JP5239788B2 - Driving environment database management device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a traveling environment database management apparatus that manages a traveling environment database.

Conventionally, after acquiring road information from a database provided on the infrastructure side by communication, generating a virtual track for a vehicle to travel from the acquired road information, a driving support system that performs driving support along the virtual track is provided. It is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-337993 A

  However, in the above-mentioned driving support system, the database management (which information is retained and which information is discarded) is not sufficiently described, and a database that maintains road information on all roads is maintained. There was a problem that it was difficult to do.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a traveling environment database management apparatus capable of constructing a useful database reflecting the traveling environment.

  The present invention is a travel environment database management apparatus that manages a travel environment database that retains travel environment information corresponding to a travel path, and determines whether or not the travel environment database retains travel environment information of a travel path. And a management unit that manages the traveling environment database based on a determination result of the determination unit.

  In this travel environment database management device, it is determined whether or not the travel environment information of the travel path is retained in the travel environment database. As a result, it is possible to prevent a large amount of unnecessary information from being held and the database from becoming enlarged. In addition, by managing the database based on the determination result, it is possible to evaluate the traveling environment information that is held and organize the information that is no longer needed. Therefore, according to the traveling environment database management device, a useful database reflecting the traveling environment can be constructed.

  Further, the image processing apparatus further includes index calculation means for calculating a virtual track index of the travel path based on the travel environment information of the travel path, and the determination means travels to the travel environment database based on the virtual track index calculated by the index calculation means. It is preferable to determine whether or not road environment information is retained. According to this configuration, it is useful to reflect the suitability of the travel path as a virtual track by determining whether to retain the travel environment information of the travel path based on the virtual track index indicating the suitability as the virtual track. A simple database.

  The vehicle further includes travel frequency information acquisition means for acquiring travel frequency information of the vehicle on the travel path, and the determination means stores the travel environment of the travel path in the travel environment database based on the travel frequency information acquired by the travel frequency information acquisition means. It is preferable to determine whether to retain information. According to this configuration, it is possible to construct a useful database in which the traveling frequency of the vehicle on the traveling path is reflected by determining whether or not the traveling environment information on the traveling path is retained based on the traveling frequency information.

  Further, the information processing apparatus further includes connection information acquisition means for acquiring connection information relating to the connection between the travel path and the specific point, and the determination means determines the travel environment information of the travel path based on the connection information acquired by the connection information acquisition means. It is preferable to determine whether or not to hold as a database. According to this configuration, a useful database according to the local community is constructed by determining whether or not to maintain the travel environment information of the travel path based on the connection information between the travel path and a specific point such as a public facility. it can.

  In addition, it further includes a positional relationship information acquisition unit that acquires positional relationship information between the traveling path and the virtual track, and the determination unit obtains the traveling environment information of the traveling path based on the positional relationship information acquired by the positional relationship information acquisition unit. It is preferable to determine whether or not to hold as a travel environment database. According to this configuration, it is determined whether or not the travel environment information of the travel path is retained based on positional relationship information such as whether the travel path is connected to the virtual track or is running in parallel. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the storage of travel environment information on a travel path having an isolated travel path that is not connected to other virtual tracks or a parallel traveled virtual path in the database. It is possible to construct a useful database that reflects this.

  Moreover, it is preferable to further include a travel environment information acquisition unit that acquires travel environment information of the travel path from a general vehicle. Useful information that is updated frequently by acquiring travel environment information not only from vehicles (so-called probe vehicles) for collecting travel environment information on the travel road, but also from ordinary vehicles. A simple database.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to construct a useful database that reflects the traveling environment.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a travel environment database management device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a travel environment database management apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view for explaining a virtual track.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a travel environment database management device (hereinafter referred to as a travel environment DB management device) 1 is provided on the infrastructure side and provides information on virtual tracks used for automatic vehicle control and the like. The travel environment database (hereinafter referred to as a travel environment DB) 16 is managed. In the travel environment DB management device 1, for example, the travel environment DB 16 is useful in that the travel environment DB 16 stores information on the travel path R1 that can be smoothly traveled and is high, instead of the travel paths L1 and L2 that are narrow in width and low in demand. The traveling environment DB 16 is managed so that virtual track information can be provided. The traveling environment DB 16 includes a dedicated sensor and stores information collected by the general vehicle 2 as well as information from a vehicle that travels for information collection (a so-called probe vehicle).

  The vehicle 2 is a vehicle that can be automatically driven using the information on the virtual trajectory provided by the traveling environment DB management device 1. The vehicle 2 includes a navigation system 21, a travel environment sensor 22, a travel environment information storage unit 23, a road-to-vehicle communication unit 24, and an automatic driving system 25.

  The navigation system 21 includes a GPS receiver that receives radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites and detects the position of the vehicle 2, and a navigation map database in which information on a travel route on which the vehicle can travel is recorded. . The navigation system 21 transmits the position information of the vehicle 2 on the map to the traveling environment information storage unit 23.

  The travel environment sensor 22 is, for example, a laser radar or a CCD camera, and the travel environment of the vehicle 2 (the shape of the travel path, the presence or absence of a sidewalk and its position, the position of an obstacle such as a parked vehicle). To detect. The traveling environment sensor 22 transmits the detected traveling environment to the traveling environment information storage unit 23 as traveling environment information.

  The traveling environment information storage unit 23 stores the position information transmitted from the navigation system 21 and the traveling environment information transmitted from the traveling environment sensor 22. The travel environment information storage unit 23 stores the time when the information is acquired and the position of the vehicle 2 at that time in association with the travel environment information using the position information transmitted from the navigation system 21.

  The road-to-vehicle communication unit 24 communicates with the traveling environment DB management device 1 via infrastructure equipment such as an optical beacon. The road-to-vehicle communication unit 24 transmits the travel environment information in the travel environment information storage unit 23 to the travel environment DB management device 1.

  The automatic driving system 25 performs automatic driving by controlling the engine and steering of the vehicle 2. When the destination is set by the occupant, the automatic driving system 25 transmits destination information including the position information of the vehicle 2 from the road-vehicle communication unit 24 to the traveling environment DB management device 1. The automatic driving system 25 acquires a route for reaching the destination from the traveling environment DB management device 1 via the road-to-vehicle communication unit 24 as a virtual track, and performs automatic driving of the vehicle 2 along the virtual track. .

  The travel environment DB management device 1 includes a communication unit 11, a travel environment information storage unit 12, a travel environment information calculation unit 13, a virtual trajectory index calculation unit 14, a virtual trajectory determination unit 15, and a travel environment DB 16. In the present embodiment, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 corresponds to the determination means described in the claims, and the traveling environment information calculation unit 13, the virtual trajectory index calculation unit 14, and the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 claim. The virtual trajectory index calculation unit 14 corresponds to the index calculation unit described in the claims, and the communication unit 11 and the travel environment information calculation unit 13 describe in the claims. The communication unit 11, the travel environment information storage unit 12, and the travel environment DB 16 correspond to the connection information acquisition unit described in the claims, and the communication unit 11 and the travel environment DB 16 claim. The communication unit 11 corresponds to the travel environment information acquisition means described in the claims.

  The communication unit 11 communicates with a communicable vehicle such as the vehicle 2 via the infrastructure facility. The communication unit 11 acquires travel environment information accumulated in the probe car and the general vehicle 2 by communication. The communication unit 11 is connected to a weather information server (such as a server of the Japan Meteorological Agency) via a computer network, and acquires a time change in weather for each region as weather information. The communication unit 11 transmits the acquired traveling environment information and weather information to the traveling environment information storage unit 12.

  The travel environment information storage unit 12 includes travel path information (travel location information on the map, travel path shape, connection status with other travel paths, etc.) and various facilities such as public facilities. Has a map database in which location information is stored. The traveling environment information storage unit 12 refers to the map database to classify and store the traveling environment information for each traveling route. The travel environment information storage unit 12 classifies the travel environment information classified for each travel route based on the weather information transmitted from the communication unit 11 for each weather (sunny, cloudy, rain, heavy rain, snow, etc.). Store. By classifying the driving environment information according to the weather in this way, it is possible to organize the information in consideration of the usage status of the vehicle sensor (whether the sensor performance is fully demonstrated). It becomes.

  The traveling environment information calculation unit 13 determines the number of traveling environment information classified into a certain traveling route (that is, traveling of the vehicle on a certain traveling route) with respect to the traveling environment information stored in the traveling environment information storage unit 12 within a predetermined time. Frequency) is calculated for each traveling path as the number of data samples n. Moreover, the driving environment information calculation part 13 calculates the time reliability of driving environment information from the elapsed time from the acquisition time of the driving environment information by a vehicle. Specifically, the shorter the elapsed time since the acquisition of the travel environment information, the lower the possibility that the condition of the travel path has changed, so the time reliability of the travel environment information on the travel path increases. The travel environment information calculation unit 13 calculates an average value (average information time reliability) rt of time reliability of the travel environment information for each travel route.

  Further, the traveling environment information calculation unit 13 recognizes the fluctuation of the traveling locus of the vehicle on the traveling path from the position information of the vehicle in the traveling environment information, and calculates the spatial reliability from the recognized variation of the traveling locus. Specifically, when a plurality of vehicles pass through a certain travel route, the less the fluctuation of the travel locus of each vehicle, the higher the possibility that the travel environment of the travel route is stable. Spatial reliability of driving environment information is enhanced. The travel environment information calculation unit 13 calculates an average value (average information space reliability) rs of the spatial reliability of the travel environment information for each travel route.

  The driving environment information calculation unit 13 calculates the number n of data samples calculated for each driving path equal to or greater than a predetermined value N, and the sum of the average information time reliability rt and the average information space reliability rs is a predetermined value. It is determined whether or not it is M or more. When the driving environment information calculation unit 13 determines that the calculated number of data samples n is less than a predetermined value N, or the average information time reliability rt and the average information space reliability rs are less than a predetermined value M, After the elapse of time, the calculation related to the travel environment information stored in the travel environment information storage unit 12 is performed again.

In the virtual trajectory index calculation unit 14, the traveling environment information calculation unit 13 has a data sample number n equal to or greater than a predetermined value N, and the sum of the average information time reliability rt and the average information space reliability rs is a predetermined value. When it is determined that it is equal to or greater than M, a virtual trajectory index V related to the travel path is calculated. Specifically, the virtual trajectory index calculation unit 14 calculates the virtual trajectory index V using the following equation (1). In the following equation (1), n is the number of data samples, rt is the average information time reliability, and rs is the average information space reliability.

  The virtual trajectory determination unit 15 includes, for each of the travel paths (hereinafter referred to as target travel paths) for which the virtual trajectory index V is calculated, the target travel path is an existing virtual trajectory (already the travel environment DB 16 holds travel environment information). It is determined whether it is a virtual trajectory). When it is determined that the target travel path is an existing virtual trajectory, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 performs a virtual trajectory promoting process for the target travel path. On the other hand, when the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 determines that the target travel path is not an existing virtual trajectory, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 performs non-virtual trajectory suppression processing for the target travel path.

  In the virtual trajectory promotion process, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 performs a process of temporarily adding the target travel path as a virtual trajectory on the map of the travel environment DB 16. The virtual trajectory determination unit 15 determines whether or not the target travel path temporarily added as a virtual trajectory is connected to the existing virtual trajectory. When the virtual track determination unit 15 determines that the target travel path is not connected to the existing virtual track, the virtual track determination process ends. On the other hand, if the virtual track determination unit 15 determines that the target travel route is connected to the existing virtual track, is the target travel route connectable to a public facility (specific point) such as a government office in the travel environment DB 16? Determine whether or not.

  When it is determined that the target travel path is connectable to a public facility, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 adds a predetermined value α1 to the value of the virtual trajectory index V on the target travel path. When the virtual track determination unit 15 determines that the target travel route is not connectable to a public facility, or when the predetermined value α1 is added to the virtual track index V, the target travel route is a traffic relay facility in the travel environment DB 16. It is determined whether or not it can be connected to (a facility used as a relay point for changing transportation such as an airport, a station, or a parking lot).

  The virtual track determination unit 15 adds a predetermined value α2 to the value of the virtual track index V on the target travel route when it is determined that the target travel route can be connected to the traffic relay facility (specific point). When the virtual track determination unit 15 determines that the target travel route is not connectable to the traffic relay facility, or when the predetermined value α2 is added to the virtual track index V, the target travel route is further set in the travel environment DB 16. It is determined whether or not the existing virtual trajectory can be connected.

  When it is determined that the target travel path can be connected to another existing virtual track, the virtual track determination unit 15 adds a predetermined value α3 to the value of the virtual track index V on the target travel path. When it is determined that the target travel route is not connectable to another existing virtual track, or when the predetermined value α3 is added to the virtual track index V, the virtual track determination unit 15 protects the target travel route in the area. It is determined whether or not it is possible to connect to a specific commercial facility (specific point) such as a shopping mall.

  When it is determined that the target travel path is connectable to the specific commercial facility, the virtual track determination unit 15 adds a predetermined value α4 to the value of the virtual track index V on the target travel path. The virtual trajectory determination unit 15 determines that the value of the virtual trajectory index V on the target travel path is predetermined when the target travel path is not connectable to the specific commercial facility or when the predetermined value α4 is added to the value of the virtual trajectory index V. It is determined whether or not the value A is greater than or equal to A.

  When the virtual track determination unit 15 determines that the value of the virtual track index V in the target travel path is equal to or greater than the predetermined value A, the virtual track determination unit 15 stores the travel environment information of the target travel path in the travel environment DB 16 and stores the target travel path. Performs virtual trajectory addition processing for virtual trajectory. When it is determined that the value of the virtual trajectory index V on the target travel path is not equal to or greater than the predetermined value A, or when the virtual trajectory addition process is performed, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 ends the virtual trajectory promotion process.

  In the non-virtual trajectory suppression process, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 performs a process of temporarily removing the target travel path in the travel environment DB 16 from the virtual trajectory. The virtual track determination unit 15 determines whether or not the length of the target travel path excluded from the virtual track is equal to or less than a predetermined length E. As the length E, for example, a length with a small load on the travel environment DB 16 is selected even if the travel environment information is held as a virtual track. When it is determined that the length of the target travel path excluded from the virtual track is equal to or shorter than the predetermined length E, the virtual track determination unit 15 ends the non-virtual track control process.

  When it is determined that the length of the target travel path excluded from the virtual trajectory is longer than the predetermined length E, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 is an existing one that runs parallel to the target travel path within a predetermined distance D from the target travel path. It is determined whether or not a virtual trajectory exists. When it is determined that there is no existing virtual trajectory that runs parallel to the target travel path within the predetermined distance D, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 adds a predetermined value β1 to the value of the virtual trajectory index V on the target travel path. When the virtual track determination unit 15 determines that there is an existing virtual track that runs parallel to the target travel path within the predetermined distance D, the size of the existing virtual track that runs parallel is small (the number of lanes and the vehicle width are less than the predetermined value). Or a virtual trajectory having a scale without a sidewalk).

  The virtual trajectory determination unit 15 adds a predetermined value β2 to the value of the virtual trajectory index V on the target travel path when it is determined that the scale of the existing virtual trajectory that runs in parallel is small. The virtual trajectory determination unit 15 adds a predetermined value β2 to the value of the virtual trajectory index V, determines that the scale of the existing virtual trajectory running in parallel is not small, and the predetermined value as the value of the virtual trajectory index V In any case where β1 is added, it is determined whether or not the connection relationship between the virtual tracks at both ends of the target travel path is maintained by excluding the target travel path.

  When it is determined that the connection relationship between the virtual tracks at both ends of the target travel path is not maintained by the exclusion of the target travel path, the virtual track determination unit 15 adds a predetermined value β3 to the value of the virtual track index V on the target travel path. . When the virtual track determination unit 15 determines that the connection relationship between the virtual tracks at both ends of the target travel path is maintained by the exclusion of the target travel path, or when the predetermined value β3 is added to the value of the virtual track index V, It is determined whether or not the virtual trajectory index V on the excluded target travel path is less than a predetermined value B.

  When the virtual track determination unit 15 determines that the value of the virtual track index V on the target travel path is less than the predetermined value B, the virtual track determination unit 15 discards the travel environment information of the target travel path from the travel environment DB 16 and determines the target travel path. Performs virtual trajectory exclusion processing for non-virtual trajectory. The virtual trajectory determination unit 15 ends the non-virtual trajectory suppression process when it is determined that the value of the virtual trajectory index V on the target travel path is equal to or greater than the predetermined value B, or when the virtual trajectory exclusion process is performed.

  The travel environment DB 16 has map information including travel route information related to the travel route and position information of various facilities such as public facilities. The travel environment DB 16 stores the travel path as a virtual track by holding the travel environment information of the travel path in association with the map information. When the destination information is input from the vehicle 2 via the communication unit 11, the traveling environment DB 16 outputs information on the virtual trajectory used for the vehicle 2 to reach the destination by automatic driving.

  Next, the determination process of the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view for explaining processing of the virtual trajectory determination unit in FIG. In FIG. 3, R2 to R4 indicate existing virtual tracks, L4 and L5 indicate target travel routes that are existing virtual tracks, and L3 indicates target travel routes that are not existing virtual tracks.

  The virtual trajectory determination unit 15 performs a virtual trajectory promoting process on the target travel path L3 that is not an existing virtual trajectory. In the virtual trajectory determination unit 15, the target travel path L3 is provisionally added as a virtual trajectory, and it is determined that it can be connected to the existing virtual trajectory R3. Subsequently, the target travel path L3 is determined to be connectable to the public facility K, and a predetermined value α1 is added to the virtual trajectory index V3 of the target travel path L3. Further, it is determined that the target travel path L3 can be further connected to another virtual track R4, and a predetermined value α3 is added to the virtual track index V3 of the target travel path L3. When the sum of the virtual trajectory index of the target travel path L3 after addition, that is, the virtual trajectory index V3, the predetermined value α1, and the predetermined value α3 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value A, the travel environment information of the target travel path L3 is It is held in the travel environment DB 16 and is made into a virtual track.

  On the other hand, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 performs non-virtual trajectory suppression processing on the target travel path L4 that is an existing virtual trajectory. In the virtual track determination unit 15, the target travel path L <b> 4 is temporarily excluded from the virtual track, and it is determined that the length is equal to or greater than the predetermined length E. Subsequently, the target travel path L4 is determined to have no existing virtual trajectory that runs parallel within the predetermined distance D, and a predetermined value β1 is added to the virtual trajectory index V4 of the target travel path L4. In addition, it is determined that the connection relationship between the existing virtual tracks on both ends of the target travel route L4 is not maintained by the exclusion of the target travel route L4, and a predetermined value β3 is added to the virtual track index V4 of the target travel route L4. When the sum of the virtual trajectory index of the target travel path L4 after addition, that is, the virtual trajectory index V4, the predetermined value β1, and the predetermined value β3 is equal to or less than the predetermined value B, the travel environment of the target travel path L4 The information is discarded from the travel environment DB 16 and made into a non-virtual track.

  In addition, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 performs non-virtual trajectory suppression processing on the target travel path L5 that is an existing virtual trajectory. In the virtual track determination unit 15, the target travel path L5 is temporarily excluded from the virtual track, and it is determined that the length is equal to or greater than the predetermined length E. Subsequently, the target travel path L5 is determined that there is an existing virtual trajectory R3 that runs in parallel within a predetermined distance D, and the target travel path L5 is determined to have a smaller parallel travel location of the existing virtual trajectory R3. A predetermined value β2 is added to the virtual trajectory index V5. If the sum of the virtual trajectory index of the target travel path L5 after addition, that is, the virtual trajectory index V4 and the predetermined value β2 is equal to or less than the predetermined value B, the travel environment information of the target travel path L5 is obtained from the travel environment DB 16 Discarded and non-virtual orbited.

  Hereinafter, the control flow of the traveling environment DB management device 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the control of the traveling environment DB management apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the virtual trajectory promoting process of FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the non-virtual trajectory suppression processing of FIG.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, the communication unit 11 of the traveling environment DB management device 1 communicates with the vehicle 2 via the infrastructure facility, thereby acquiring traveling environment information accumulated in the probe vehicle or the general vehicle 2 ( S1). Moreover, the communication part 11 is connected to the weather information server via the computer network, and acquires the time change of the weather for every area as weather information. The communication unit 11 transmits the acquired traveling environment information and weather information to the traveling environment information storage unit 12.

  The travel environment information storage unit 12 refers to the map database and stores the travel environment information by classifying the travel environment information for each travel route on which the vehicle travels. Further, the travel environment information storage unit 12 classifies and stores the travel environment information for each travel route on the basis of the weather information transmitted from the communication unit 11.

  In step S <b> 2, the traveling environment information calculation unit 13 calculates the number n of data samples for each traveling path for the traveling environment information stored in the traveling environment information storage unit 12. In addition, the travel environment information calculation unit 13 calculates the average information time reliability rt and the average information space reliability rs of the travel environment information for each travel route.

  The driving environment information calculation unit 13 calculates the number n of data samples calculated for each driving path equal to or greater than a predetermined value N, and the sum of the average information time reliability rt and the average information space reliability rs is a predetermined value M. It is determined whether or not this is the case (S3). When the driving environment information calculation unit 13 determines that the calculated number of data samples n is less than a predetermined value N, or the average information time reliability rt and the average information space reliability rs are less than a predetermined value M, Repeat from step S1 again after the elapse of time.

  The virtual trajectory index calculation unit 14 is configured such that the traveling environment information calculation unit 13 has a data sample number n equal to or greater than a predetermined value N and the sum of the average information time reliability rt and the average information space reliability rs is a predetermined value M When it determines with it being above, the virtual track | orbit index V regarding the travel path is calculated (S4).

The virtual trajectory determination unit 15 refers to the travel environment DB 16 for each of the target travel paths for which the virtual trajectory index V has been calculated, and determines whether or not it is an existing virtual trajectory (S5). When it is determined that the target travel path is not an existing virtual path, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 performs a virtual trajectory promotion process related to the target travel path in step S6. On the other hand, when it is determined that the target travel path is an existing virtual path, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 performs non-virtual trajectory suppression processing related to the target travel path in step S7.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the virtual trajectory promoting process of step S6, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 performs a process of temporarily adding the target travel path as a virtual trajectory on the map of the travel environment DB 16 (S601). Thereafter, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 determines whether or not the target travel path temporarily added as a virtual trajectory is connected to the existing virtual trajectory (S602).

  When the virtual track determination unit 15 determines that the target travel path is not connected to the existing virtual track, the virtual track determination process ends. On the other hand, if the virtual track determination unit 15 determines that the target travel path is connected to the existing virtual track, the virtual track determination unit 15 determines whether the target travel path can be connected to the public facility (S603).

  When it is determined that the target travel path is connectable to a public facility, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 adds a predetermined value α1 to the value of the virtual trajectory index V on the target travel path (S604). When the virtual track determination unit 15 determines that the target travel route is not connectable to a public facility, or when the predetermined value α1 is added to the virtual track index V, the target travel route can be connected to the traffic relay facility. It is determined whether or not (S605).

  When it is determined that the target travel path is connectable to the traffic relay facility, the virtual track determination unit 15 adds a predetermined value α2 to the value of the virtual track index V on the target travel path (S606). When the virtual track determination unit 15 determines that the target travel route is not connectable to the traffic relay facility, or when the predetermined value α2 is added to the virtual track index V, the target travel route is connected to another existing virtual track. It is determined whether or not it is possible (S607).

  When it is determined that the target travel path can be further connected to another existing virtual track, the virtual track determination unit 15 adds a predetermined value α3 to the value of the virtual track index V on the target travel path (S608). When it is determined that the target travel path is not connectable to another existing virtual track, or when the predetermined value α3 is added to the virtual track index V, the virtual track determination unit 15 determines that the target travel path is a specific commercial facility. It is determined whether or not connection is possible (S609).

  When it is determined that the target travel path is connectable to the specific commercial facility, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 adds a predetermined value α4 to the value of the virtual trajectory index V in the target travel path (S610). The virtual trajectory determination unit 15 determines that the value of the virtual trajectory index V on the target travel path is predetermined when the target travel path is not connectable to the specific commercial facility or when the predetermined value α4 is added to the value of the virtual trajectory index V. It is determined whether or not the value is greater than or equal to the value A (S611).

  When the virtual track determination unit 15 determines that the value of the virtual track index V in the target travel path is equal to or greater than the predetermined value A, the virtual track determination unit 15 stores the travel environment information of the target travel path in the travel environment DB 16 and stores the target travel path. A virtual trajectory addition process for forming a virtual trajectory is performed (S612). When it is determined that the value of the virtual trajectory index V on the target travel path is not equal to or greater than the predetermined value A, or when the virtual trajectory addition process is performed, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 ends the virtual trajectory promotion process. Thereafter, the process is repeated from step S1 again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

  In the non-virtual trajectory suppression process of step S7, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 performs a process of temporarily removing the target travel path in the travel environment DB 16 from the virtual trajectory (S701). The virtual trajectory determination unit 15 determines whether or not the length of the target travel path excluded from the virtual trajectory is equal to or less than a predetermined length E (S702). When it is determined that the length of the target travel path excluded from the virtual track is equal to or shorter than the predetermined length E, the virtual track determination unit 15 ends the non-virtual track control process.

  When it is determined that the length of the target travel path excluded from the virtual trajectory is longer than the predetermined length E, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 is an existing one that runs parallel to the target travel path within a predetermined distance D from the target travel path. It is determined whether or not a virtual trajectory exists (S703). When it is determined that there is no existing virtual track that runs parallel to the target travel path within the predetermined distance D, the virtual track determination unit 15 adds a predetermined value β1 to the value of the virtual track index V on the target travel path ( S704). When it is determined that there is an existing virtual track that runs parallel to the target travel path within the predetermined distance D, the virtual track determination unit 15 determines whether the size of the existing virtual track that runs parallel is small (S705).

  If the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 determines that the scale of the existing virtual trajectory running in parallel is small, the virtual trajectory determination unit 15 adds a predetermined value β2 to the value of the virtual trajectory index V in the target travel path (S706). The virtual trajectory determination unit 15 determines whether the existing virtual trajectory that runs parallel to the target travel path within a predetermined distance D does not exist, the size of the existing virtual trajectory that runs parallel is small, and the value of the virtual trajectory index V In any case where the value β2 is added, it is determined whether or not the connection relation between the virtual tracks at both ends of the target travel path is maintained by the exclusion of the target travel path (S707).

  When it is determined that the connection relationship between the virtual tracks at both ends of the target travel path is not maintained by the exclusion of the target travel path, the virtual track determination unit 15 adds a predetermined value β3 to the value of the virtual track index V on the target travel path. (S708). When the virtual track determination unit 15 determines that the connection relationship between the virtual tracks at both ends of the target travel path is maintained by the exclusion of the target travel path, or when the predetermined value β3 is added to the value of the virtual track index V, It is determined whether or not the virtual trajectory index V in the excluded target travel path is less than a predetermined value B (S709).

  When the virtual track determination unit 15 determines that the value of the virtual track index V on the target travel path is less than the predetermined value B, the virtual track determination unit 15 discards the travel environment information of the target travel path from the travel environment DB 16 and determines the target travel path. A virtual trajectory exclusion process for making a non-virtual trajectory is performed (S710). The virtual trajectory determination unit 15 ends the non-virtual trajectory suppression process when it is determined that the value of the virtual trajectory index V on the target travel path is equal to or greater than the predetermined value B, or when the virtual trajectory exclusion process is performed. Thereafter, after a predetermined time has elapsed, the process is repeated again from step S1.

  According to the traveling environment DB management device 1 described above, the virtual track determination unit 15 determines whether or not the traveling environment information acquired by the communication unit 11 is stored in the traveling environment DB 16. As a result, it is possible to prevent a large amount of unnecessary information from being held and the travel environment DB 16 from becoming enlarged. Moreover, by managing the travel environment DB 16 based on the determination result of the virtual track determination unit 15, it is possible to evaluate the stored travel environment information and organize the information that is no longer needed. Therefore, according to the traveling environment DB management device 1, a useful database reflecting the traveling environment can be constructed.

  Further, the virtual track determination unit 15 determines whether or not to hold the travel environment information of the target travel route in the travel environment DB 16 based on the virtual track index V calculated by the virtual track index calculation unit 14. A useful database that reflects the suitability of the virtual trajectory can be constructed.

  Further, in the travel environment DB management device 1, the travel environment information calculation unit 13 calculates the travel frequency information of the vehicle for each travel path as the data sample number n from the travel environment information acquired by the communication unit 11. Then, based on the virtual track index V calculated using the calculated data sample number n, the virtual track determination unit 15 determines whether or not to store the travel environment information of the target travel path in the travel environment DB 16. . As described above, the traveling environment DB management device 1 constructs a useful database reflecting the traveling frequency of the vehicle by determining whether or not the traveling environment information of the target traveling path is retained based on the traveling frequency information. it can.

  Further, in the traveling environment DB management device 1, the traveling environment information acquired by the communication unit 11 is associated with each traveling path in the traveling environment information storage unit 12, and the target is obtained by referring to the map information in the traveling environment DB 16. Acquire connection information between a road and a specific point such as a public facility or a specific commercial facility. Then, based on the virtual track index V added based on the connection information, the virtual track determination unit 15 determines whether to store the travel environment information of the target travel path in the travel environment DB 16. As described above, the travel environment DB management device 1 determines whether or not to retain the travel environment information of the target travel path based on the connection information between the target travel path and a specific point such as a public facility. A useful database can be constructed according to the situation.

  In the travel environment DB management device 1, the travel environment information acquired by the communication unit 11 is associated with each travel path in the travel environment information storage unit 12 and compared with the information on the virtual trajectory in the travel environment DB 16. Then, information on the positional relationship between the target travel path and the virtual trajectory (connection relation with the virtual trajectory and information on the virtual trajectory running in parallel) is acquired. Then, the virtual track determination unit 15 determines whether or not to store the travel environment information of the target travel path in the travel environment DB 16 based on the virtual track index V added based on the positional relationship information. As described above, the travel environment DB management device 1 determines whether or not to retain the travel environment information of the target travel path based on the positional relationship information between the target travel path and the virtual trajectory. It is possible to suppress the traveling environment DB 16 from retaining traveling environment information of an isolated traveling path that is not connected or a traveling path in which a parallel virtual track exists. Therefore, according to the traveling environment DB management device 1, it is possible to construct a useful database that reflects the suitability of the traveling path as a virtual track.

  In the travel environment DB management apparatus 1, the communication unit 11 acquires travel environment information on a travel path from a general vehicle. As a result, the traveling environment DB management device 1 is provided with a dedicated sensor and acquires the traveling environment information not only from the probe vehicle that collects traveling environment information on the traveling road but also from the general vehicle 2, thereby frequently. You can build a useful database in which information is updated.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. For example, the travel environment DB management device 1 is not limited to the one provided on the infrastructure side, and may be one that is mounted on a vehicle. Further, the general vehicle 2 is not limited to one capable of automatic driving, and may be a vehicle having a navigation system, for example. In this case, the virtual trajectory information provided by the travel environment DB 16 is used for driver guidance by the navigation system. Further, in the virtual trajectory promotion process and the non-virtual trajectory suppression process, a mode may be used in which not only addition but subtraction is performed on the virtual trajectory index V of the target travel path.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the traveling environment database management apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic plan view for demonstrating a virtual orbit. It is a schematic plan view for demonstrating the process of the virtual track | orbit determination part of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the driving | running | working environment database management apparatus of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the virtual orbitalization promotion process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the non-virtual orbitalization suppression process of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Driving environment database management apparatus, 2 ... Vehicle, 11 ... Communication part, 12 ... Driving environment information storage part, 13 ... Driving environment information calculating part, 14 ... Virtual track | orbit index calculation part, 15 ... Virtual track determination part.

Claims (5)

A travel environment database management device that manages a travel environment database that stores travel environment information corresponding to a travel route,
Determination means for determining whether or not to hold the travel environment information of the travel path in the travel environment database;
Management means for managing the travel environment database based on the determination result of the determination means;
Index calculating means for calculating a virtual trajectory index representing the suitability of the travel path as a virtual trajectory used for at least one of automatic driving of the vehicle and route guidance based on the travel environment information of the travel path;
Equipped with a,
The determination means determines whether the travel path is an existing virtual trajectory in which the travel environment information is already held in the travel environment database;
When it is determined that the travel route is not the existing virtual track, it is determined whether or not the travel environment information of the travel route is retained in the travel environment database based on the virtual track index calculated by the index calculation unit. And
When it is determined that the travel route is the existing virtual track, it is determined whether or not the travel environment information related to the travel route is excluded from the travel environment database based on the virtual track index calculated by the index calculation unit. , traveling environment database management system, characterized in that. A travel frequency information acquiring means for acquiring travel frequency information of the vehicle on the travel path;
The determining means, the claims based on the acquired traffic volume information of the running frequency information acquisition means, and judging whether or not to retain the travel environment information of the traveling path to the traveling environment database traveling environment database management apparatus according to 1. It further comprises connection information acquisition means for acquiring connection information related to the connection between the travel path and the specific point,
Said determination means, based on the acquired connection information of the connection information acquiring unit, according to claim 1, wherein the determining whether to hold the traveling environment information of the traveling path to the traveling environment database or The traveling environment database management device according to claim 2 . Further comprising positional relationship information acquisition means for acquiring positional relationship information between the travel path and the virtual track,
The determination means, based on the positional relationship information acquired by the positional relationship information acquisition means, determines whether or not to store the traveling environment information of the traveling path as the traveling environment database. The travel environment database management device according to any one of 1 to 3 . The travel environment database management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , further comprising travel environment information acquisition means for acquiring the travel environment information of the travel path from a general vehicle.

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