nd map. If a switching point is set in front of the specific area, it may happen that the current position cannot be initially specified when the landmark is specified and the current position is specified based on the second map. However, when the vehicle enters the specific area Ar1 as the vehicle travels, the current position can be specified based on the second map.

Further, in order to determine whether or not the current position of the vehicle has reached the switching point, first the position on the first map is specified based on the captured image at the specific node, and then the distance from the predetermined node is measured. Thus, the determination is made based on whether the distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance. Therefore, compared with a configuration that identifies whether reaches the switching point to identify the current position based on the positioning result of GPS positioning unit 2 50, it can be accurately determined whether reaches the switching point.

  In addition, the position of the switching point is set as the distance from the node that first moves from the specific area along the specific link. In other words, it is set as the distance from the node closest to the specific area along the specific link among the nodes outside the specific area. For this reason, this distance can be shortened compared with the structure which sets the position of a switching point as a distance from the other node outside a specific area | region. For this reason, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the current position has reached the switching point as compared with such a configuration.

B. Second embodiment:
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the vehicle position specifying device 100a of the second embodiment. The configuration of the vehicle position specifying device 100a of the second embodiment is shown in FIG. 1 in that a vehicle control input / output interface (I / F) unit 143 is provided and that the CPU 110 functions as the behavior specifying unit 115. It differs from the structure of the vehicle position specifying device 100 of the first embodiment. Since the other configuration of the vehicle position specifying device 100a of the second embodiment is the same as that of the vehicle position specifying device 100 of the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted. To do.

  The vehicle control input / output interface unit 143 is connected to a vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 210 disposed in the vehicle, and receives a signal from the vehicle ECU 210. The connection between the vehicle control input / output interface unit 143 and the vehicle ECU 210 can be realized by, for example, a CAN (Controller Area Network). The vehicle control input / output interface unit 143 is connected to the internal bus 190 and relays a signal received from the vehicle ECU 210 to the CPU 110. Examples of the vehicle ECU include an engine control ECU, a brake control ECU, a winker control ECU, and the like. In the present embodiment, the vehicle control input / output interface unit 143 receives information on the behavior of the vehicle such as whether the vehicle is turning right or left from the vehicle ECU 210 and relays it to the CPU 110.

  The behavior specifying unit 115 acquires information on the behavior of the vehicle relayed by the vehicle control input / output interface unit 143 and specifies the behavior of the vehicle. Specifically, in this embodiment, the behavior specifying unit 115 specifies whether the vehicle is turning right or left.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the vehicle position specifying process in the second embodiment. The vehicle position specifying process in the second embodiment is shown in FIG. 6 in that steps S111 and S112 are executed instead of steps S115, S120 and S125, and step S130a is executed instead of step S130. This is different from the vehicle position specifying process in the first embodiment. Since the other procedure of the vehicle position specifying process in the second embodiment is the same as the vehicle position specifying process in the first embodiment, the same procedure is denoted by the same reference numeral, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  If it is determined in step S110 described above that the estimated current position is in the vicinity of the specific node (step S110: YES), the behavior specifying unit 115 is transmitted from the vehicle ECU 210 to the vehicle via the vehicle control input / output interface unit 143. Is acquired (step S111), and it is determined whether the vehicle has turned right or left (step S112). If it is determined that the vehicle is not turning right or left (step S112: NO), the process returns to step S105 described above.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle has turned right or left (step S112: YES), the vehicle position specifying unit 111 specifies the current position as the position of the specific node (step S130a). Thereafter, the processing after step S135 is executed.

  The vehicle position specifying device 100a of the second embodiment described above has the same effect as the vehicle position specifying device 100 of the first embodiment. In addition, since it is specified that the current position is the position of the specific node based on the behavior information of the vehicle including the left turn or the right turn, the specification can be easily performed, and the processing load of the specific process can be reduced.

C. Third embodiment:
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of node data according to the third embodiment. The configuration of the vehicle position specifying device of the third embodiment is different from the configuration of the vehicle position specifying device 100 of the first embodiment in setting items (fields) in node data. Since the other configuration of the vehicle position specifying device of the third embodiment is the same as that of the vehicle position specifying device 100 of the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted. .

  As shown in FIG. 9, the node data of the third embodiment is different from the node data of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3B in that a “reference feature” field is added. The other fields in the node data of the third embodiment are the same as those of the node data of the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the “reference feature” field shown in FIG. 9, a feature (hereinafter referred to as “reference feature”) that is referred to in order to specify the current position in the specified region in the vehicle position specifying process of the third embodiment to be described later. Identifier) and a reference distance are set. The reference distance means a distance from a specific node to a point (hereinafter referred to as “reference feature point”) that specifies the current position using the reference feature. For example, in the node data for the node N1a, the identifier “signpost 0A1” of the sign 12 shown in FIG. 4 and the reference distance “515 meters” are set as reference features. In the node data for the node N2a, the identifier “stop line 0A2” of the stop line 13 shown in FIG. 4 and the reference distance “390 meters” are set as reference features. Note that the reference distance is not limited to the distance from the specific node as the starting point and is equal to the distance to the reference feature along the specific node, but may be set as a distance to a position slightly before the reference feature.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the vehicle position specifying process in the third embodiment. The vehicle position specifying process according to the third embodiment includes a vehicle position specifying process according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6 in that step S145a is executed instead of step S145 and step S160a is executed instead of step S160. Different from processing. Since the other procedure of the vehicle position specifying process in the second embodiment is the same as the vehicle position specifying process in the first embodiment, the same procedure is denoted by the same reference numeral, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the above-described step S140 is executed and the distance from the specific node is specified, the vehicle position specifying unit 111 uses the node data shown in FIG. 9 based on the distance specified in step S140. With reference, it is determined whether or not the current position has reached the reference feature point (step S145a). If it is determined that the current position has not reached the reference feature point (step S145a: NO), the process returns to step S140 described above. On the other hand, when it is determined that the current position has reached the reference feature point (step S145a: YES), the above-described steps S150 and S155 are executed, and the captured image is acquired and the landmark in the captured image is displayed. Extracted. For example, when the vehicle travels on the link L1 toward the node N1b and reaches a reference point of 515 meters from the node N1a, a captured image is acquired and a landmark in the captured image is extracted. In this captured image, a sign 12 shown in FIG. 4 is shown.

  After execution of step S155, the vehicle position specifying unit 111 specifies the reference feature from the landmarks extracted in step S155, and specifies the current position on the second map from the positional relationship between the reference feature and the vehicle. (Step S160a). Thereafter, step S165 described above is executed.

  The vehicle position specifying device of the third embodiment having the above configuration has the same effect as that of the first embodiment. In addition, since the distance from the specific node to the feature is set in advance as node data for the feature (reference feature) that is referred to in order to specify the current position in the specific region, the reference feature is A captured image can be acquired so as to appear. For this reason, specification of the present position using a reference feature can be performed with high certainty. And, by adopting features that are highly useful as landmarks, such as a characteristic shape that is easily visible from the road, as a reference feature, the current position in the specific region can be identified with higher accuracy. be able to.

D. Fourth embodiment:
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a driving support device to which the vehicle position specifying device of the fourth embodiment is applied. The driving support device 300 includes a vehicle position specifying device 100b and a display device 260. The driving support device 300 displays the first map or the second map on the display device 260 and displays the current position of the vehicle on the displayed map. The driving support device 300 according to the fourth embodiment supports the driving of the driver by displaying a map and the current position of the vehicle on the display device 260. The display device 260 is used as a display device such as a navigation system or an audio system, and is configured by a touch panel, for example.

  The configuration of the vehicle position specifying device 100b of the fourth embodiment is that the image output interface (I / F) unit 144 is provided, the CPU 110 functions as the map display unit 116, and the contents of the node data. It differs from the structure of the vehicle position specifying device 100 of the first embodiment. Since the other configuration of the vehicle position specifying device 100b of the fourth embodiment is the same as that of the vehicle position specifying device 100 of the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. To do.

  The image output interface (I / F) unit 144 is connected to the display device 260 and the internal bus 190, and relays an image signal received from the CPU 110 (map display unit 116) via the internal bus 190 to the display device 260. To do. The map display unit 116 generates display data for displaying the first map and the second map corresponding to the current position specified by the vehicle position specifying process. Further, data indicating the position of the vehicle on the first map or the second map is generated.

  In the vehicle position specifying device 100b, the vehicle position specifying process shown in FIG. 6 is executed in the same manner as the vehicle position specifying device 100 of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of driving support processing executed in the driving support device 300 of the fourth embodiment. When the ignition of the vehicle is turned on and the driving support device 300 (the vehicle position specifying device 100b and the display device 260) is turned on, a driving support process is executed. Therefore, in the driving assistance device 300, the vehicle position specifying process and the driving assistance process are executed in parallel.

  The map display unit 116 causes the display device 260 to display the first map and the estimated current position on the first map based on the estimated current position specified in step S105 of the vehicle position specifying process (step S205). .

  The map display unit 116 determines whether or not the vehicle has reached the switching point described above (step S210). As described above, the same determination process is executed in step S145 of the vehicle position specifying process, and the map display unit 116 can execute the determination of step S210 based on the result of the determination process. If it is determined that the vehicle has not reached the switching point (step S210: NO), step S205 described above is executed.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle has reached the switching point (step S210: YES), the map display unit 116 displays the second map on the display device 260 based on the distance from the specific node, The current position is displayed on the second map (step S215). As described above, since the distance along the specific link from the specific node to the switching point is set in advance, the current position can be displayed on the second map based on the distance.

  The map display unit 116 determines whether or not step S160 of the vehicle position specifying process is completed, that is, whether or not the current position is specified using the landmark extracted from the captured image (step S220). . If it is determined that identification of the current position using the landmark extracted from the captured image is not completed (step S220: NO), the process returns to step S215 described above.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the identification of the current position using the landmark extracted from the captured image is completed (step S220: YES), the current position identified by step S160 of the vehicle position identification process, that is, The current position specified using the landmark extracted from the captured image is displayed on the second map (step S225). As described above, since the current position specified using the landmark extracted from the captured image is the current position specified with high accuracy, the user views the current position displayed on the second map. Thus, the current position can be grasped more accurately.

  The map display unit 116 updates the current position on the second map displayed on the display device 260 (step S230), and determines whether or not the current position of the vehicle is out of the specific area (step S235). The determination in step S235 may be performed using the determination result in step S165 of the vehicle position specifying process described above. If it is determined that the current position does not deviate from the specific area (step S235: NO), step S230 described above is executed. That is, the current position is updated in the second map displayed on the display device 260 until the current position deviates from the specific area. If it is determined that the current position of the vehicle is out of the specific area (step S235: YES), the process returns to step S205 described above.

  In the driving support apparatus 300 according to the fourth embodiment described above, the map is displayed on the display device 260 and the current position of the vehicle is displayed. Therefore, the driver can easily identify the current position of the vehicle. In addition, in the area outside the specific area, the first map is displayed on the display device 260 and the current position specified by the vehicle position specifying process is displayed. For this reason, when traveling on a specific link beyond a specific node, the current position specified based on the distance from the specific node is displayed, so the current position is determined based on the positioning result of the GPS positioning unit 250. Compared to the display configuration, the current position can be displayed with higher accuracy. Further, since the current position specified using the landmark extracted from the captured image is displayed in the specific area, the current position can be displayed with very high accuracy.

E. Variations:
E-1. Modification 1:
The driving support device 300 of the third embodiment performs driving support by displaying the first map or the second map and the current position on the display device 260, but the present invention is not limited to this. Absent. Based on the specified current position, various alarms and vehicle control can be performed.

  FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a driving support apparatus according to a modification. The driving support device 300a differs from the driving support device 300 of the fourth embodiment in that it includes a vehicle position specifying device 100c and in that it includes a vehicle ECU 210 and a speaker 220. Since the other configuration of the driving support device 300a in the modification is the same as that of the driving support device 300 of the fourth embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The vehicle position specifying device 100c includes a vehicle control input / output interface unit 143 and an audio output interface (I / F) unit 145, and a point that the CPU 110 functions as the notification control unit 117 and the vehicle control unit 118. This is different from the vehicle position specifying device 100 of the first embodiment. Since the other structure of the vehicle position specifying device 100c is the same as that of the vehicle position specifying device 100 of the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The vehicle control input / output interface unit 143 and the vehicle ECU 210 are the same as the vehicle control input / output interface unit 143 and the vehicle ECU 210 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. Description is omitted. The audio output interface unit 145 is connected to the speaker 220 and the internal bus 190, and outputs audio data received via the internal bus 190 to the speaker 220 as an audio signal.

  The notification control unit 117 sends voice data such as an alarm sound (voice message or alarm) to the voice output interface unit 145 based on the current position specified by the vehicle position specifying process and the first map data and the second map data. The alarm is transmitted from the speaker 220. A specific example of such alarm sound output control will be described. Within the specific area, the second map includes detailed information about each lane in each link (for example, the type of lane such as a straight lane or a right turn lane). Here, in the case where the destination guidance process is executed by a function unit (not shown) in the driving support device 300a and it is necessary to make a right turn at a certain intersection in the specific area, the current position exists on the straight lane. An alarm message such as “Please move to the right turn lane” is output from the speaker 220. In addition, for example, when traveling in a specific area, even when a road marking or sign that is temporarily stopped is arranged in the traveling lane, the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed in the vicinity of the road marking, etc. An alarm message such as “Dangerous! Reduce the speed!” Or an alarm of a predetermined sound is output from the speaker 220.

  The vehicle control unit 118 outputs a control signal for controlling the behavior of the vehicle based on the current position specified by the vehicle position specifying process, the first map data, and the second map data, to the vehicle control input / output interface unit. Vehicle control is performed by transmitting to the vehicle ECU 210 via 143. Specifically, for example, as described above, while traveling in a specific area, the vehicle speed is predetermined in the vicinity of the road marking or the like in spite of the fact that a paused road marking or sign is arranged in the traveling lane. When the speed is equal to or higher than the speed, a control signal for operating the brake is output to the brake ECU.

  The driving support device 300a of the modified example described above has the same effect as the driving support device 300 of the fourth embodiment. In addition, in the specific region, the alarm notification and the vehicle control are performed based on the current position specified with high accuracy, so the alarm notification and the vehicle control can be executed at an appropriate timing. In the driving support device 300a described above, either one of the alarm notification and the vehicle control may be omitted.

E-2. Modification 2:
In each embodiment, the specific link is a link extending in and out of the specific area Ar1, but the present invention is not limited to this. FIG. 14 is a first explanatory diagram schematically showing a first map in a modified example. The first map shown in FIG. 14 includes a point having a specific area Ar2 instead of the specific area Ar1, a point where a switching point Cp3 is set instead of the switching point Cp2, a point where the node N2a is not a specific node, and a node N5b It is different from the first map of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in that it is a specific node. Other configurations in the first map shown in FIG. 14 are the same as those in the first map shown in FIG. 2, and thus the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

  In the specific area Ar2, the end (boundary) on the node N2a side along the link L2 is represented as a line segment including a part of the node N2a and the link L3. A switching point Cp3 is set for the link L5. Since the node N5b is a specific node, a length D3 along the link L5 from the node N5b to the switching point Cp3 is set in the node N5b. That is, in the configuration of FIG. 14, the link L5 corresponds to a specific link. In this configuration, since one end of the link L5, which is a specific link, is the node N2a, the link L5 does not correspond to a link extending in and out of the specific area Ar2, and is a link whose one end is in contact with the specific area Ar2. It corresponds to. That is, in general, any link from a specific node to a specific area may be used as the specific link in the position specifying device and data structure of the present invention.

E-3. Modification 3:
In each embodiment, the specific link is configured by one link, but is not limited to one and may be configured by a plurality of links. FIG. 15 is a second explanatory diagram schematically showing the first map in the modified example. The first map shown in FIG. 15 is different from the first map of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in that the node N3a and the link L7 are additionally shown and the node N1a is not a specific node. Other configurations in the first map shown in FIG. 15 are the same as those in the first map shown in FIG. 2, and thus the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

  The node N3a is arranged at a position symmetrical to the node N1a with the node N3b as the center. The node N3a is connected to the node N3b via the link L7. Since the node N3a is a specific node, a length D1a along the three links L7, L6, L1 from the node N3a to the switching point Cp1 is set in the node N3a. In such a configuration of FIG. 15, the three links L7, L6, and L1 correspond to specific links. That is, in general, a link constituted by one or a plurality of links may be used as the specific link in the position specifying device and data structure of the present invention.

  Here, the difference between the configuration of FIG. 2 and the configuration of FIG. 15 can be expressed as follows from the viewpoint of the position of the specific node. That is, in the configuration of FIG. 2, the specific node moves along the specific link from the specific area Ar1 and arrives first, in other words, specified along the specific link L1 among the nodes outside the specific area Ar1. In the configuration of FIG. 15, the specific node moves from the specific area Ar1 along the specific links L1, L6, and L7 and reaches the third position, whereas the node is set closest to the area Ar1. In other words, it is set to the third closest node from the specific area Ar1 along the specific links L1, L6, and L7 among the nodes outside the specific area Ar1. For example, the following case is assumed that the node N3a that is the third closest to the specific area along the specific link among the nodes outside the specific area is set as shown in FIG. . In other words, the traffic lights arranged at the two nodes N3b and N1a are not provided with signs indicating the names of the intersections, whereas the node N3a is a relatively large intersection, so it is arranged at the node N3a. It is assumed that a sign indicating the name of the intersection is installed at the intersection. In this case, by setting a specific node in the node N3a, the current position on the first map can be reliably specified based on the captured image in steps S125 and S130. In addition, you may set as a specific node the node close | similar to arbitrary order not only in the node nearest to the 3rd from a specific area along the specific link among the nodes outside a specific area. That is, generally, any node arranged outside the specific area may be used as the specific node in the position specifying device and data structure of the present invention.

  In the configuration of FIG. 15, it is preferable to set the node data including information on which link goes to the specific area via the node N3a. Specifically, it is preferable to set the identifiers “L7, L6, L1” of the links L7, L6, L1 and the distance D1a in the node N3a in the node data. In addition, it is preferable to use this setting to determine whether or not the vehicle is traveling on a specific node in step S135.

E-4. Modification 4:
In each embodiment excluding the second embodiment, the current position on the first map is specified in step S130, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a distance along a specific link starting from a specific node may be specified. Even in such a configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the current position has reached the switching point in step S145 to be executed thereafter. That is, generally, when it is estimated that the vehicle passes through the specific node, a vehicle position specifying unit that specifies the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the specific node can be used in the vehicle position specifying device of the present invention.

E-5. Modification 5:
The configurations of the vehicle position specifying devices 100, 100a, 100b, and 100c and the configurations of the driving support devices 300 and 300a according to the embodiments are merely examples, and can be variously modified. For example, the first map data storage unit 131, the second map data storage unit 132, and the feature information storage unit 133 are all stored in the hard disk 130, but may be stored in the ROM 121 instead of the hard disk 130. Further, although the vehicle speed sensor 240 and the GPS positioning unit 250 are separate from the vehicle position specifying device and the driving support device, at least one of the vehicle speed sensor 240 and the GPS positioning unit 250 is replaced with the vehicle position specifying device and the driving device. You may comprise integrally with a support apparatus. Moreover, although the reference features were the sign 12 and the stop line 13, instead of these, a crosswalk or a traffic light may be used. In addition, the landmark feature is a “sign indicating the name of an intersection”, but any feature that can identify a specific node may be used instead. Further, the image data used in the vehicle position specifying process is data obtained by the imaging camera 230, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, millimeter wave radio waves or lasers may be emitted from a vehicle, and image data represented by the reflected waves may be used. In step S105, the estimated current position is identified by the GPS positioning unit 250. However, the estimated position is estimated using a so-called inertial navigation device that records the travel distance and direction using the vehicle speed sensor and the gyro to identify the current position. The current position may be specified.

E-6. Modification 6:
In the above embodiment, a part of the configuration realized by hardware may be replaced by software, and conversely, a part of the configuration realized by software may be replaced by hardware. In addition, when part or all of the functions of the present invention are realized by software, the software (computer program) can be provided in a form stored in a computer-readable recording medium. In the present invention, the “computer-readable recording medium” is not limited to a portable recording medium such as a flexible disk or a CD-ROM, but an internal storage device in a computer such as various RAMs and ROMs, a hard disk, and the like. An external storage device fixed to the computer is also included. That is, the “computer-readable recording medium” has a broad meaning including an arbitrary recording medium capable of fixing data instead of temporarily.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, examples, and modifications, and can be realized with various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features in the embodiments and the modifications corresponding to the technical features in each embodiment described in the summary section of the invention are to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or In order to achieve part or all of the effects, replacement or combination can be performed as appropriate. Further, if the technical feature is not described as essential in the present specification, it can be deleted as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Lane center line 12 ... Sign 13 ... Stop line 100 ... Vehicle position specifying device 100a ... Vehicle position specifying device 100b ... Vehicle position specifying device 100c ... Vehicle position specifying device 110 ... CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 111 ... Vehicle position specific | specification part 112 ... Distance specific | specification part 113 ... Image data acquisition part 114 ... Positioning result acquisition part 115 ... Behavior specific | specification part 116 ... Map display part 117 ... Notification control part 118 ... Vehicle control part 130 ... Hard disk 131 ... 1st Map data storage unit 132 ... Second map data storage unit 133 ... Feature information storage unit 141 ... Sensor input interface unit 142 ... Image input interface unit 143 ... Vehicle control input / output interface unit 144 ... Image output interface unit 145 ... Audio output Interface unit 190 ... Internal bus 200 ... Imaging camera 210 ... Vehicle ECU
220 ... Speaker 230 ... Imaging Camera 240 ... Vehicle Speed Sensor 250 ... GPS Positioning Unit 260 ... Display Device 300 ... Driving Support Device 300a ... Driving Support Device D1 ... Distance D1a ... Distance D2 ... Distance D3 ... Distance L1 ... Link L2 ... Link L3 ... Link L4 ... Link L5 ... Link L6 ... Link L7 ... Link L10 ... Link RT1 ... Route N1a ... Node N2a ... Node N3a ... Node N1b ... Node N2b ... Node N3b ... Node N4b ... Node N5b ... Node N6b ... Node N7b ... Node Cp1 ... Switching point Cp2 ... Switching point Cp3 ... Switching point Ar1 ... Specific area

Claims (4)

A first map data storage unit for storing map data of a first map including a link representing a road and a node representing an intersection;
A second map corresponding to a specific area that is a partial area of the area represented by the first map, wherein features in the specific area are more accurate than the first map. A second map data storage unit for storing map data of the second map expressed in
A vehicle position specifying unit for specifying the position of the vehicle;
A distance specifying unit for specifying a moving distance of the vehicle from the node;
With
The first map data storage unit is configured by one or a plurality of links from the specific node in association with a specific node that is at least one of the nodes arranged outside the specific area. Distance information indicating a predetermined distance equal to or less than the distance to the specific area along the specific link is stored,
The vehicle position specifying unit
When it is estimated that the vehicle passes the specific node, the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the specific node is specified;
Based on the relative position, the predetermined distance, and the moving distance, it is determined that the vehicle has reached a position that is separated from the specific node along the specific link by the predetermined distance. A vehicle position specifying device that specifies a position using the second map. The vehicle position specifying device according to claim 1, further comprising:
An image data acquisition unit for acquiring captured image data of a state outside the vehicle;
The first map data storage unit stores landmark information and position information of features related to the specific node in association with the specific node,
The vehicle position specifying unit is a vehicle position specifying device that specifies the relative position based on the captured image data, the landmark information, and position information. The vehicle position specifying device according to claim 1, further comprising:
A behavior identifying unit that identifies the behavior of the vehicle including a right turn or a left turn;
The vehicle position specifying unit specifies that the position of the vehicle is the same position as the position of the specific node as the relative position when a right turn or a left turn is specified as the behavior of the vehicle. apparatus. A driving support device comprising the vehicle position specifying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
When the position of the vehicle is within the specific area, a vehicle control unit that controls the vehicle based on the second map according to the position of the vehicle, and when the position of the vehicle is within the specific area A driving assistance device comprising at least one of a notification unit that notifies a warning based on the second map according to the position of the vehicle .

Images