JP7305414B2 - Map data update system, traveling probe information collecting device, traveling probe information providing device, and traveling probe information collecting method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a map data update system, a traveling probe information collecting device, a traveling probe information providing device, and a traveling probe information collecting method, and is particularly used in a system that collects probe information from a traveling vehicle and updates map data. It is suitable for

In general, navigation devices use map data to perform route search and travel guidance. In addition, map data is also used when a vehicle equipped with an automatic driving function performs automatic driving. This map data is generated by reflecting actual roads. Therefore, it is necessary to keep the map data up-to-date by updating it whenever various changes occur in the actual roads, such as the opening of new roads and the occurrence of road closures.

Conventionally, there is known a technique for automatically updating map data based on travel probe information obtained when a vehicle actually travels a section in which no road exists in the map data. For example, information such as travel locus detected by an on-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle is uploaded as travel probe information to a server device via a communication network, and based on the travel probe information collected from a plurality of vehicles, the server device generates updated map data containing new roads. Then, by downloading the generated update map data from the server device to the vehicle-mounted device, the map data stored in the vehicle-mounted device is updated.

In particular, high-definition map data is necessary for autonomous driving, as it is necessary to know where the vehicle is and what shapes of objects are in its surroundings with an accuracy of centimeters. becomes. High-definition map data includes not only normal road data that navigation devices have for route search and driving guidance, but also road width, road center, lane markings, shoulder lines, connections between roads, Map data that includes various information such as pedestrian crossings, stop lines, traffic signs, traffic lights, signboards, etc., and that has a small positional error and high accuracy between the information and the actual object.

Generally, in order to generate such high-definition map data, a vehicle is equipped with not only a GPS receiver and an autonomous navigation sensor, but also a millimeter-wave radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a laser radar (also called LiDER), an optical camera, and so on. and other various sensors, and the information obtained from these various sensors is uploaded from the in-vehicle device to the server device as traveling probe information. The server device generates high-definition map data for update based on the traveling probe information including these various types of information, and downloads it to the vehicle-mounted device.

When the vehicle travels on roads that are not included in the map data provided by the navigation device, the vehicle transmits travel trajectory information as probe data to the map distribution center, and the map distribution center collects this probe data and generates new road information. In addition, there is known a map information distribution system in which priority is set based on the number of vehicles traveling on a new road, and new road information is notified in accordance with the set priority (see, for example, Patent Document 1: reference).

JP 2008-164824 A

As described above, in order to update the map data and keep it up-to-date, it is necessary to upload traveling probe information from the vehicle-mounted device to the server device as needed. However, if the probe information for all runs from all vehicles is uploaded to the server device at any time, the amount of communication increases, which raises the problem of an increase in operating costs. In particular, traveling probe information used to generate high-definition map data for automatic driving has an extremely large amount of data, and the amount of communication also increases.

Conventionally, in order to deal with such problems, information on roads and surroundings indicated by map data of in-vehicle equipment, including new roads and existing roads, and information on actual roads and surroundings detected by various sensors , and uploads only traveling probe information of a road section having a difference (hereinafter referred to as a differential road section) to the server device.

However, even if the target vehicle for uploading the traveling probe information is limited to the vehicle that is traveling in the difference road section, map data for updating is generated from the traveling probe information collected on the server device side and distributed to the in-vehicle device. Until then, traveling probe information continues to be uploaded to the server device from on-vehicle devices of a plurality of vehicles traveling in the differential road section, and the amount of communication increases during that time. Therefore, it is desirable to further reduce the amount of communication of traveling probe information.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and is capable of reducing the amount of communication required to collect traveling probe information necessary to generate updated map data. intended to

In order to solve the above-described problems, in the map data update system of the present invention, the on-vehicle device detects at least the travel position of the own vehicle and the surrounding environment, and uses the detected information as travel probe information. Send to Then, the in-vehicle device updates the existing map data stored in the map data storage unit using the update map data sent from the server device. Further, the server device generates update map data based on the traveling probe information received from the vehicle-mounted device, and transmits the generated map data for update to the vehicle-mounted device. At this time, with respect to the update map data generated using the traveling probe information, the server device, at a predetermined stage included in the period from the stage in which the contents are determined to the stage in which the data is transmitted to the in-vehicle device, It has at least information necessary to identify both end points of a transmission useless section, which is a road section where transmission of traveling probe information is unnecessary, and information necessary to identify which direction corresponds to the transmission useless section. Transmits transmission stop instruction information including section information to the vehicle-mounted device. After receiving this transmission stop instruction information, the vehicle-mounted device stops transmitting the traveling probe information in the road section indicated by the transmission stop instruction information. As another aspect of the present invention, the in-vehicle device has a function of detecting a difference between information about the surroundings of the own vehicle indicated by existing map data and information about the surroundings of the own vehicle detected by the detection unit. When the difference is detected, the server device is queried as to whether or not the difference road section, which is the road section where the difference is detected, is an unnecessary section to be transmitted as traveling probe information, and the server device transmits as a response. When the stop information receiving unit receives the transmitted stop instruction information, the transmission of the traveling probe information is stopped.

According to the present invention configured as described above, a predetermined period from the stage where the contents of update map data generated based on the traveling probe information in the server device are determined to the stage where transmission to the vehicle-mounted device is performed. After reaching the stage, transmission of traveling probe information from the vehicle-mounted device to the server device is stopped. For this reason, until the server device generates update map data based on the traveling probe information received from the onboard device and transmits it to the onboard device, even after the content of the update map data has been determined, the onboard device is still available. It is possible to avoid a state in which the traveling probe information is continuously transmitted to the server device from the server device, and to eliminate unnecessary communication related to transmission of unnecessary traveling probe information. As a result, it is possible to reduce the amount of communication required to collect traveling probe information necessary to generate update map data.

It is a figure showing an example of whole composition of a map data update system by this embodiment. It is a block diagram showing an example of functional composition of an in-vehicle device by this embodiment, and a server device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a procedure for generating update map data by an update map data generating unit of the embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a setting example of transmission useless sections for existing map data; It is a flow chart which shows an example of operation which transmits traveling probe information to a server device from in-vehicle equipment, and accumulates it. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation example of generating update map data based on traveling probe information and updating the map data; FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of functional configurations of an in-vehicle device and a server device according to another embodiment; It is a flow chart which shows an example of operation which transmits traveling probe information to a server device from in-vehicle equipment, and accumulates it. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation example of generating update map data based on traveling probe information and updating the map data;

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a map data update system according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the map data update system of this embodiment includes a plurality of vehicle-mounted devices 100 mounted on a plurality of vehicles, and a server device 200 . The vehicle-mounted device 100 and the server device 200 are connected via a communication network 300 such as the Internet or a mobile phone network. The vehicle-mounted device 100 corresponds to the traveling probe information providing device in the claims, and the server device 200 corresponds to the traveling probe information collecting device in the claims.

In the map data update system of this embodiment, traveling probe information is transmitted from the in-vehicle device 100 of the vehicle in motion to the server device 200, and the server device 200 generates update map data based on this traveling probe information. By transmitting to the vehicle-mounted device 100, the map data stored in the vehicle-mounted device 100 is updated. As a result, when some changes occur in the actual roads or their surrounding environment, such as the opening of new roads, widening of lanes, occurrence of road closures, new installation or changes of traffic lights and signboards, the map data will be updated to reflect those changes. updated to keep you up-to-date.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of the vehicle-mounted device 100 and the server device 200 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle-mounted device 100 of this embodiment includes a map data storage unit 10 as a storage medium. Further, the vehicle-mounted device 100 of the present embodiment includes, as a functional configuration, a detection unit 11, a difference detection unit 12, a traveling probe information transmission unit 13, a map data reception unit 14, a map data update unit 15, a stop information reception unit 16, and a transmission A useless interval setting unit 17 is provided.

Each of the functional blocks 11 to 17 can be configured by hardware, DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or software. For example, when configured by software, each of the functional blocks 11 to 17 is actually configured with a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc. of a computer, and a program stored in a recording medium such as RAM, ROM, hard disk, or semiconductor memory. is realized by the operation of

As shown in FIG. 2, the server device 200 of this embodiment includes a traveling probe information storage unit 20 as a storage medium. Further, the server device 200 of the present embodiment includes a traveling probe information receiving section 21, an update map data generating section 22, a map data transmitting section 23, and a stop information transmitting section 24 as functional configurations.

Each of the functional blocks 21 to 24 can be configured by hardware, DSP, or software. For example, when configured by software, each of the functional blocks 21 to 24 is actually configured with a computer CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and a program stored in a recording medium such as RAM, ROM, hard disk, or semiconductor memory. is realized by the operation of

The map data storage unit 10 of the in-vehicle device 100 stores map data. In this embodiment, the map data stored in the map data storage unit 10 is high-definition map data necessary for automatic driving of the vehicle. In addition to road link information and node information used to set the driving trajectory to the destination, high-definition map data is necessary for autonomous driving control based on the relationship with the surrounding environment and self-position. It includes various surrounding environment information such as road width, road center, lane markings, shoulder lines, pedestrian crossings, stop lines, traffic signs, traffic lights, signboards, etc. Information on the surrounding environment includes information indicating what kind of surrounding object is at what position.

The detection unit 11 detects the traveling position of the own vehicle and the surrounding environment. That is, the detection unit 11 detects the running position of the own vehicle based on information obtained from a GPS receiver and an autonomous navigation sensor mounted on the vehicle. The information about the running position is, for example, absolute position information using latitude and longitude, and relative position information representing displacement from before a predetermined sampling period.

In addition, the detection unit 11 detects various objects ( roads, lane markings, road shoulders, pedestrian crossings, stop lines, traffic signs, traffic lights, signboards, etc.) are detected as the surrounding environment of the vehicle. The detection unit 11 detects what kind of peripheral objects are at what position when viewed from the position of the vehicle. The peripheral objects detected by the detection unit 11 are those included in the map data stored in the map data storage unit 10 as information on the surrounding environment.

The detection unit 11 repeatedly executes this detection process at predetermined time intervals. As a result, the detection unit 11 constantly detects the running position of the own vehicle and the surrounding environment while the vehicle is running (including when the vehicle is stopped due to waiting for traffic lights, etc.).

The difference detection unit 12 detects information about the surrounding environment of the own vehicle indicated by the existing map data stored in the map data storage unit 10 (corresponding to "information about the surroundings of the own vehicle" in the scope of claims) and the detection A difference from information on the surrounding environment of the own vehicle (corresponding to "information around the own vehicle" in the scope of claims) detected by the unit 11 is detected. That is, the difference detection unit 12 reads the map data related to the surroundings of the vehicle position detected by the detection unit 11 from the map data storage unit 10, and the information of the surrounding environment included in the read map data and the detection unit The information of the surrounding environment detected by 11 is compared to detect a difference. Differences include the addition of new surrounding objects not found in existing map data, changes in the position and size of surrounding objects existing in existing map data, and disappearance of surrounding objects existing in existing map data. . Similar to the detection unit 11, the difference detection unit 12 repeatedly executes the difference detection process at predetermined time intervals.

The traveling probe information transmitting unit 13 transmits information (information about the traveling position of the own vehicle and the surrounding environment) detected by the detecting unit 11 for the road section corresponding to the traveling position detected by the detecting unit 11 as traveling probe information to the server. It is determined whether or not it is an unnecessary section to transmit to the device 200 (hereinafter referred to as a transmission useless section), and if it is not a transmission useless section, the traveling probe information is transmitted to the server device 200. Stop sending information. This traveling probe information includes identification information that can uniquely identify the vehicle from which the traveling probe information is detected. The details of the method for determining whether or not there is a transmission useless section will be described later.

In the present embodiment, when a difference is detected by the difference detection unit 12, the traveling probe information transmission unit 13 sends the traveling probe information of the road section where the difference is detected (hereinafter referred to as the difference road section) to the server device 200. Send to The road section in which the difference is detected is, for example, the section in which the vehicle traveled while the difference was being detected by the processes of the detection unit 11 and the difference detection unit 12 that are repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals. Alternatively, it may be a section specified by a road link including a section in which the vehicle traveled while the difference was being detected. In the present embodiment, since traveling probe information is not transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 100 to the server device 200 for road sections in which no difference has occurred, the amount of communication can be reduced.

The traveling probe information receiving unit 21 of the server device 200 receives the traveling probe information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 100 . The traveling probe information receiving unit 21 receives traveling probe information sent from the plurality of vehicle-mounted devices 100 at any time, and causes the traveling probe information storage unit 20 to store the information at any time. As a result, the traveling probe information storage unit 20 accumulates a plurality of pieces of traveling probe information for one or more differential road sections.

The update map data generation unit 22 generates update map data based on the traveling probe information received by the traveling probe information receiving unit 21 (the traveling probe information accumulated in the traveling probe information storage unit 20). That is, when the updating map data generation unit 22 detects that the amount of traveling probe information accumulated in the traveling probe information storage unit 20 has reached a sufficient amount, the updating map data generating unit 22 uses the accumulated traveling probe information to update the map. Generate data. A sufficient amount is the amount assumed to be the minimum necessary for generating high-definition map data, and for example, it is possible to set a predetermined number of traveling probe information for one differential road section. The update map data is map data of a predetermined range including the difference road section. The predetermined range can be determined arbitrarily. For example, when the map data is composed of rectangular block units of a predetermined size, it is conceivable that the range specified by one or more blocks including the differential road section is set as the predetermined range.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a procedure for generating update map data by the update map data generation unit 22. As shown in FIG. When the update map data generation unit 22 detects that the amount of traveling probe information accumulated in the traveling probe information storage unit 20 has reached a sufficient amount, it uses the accumulated traveling probe information to generate a map including the differential road section. Map data is generated (step S31). Then, the update map data generator 22 determines whether the generated map data is acceptable (step S32). This pass/fail determination is, for example, a determination as to whether or not the generated map data satisfies a predetermined accuracy requirement. Note that the contents of this pass/fail judgment (requirements necessary for pass judgment) can be arbitrarily determined.

Here, when it is determined that the generated map data does not satisfy the predetermined accuracy requirements, the update map data generating unit 22 further adds the traveling probe information accumulated in the traveling probe information storage unit 20. to regenerate the map data. Then, when it is determined that the generated map data satisfies the predetermined accuracy requirements, the update map data generation unit 22 converts the map data into a predetermined format that can be used by the vehicle-mounted device 100 (step S33). After performing a database logic verification as to whether or not it can be appropriately combined with the existing map data (step S34), map data for differential distribution is generated (step S35). The map data for differential distribution generated in this way is the map data for update.

The map data transmission unit 23 transmits the update map data generated by the update map data generation unit 22 to the plurality of vehicle-mounted devices 100 . The map data receiving unit 14 of the in-vehicle device 100 receives the update map data transmitted from the server device 200 . The map data update unit 15 uses the update map data received by the map data reception unit 14 to update the existing map data stored in the map data storage unit 10 .

The stop information transmission unit 24 of the server device 200 performs predetermined steps between the step of confirming the contents of update map data generated using the traveling probe information and the step of transmitting it to the vehicle-mounted device 100. , transmission stop instruction information for instructing to stop transmission of traveling probe information for the difference road section included in the update map data is transmitted to the plurality of vehicle-mounted devices 100 . For example, the stop information transmission unit 24 transmits the transmission stop instruction information to the vehicle-mounted device 100 when the contents of the update map data generated by the update map data generation unit 22 are determined. That is, at step S32 in FIG. 3, the stop information transmission unit 24 transmits the Stop instruction information is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 100 .

As described with reference to FIG. 3, the update map data generation unit 22 re-generates the map data while the pass/fail determination in step S32 indicates that the map data does not meet the predetermined accuracy requirements. , the contents of the update map data are not fixed. In this case, the server device 200 needs to collect additional traveling probe information from the vehicle-mounted device 100 in order to improve the accuracy of the generated map data.

On the other hand, if the pass/fail determination in step S32 determines that the map data satisfies the predetermined accuracy requirements, the update map data generation unit 22 executes the processes from step S33 onward to generate update map data. . In this case, since the update map data generator 22 does not regenerate the map data using the traveling probe information, it is not necessary to collect additional traveling probe information from the vehicle-mounted device 100 . Therefore, the stop information transmitting unit 24 transmits the transmission stop instruction information to the vehicle-mounted device 100 when it is determined in step S32 that the map data satisfies the predetermined accuracy requirement.

The transmission stop instruction information includes section information indicating the position of the transmission useless section. The transmission useless section indicated by the transmission stop instruction information is a differential road section included in the updated map data whose content has been determined.

The stop information receiving unit 16 of the in-vehicle device 100 receives the transmission stop instruction information transmitted from the server device 200 . When the stop information receiving unit 16 receives the transmission stop instruction information, the traveling probe information transmission unit 13 thereafter stops transmitting traveling probe information in the transmission useless section indicated by the transmission stop instruction information. The transmission useless section is set on the map data stored in the map data storage section 10 by the transmission useless section setting section 17 .

When the stop information receiving unit 16 receives the transmission stop instruction information from the server device 200, the transmission useless section setting unit 17 stores the information stored in the map data storage unit 10 based on the section information indicating the position of the transmission useless section. Set information indicating transmission useless sections for the existing map data.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a setting example of transmission useless sections for existing map data. In FIG. 4, RT1 and RT2 are existing roads, and road data and data of surrounding objects (information of the surrounding environment) are already stored in the map data storage unit 10. FIG. RT3 is a new road, and its road data and peripheral data are not yet stored in the map data storage unit 10 . The section of the new road RT3 is the difference road section, and is the transmission useless section indicated by the section information included in the transmission stop instruction information.

As shown in FIG. 4, the transmission useless section setting unit 17 sets flag information indicating that the end points P1 and P2 of the difference road section of the new road RT3 are the end points of the transmission useless section. The positions of the end points P1 and P2 for which the flag information is set can be specified by, for example, latitude/longitude information on the road link of the existing roads RT1 and RT2 and distance information from the starting point of the road link. When the difference road section detected when there is a change in the road or other surroundings of the existing road is set as a transmission useless section, the end points P1 and P2 of the transmission useless section are set as the node positions. is also possible.

The flag information set at the end points P1 and P2 of the useless transmission section includes azimuth information D1 and D2 indicating which direction corresponds to the useless transmission section in addition to the end points P1 and P2 of the useless transmission section. ing. The section information included in the transmission stop instruction information transmitted by the server device 200 includes information necessary to specify the end points P1 and P2 and the azimuth information D1 and D2 of the transmission useless section. Note that the method of setting the transmission useless interval shown here is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the difference road section detected on the existing road is set as the transmission useless section, the road link of the existing road may be set as the transmission useless section.

The traveling probe information transmitting unit 13 of the vehicle-mounted device 100 stops transmitting the traveling probe information in the transmission useless section indicated by the transmission stop instruction information received by the stop information receiving unit 16 . That is, the traveling probe information transmitting unit 13 determines that the road section corresponding to the traveling position of the own vehicle detected by the detecting unit 11 corresponds to the transmission unnecessary section set in the map data stored in the map data storage unit 10. If it is determined that it is applicable, the transmission of the traveling probe information is stopped.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, after the contents of the map data generated by the update map data generation unit 22 for a certain differential road section are determined in step S32 of FIG. is generated and transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 100, the difference road section is set as a transmission-unnecessary section, and the transmission of traveling probe information from the vehicle-mounted device 100 to the server device 200 is not performed in the transmission-unnecessary section. . Thereby, the amount of communication of traveling probe information can be reduced.

The map data update unit 15 updates the existing map data stored in the map data storage unit 10 with the update map data received by the map data reception unit 14, and updates the map data with the information indicating the transmission unnecessary section. Cancel the setting. As a result, after a road section set as a transmission-unnecessary section becomes a section of an existing road due to the update of the map data, if any change occurs in the road section, the difference detection unit 12 detects the road section as a differential road section. It is detected, and traveling probe information is transmitted from the in-vehicle device 100 to the server device 200 .

5 and 6 are flow charts showing an operation example of the map data update system according to the present embodiment configured as described above. FIG. 5 shows an example of contents of operation for transmitting and accumulating traveling probe information from the vehicle-mounted device 100 to the server device 200 . FIG. 6 shows an example of contents of operations for generating updating map data based on traveling probe information accumulated in the server device 200 and updating the map data of the vehicle-mounted device 100 thereby. The operations shown in FIG. 5 and the operations shown in FIG. 6 are executed in parallel.

In FIG. 5, the detection unit 11 of the vehicle-mounted device 100 uses information obtained from various sensors such as a GPS receiver, an autonomous navigation sensor, a millimeter-wave radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a laser radar, and an optical camera mounted on the vehicle. Based on this, the running position of the own vehicle and the surrounding environment are detected (step S1). Next, the difference detection unit 12 compares the information on the surrounding environment of the vehicle indicated by the existing map data stored in the map data storage unit 10 and the information on the surrounding environment of the vehicle detected by the detection unit 11. A comparison is made (step S2), and it is determined whether or not a difference is detected (step S3).

If no difference is detected, the process returns to step S1 to continue detecting the vehicle position and the surrounding environment. On the other hand, when the difference is detected by the difference detection unit 12, the traveling probe information transmission unit 13 transmits the traveling position of the own vehicle detected by the detection unit 11 in step S1 to the map stored in the map data storage unit 10. It is determined whether or not it corresponds to the transmission useless section set in the data (step S4). Here, if it is determined that the transmission is not required, the process returns to step S1 to continue detecting the vehicle position and the surrounding environment.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle position detected by the detection unit 11 does not correspond to the transmission useless section, the traveling probe information transmission unit 13 transmits information about the traveling position and the surrounding environment detected in step S1 to the traveling probe information. to the server device 200 (step S5). Thereafter, the in-vehicle device 100 determines whether or not the ACC (accessory switch) of the vehicle is turned off (step S6). continue. On the other hand, when the ACC is turned off, the processing of the vehicle-mounted device 100 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 is terminated.

When the traveling probe information is transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 100 in step S5, the traveling probe information receiving section 21 of the server device 200 receives it (step S7). Then, the traveling probe information receiving section 21 stores the received traveling probe information in the traveling probe information storage section 20 (step S8). The server device 200 repeats the processing of steps S7 and S8 each time traveling probe information is transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 100 . As a result, a plurality of pieces of traveling probe information are accumulated in the traveling probe information storage unit 20 .

In FIG. 6, when the traveling probe information accumulated in the traveling probe information storage unit 20 reaches a sufficient amount, the update map data generation unit 22 of the server device 200 follows the procedure shown in FIG. Generation of map data for update including is started (step S11). The process of step S11 corresponds to the process of step S31 shown in FIG. Then, the update map data generator 22 determines whether or not the generated map data satisfies a predetermined accuracy requirement (step S12). The process of step S12 corresponds to the pass/fail determination process of step S32 shown in FIG.

Here, if the generated map data does not satisfy the predetermined accuracy requirements, the process returns to step S11, and the additional traveling probe information stored in the traveling probe information storage unit 20 is further used to obtain the difference road section. Regenerate the map data. On the other hand, when it is determined that the generated map data satisfies the predetermined accuracy requirement, the stop information transmitting unit 24 transmits to the vehicle-mounted device 100 transmission stop instruction information instructing to stop transmission of the traveling probe information for the differential road section. (Step S13).

Further, the update map data generation unit 22 generates update map data by performing the processes of steps S33 to S35 shown in FIG. 3 (step S14). Then, the map data transmission unit 23 transmits the update map data generated by the update map data generation unit 22 to the in-vehicle device 100 (step S15). This completes the processing of the server device 200 for generating and transmitting update map data for one differential road section.

On the other hand, in the in-vehicle device 100, the stop information receiving unit 16 monitors whether or not the transmission stop instruction information has been received from the server device 200 (step S16). is monitored by the map data receiving unit 14 (step S18). When the stop information receiving unit 16 receives the transmission stop instruction information, the transmission useless section setting unit 17 stores in the map data storage unit 10 based on the section information indicating the position of the transmission useless section included in the transmission stop instruction information. Flag information indicating a transmission unnecessary section is set for the existing map data (step S17).

Further, when the map data receiving unit 14 receives update map data, the map data updating unit 15 updates the existing map data stored in the map data storage unit 10 to the map data received by the map data receiving unit 14. It is updated with the update map data (step S19). At this time, the map data updating unit 15 cancels the setting of the information indicating the transmission useless section set in the existing map data. After that, the in-vehicle device 100 determines whether or not the ACC of the vehicle is turned off (step S20), and if it is not turned off, the process returns to step S16. On the other hand, when the ACC is turned off, the processing of the vehicle-mounted device 100 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 is terminated.

As described in detail above, in the present embodiment, the server device 200 determines the difference contained in the update map data when the content of the update map data generated using the traveling probe information is determined. Transmission stop instruction information is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 100 for instructing to stop transmission of the traveling probe information for the road section. After receiving this transmission stop instruction information, the vehicle-mounted device 100 stops transmitting the traveling probe information in the difference road section (transmission unnecessary section set in the map data) indicated by the transmission stop instruction information.

According to this embodiment configured in this way, after the contents of the updating map data generated based on the traveling probe information in the server device 200 are determined, the traveling probe information from the in-vehicle device 100 to the server device 200 is sent to the server device 200. Transmission is stopped. Therefore, until the server device 200 generates update map data based on the traveling probe information received from the on-vehicle device 100 and transmits it to the on-vehicle device 100, the content of the update map data is determined. Also, it is possible to avoid a state in which traveling probe information is continuously transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 100 to the server device 200, and to eliminate useless communication related to transmission of unnecessary traveling probe information. As a result, it is possible to reduce the amount of communication required to collect traveling probe information necessary to generate update map data.

In the above-described embodiment, the stop information transmitting unit 24 operates at the stage when the contents of the updating map data generated by the updating map data generating unit 22 are confirmed (at the stage when the pass/fail judgment in step S32 of FIG. 3 is passed). Although the example of transmitting the transmission stop instruction information to the vehicle-mounted device 100 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the transmission stop instruction information may be transmitted either at the stage of completing the format conversion in step S33 or at the stage of completing the database logic verification in step S34. However, it is preferable to transmit the transmission stop instruction information as early as possible before additional traveling probe information becomes unnecessary. By transmitting the transmission stop instruction information as early as possible, it is possible to avoid the state in which traveling probe information is wastefully transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 100 to the server device 200 as early as possible, and to increase the effect of reducing the amount of communication. Because you can.

In the above-described embodiment, the detection unit 11 detects the position of the vehicle and the surrounding environment (where and what surrounding objects are present when viewed from the position of the vehicle), and the difference detection unit 12 detects the existing map An example has been described in which a difference from information indicated by data is detected, and traveling probe information is transmitted to the server device 200 only for the difference road section, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the difference detection unit 12 is omitted from the on-vehicle device 100, information output from various sensors is transmitted to the server device 200 regardless of whether it is a difference road section, and the server device 200 detects the position of the vehicle and the surrounding environment. Detection and difference road section detection may be performed. However, it is preferable to configure as in the above embodiment in that the amount of communication can be reduced by transmitting the traveling probe information to the server device 200 only for the difference road section.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which high-definition map data for automatic driving is targeted for processing has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, it is also possible to apply the above embodiments to map data for navigation. In this case, the traveling position of the own vehicle may be detected based on information obtained from a GPS receiver or an autonomous navigation sensor mounted on the vehicle, and this traveling position information may be used as traveling probe information. In this case, the difference detection unit 12 uses the road data around the vehicle position as information on the surroundings of the vehicle indicated by the existing map data stored in the map data storage unit 10, while the detection unit 11 A travel locus based on the travel position may be used as information about the detected surroundings of the own vehicle, and the difference between the two may be detected.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the vehicle-mounted device 100 sets the information of the transmission unnecessary section to the map data stored in the map data storage unit 10, and the traveling probe information transmission unit 13 refers to this map data. Although an example of determining whether or not to transmit traveling probe information has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the server device 200 stores master map data, sets information on a transmission-unnecessary section in the master map data, and detects that the vehicle-mounted device 100 is traveling in a differential road section. Then, an inquiry may be made to the server device 200 as to whether or not the difference road section corresponds to the transmission unnecessary section.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the vehicle-mounted device 100' and the server device 200' when making inquiries in this way. In FIG. 7, the parts denoted by the same reference numerals as those shown in FIG. 2 have the same functions, and redundant description will be omitted here.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 7 , the vehicle-mounted device 100 ′ includes a traveling probe information transmitting section 13 ′ and a stop information receiving section 16 ′ instead of the traveling probe information transmitting section 13 and the stop information receiving section 16 . Further, the vehicle-mounted device 100' does not include the non-transmission interval setting unit 17 shown in FIG. The server device 200' includes an update map data generation unit 22' and a stop information transmission unit 24' in place of the update map data generation unit 22 and the stop information transmission unit 24, and a map data storage unit 25 (as described in the claims). (corresponding to the server-side map data storage unit for the range).

The update map data generation unit 22′ of the server device 200′ generates update map data based on the traveling probe information (traveling probe information accumulated in the traveling probe information storage unit 20) received by the traveling probe information receiving unit 21. Generate map data. The update map data generation unit 22 ′ also generates master map data reflecting the generated update map data, and stores the master map data in the map data storage unit 25 .

Further, the update map data generation unit 22' stores the update map data in the map data storage unit 25 at a predetermined stage between the stage where the contents of the update map data are determined and the transmission to the vehicle-mounted device 100'. Information indicating a transmission-unnecessary section is set for the map data that has been transmitted. For example, the update map data generation unit 22', when it is determined that the update map data being generated for a certain road difference road section satisfies a predetermined accuracy requirement, the content of the road difference road section is determined. as a transmission-unnecessary section in the map data.

When a difference is detected by the difference detection unit 12, the traveling probe information transmission unit 13' of the in-vehicle device 100' inquires of the server device 200' whether the detected difference road section is a transmission unnecessary section. . This inquiry includes information indicating the traveling position of the vehicle detected by the detection unit 11 and information indicating the direction of travel. From these pieces of information, it is possible to identify the differential road section on which the vehicle is traveling.

Then, the traveling probe information transmitting unit 13' stops transmitting the traveling probe information when the stop information receiving unit 16' receives the transmission stop instruction information transmitted from the server device 200' as a response to the inquiry. If the stop information receiving unit 16' has not received the stop transmission instruction information as a response to the inquiry, the traveling probe information transmitting unit 13' transmits the traveling probe information to the server device 200'.

In response to an inquiry sent from the traveling probe information transmission unit 13' of the vehicle-mounted device 100', the stop information transmission unit 24' of the server device 200' stores the difference road section indicated by the inquiry in the map data storage unit 25. determines whether or not it corresponds to the transmission useless section set in the map data stored in . On the other hand, when it is determined that the differential road section does not correspond to the transmission unnecessary section, information notifying that effect is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 100'.

8 and 9 are flow charts showing an operation example of the map data update system configured as shown in FIG. FIG. 8 shows an example of the operation of transmitting and accumulating traveling probe information from the vehicle-mounted device 100' to the server device 200'. FIG. 9 shows an example of contents of operations for generating update map data based on traveling probe information accumulated in the server device 200' and updating the map data of the vehicle-mounted device 100'. The operations shown in FIG. 8 and the operations shown in FIG. 9 are executed in parallel. In FIGS. 8 and 9, the same step numbers are assigned to the portions that perform the same processing as in the flow charts shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and overlapping explanations are omitted.

In FIG. 8, when a difference is detected by the difference detection unit 12 in step S3, the traveling probe information transmission unit 13' inquires of the server device 200' whether the detected difference road section is a transmission unnecessary section. (Step S31). In response to an inquiry sent from the vehicle-mounted device 100', the stop information transmission unit 24' of the server device 200' stores the difference road section indicated by the inquiry in the map data stored in the map data storage unit 25. It is checked whether or not it corresponds to the set transmission useless section (step S32), and the check result is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 100' (step S33). Here, when the stop information transmitting unit 24' determines that the differential road section corresponds to the transmission unnecessary section, it transmits transmission stop instruction information to the vehicle-mounted device 100' as a confirmation result. On the other hand, when it is determined that the difference road section does not correspond to the transmission unnecessary section, information notifying that fact is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 100' as a confirmation result.

The in-vehicle device 100' receives the confirmation result for the inquiry from the server device 200' (step S34), and based on the confirmation result, determines the differential road corresponding to the traveling position of the own vehicle detected by the detection unit 11 in step S1. It is determined whether or not the section corresponds to the transmission useless section (step S35). Here, when transmission stop instruction information is transmitted from the server device 200', it is received by the stop information receiving section 16' and supplied to the traveling probe information transmitting section 13'. As a result, the traveling probe information transmitting unit 13' can determine that the differential road section corresponds to the transmission unnecessary section. Subsequent steps S5 to S8 are the same as in FIG.

In FIG. 9, when the update map data generation unit 22′ determines that the generated update map data satisfies the predetermined accuracy requirement (step S12: Yes), the update map data generation unit 22′ generates the update map data. Information for setting the difference road section as a transmission unnecessary section is set in the map data (step S41). Other operations of the server device 200' are the same as those in FIG. On the other hand, the operation of the in-vehicle device 100' is the same as in FIG. 6 except that the processing in steps S16 and S17 shown in FIG. 6 is omitted.

In addition, the above-described embodiments are merely examples of specific implementations of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed in a limited manner. Thus, the invention may be embodied in various forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics.

10 map data storage unit 11 detection unit 12 difference detection unit 13, 13' traveling probe information transmission unit 14 map data reception unit 15 map data update unit 16, 16' stop information reception unit 17 transmission useless section setting unit 20 traveling probe information storage Section 21 Traveling probe information receiving section 22, 22' Update map data generating section 23 Map data transmitting section 24, 24' Stop information transmitting section 25 Map data storage section 100, 100' On-vehicle device (traveling probe information providing device)
200, 200' server device (traveling probe information collecting device)

Claims (9)

A map data update system comprising an in-vehicle device and a server device,
The above-mentioned in-vehicle device
a detection unit that detects at least the traveling position of the traveling position of the own vehicle and the surrounding environment;
a map data receiving unit that receives update map data transmitted from the server device;
a map data update unit for updating existing map data stored in a map data storage unit using the update map data;
Information transmitted from the server device and necessary for identifying both end points of a transmission-unnecessary section, which is a road section for which transmission of traveling probe information is unnecessary, and identifying which direction corresponds to the transmission-unnecessary section. a stop information receiving unit that receives stop transmission instruction information including section information having at least information necessary for
When the stop information receiving unit receives the transmission stop instruction information from the server device, both end points of the transmission useless section of the existing map data stored in the map data storage unit based on the section information , a transmission useless interval setting unit that sets flag information including information indicating that the end points of the transmission useless interval and azimuth information indicating which direction is the transmission useless interval;
Referencing the map data stored in the map data storage unit, and transmitting as the traveling probe information information that the road section corresponding to the traveling position detected by the detection unit is detected by the detection unit . A traveling probe information transmitting unit that determines whether or not is an unnecessary section, transmits the traveling probe information to the server device if it is not an unnecessary section, and stops transmitting the traveling probe information if it is an unnecessary section with
The above server device
a traveling probe information receiving unit that receives the traveling probe information;
an update map data generation unit that generates the update map data based on the traveling probe information received by the traveling probe information reception unit;
a map data transmission unit configured to transmit the update map data generated by the update map data generation unit to the in-vehicle device;
With regard to the update map data generated using the traveling probe information, the process proceeds from the stage where the contents of the update map data are determined to the stage where the update map data is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device. and a stop information transmitting unit that transmits the transmission stop instruction information including the section information to the vehicle-mounted device at a predetermined stage included in a period up to and including . When the stop information receiving unit receives the transmission stop instruction information, the traveling probe information transmission unit stops transmitting the traveling probe information in the transmission useless section indicated by the transmission stop instruction information thereafter. 2. The map data updating system according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The map data update system according to claim 2, wherein the stop information transmitting unit transmits the transmission stop instruction information to the vehicle-mounted device when the contents of the update map data are determined. The stop information transmission unit transmits the transmission stop instruction information to the vehicle-mounted device at a stage where the generated update map data is determined to satisfy a predetermined accuracy requirement and the content is confirmed. 4. The map data update system according to claim 3. The in-vehicle device detects a difference between information about the surroundings of the own vehicle indicated by the existing map data stored in the map data storage unit and information about the surroundings of the own vehicle detected by the detecting unit. further comprising a detection unit,
The traveling probe information transmission unit is configured to, when a difference is detected by the difference detection unit, transmit the traveling probe information of the differential road section, which is the road section where the difference is detected, to the server device,
5. The map data updating unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein when updating the existing map data stored in the map data storage unit, the setting of the information indicating the transmission useless section is cancelled. 1. The map data update system according to 1 . A map data update system comprising an in-vehicle device and a server device,
The above-mentioned in-vehicle device
a detection unit that detects at least the traveling position of the traveling position of the own vehicle and the surrounding environment;
a map data receiving unit that receives update map data transmitted from the server device;
a map data update unit for updating existing map data stored in a map data storage unit using the update map data;
a stop information receiving unit that receives stop transmission instruction information transmitted from the server device;
It is determined whether the road section corresponding to the traveling position detected by the detection unit is a section where it is unnecessary to transmit the information detected by the detection unit as traveling probe information. A traveling probe information transmission unit that transmits traveling probe information to the server device and stops sending the traveling probe information if it is an unnecessary section,
The above server device
a traveling probe information receiving unit that receives the traveling probe information;
an update map data generation unit that generates the update map data based on the traveling probe information received by the traveling probe information reception unit;
a map data transmission unit configured to transmit the update map data generated by the update map data generation unit to the in-vehicle device;
Regarding the update map data generated using the traveling probe information, at a predetermined stage included in the period from the stage where the contents are determined to the stage where the transmission to the vehicle-mounted device is performed, the update map data a stop information transmitting unit that transmits to the vehicle-mounted device the transmission stop instruction information that instructs to stop transmission of the traveling probe information for the road section included in the map data of
The in-vehicle device detects a difference between information about the surroundings of the own vehicle indicated by the existing map data stored in the map data storage unit and information about the surroundings of the own vehicle detected by the detecting unit. further comprising a detection unit,
When a difference is detected by the difference detection unit, the traveling probe information transmission unit of the vehicle-mounted device transmits the information that the difference road section, which is the road section where the difference is detected, is detected by the detection unit. When the stop information receiving unit receives the transmission stop instruction information transmitted from the server device as a response to the server device as to whether or not it is unnecessary to transmit it as the traveling probe information, the running stop sending probe information,
The update map data generating unit of the server device transmits the update map data to the vehicle-mounted device from the stage when the content of the update map data is determined. In a predetermined stage included in the period leading up to the stage , information indicating a transmission unnecessary section, which is a road section for which transmission of the traveling probe information is unnecessary, is added to the map data stored in the server-side map data storage unit. Set,
The stop information transmission unit of the server device refers to map data stored in the server-side map data storage unit in response to an inquiry from the vehicle-mounted device, and determines that the difference road section is the transmission unnecessary section. A map data update system, wherein the transmission stop instruction information is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device when it is determined to be applicable. A traveling probe information collecting device for collecting traveling probe information used for generating update map data from an on-vehicle device,
a traveling probe information receiving unit configured to receive from the on-vehicle device the traveling probe information indicating at least the traveling position among the traveling position of the vehicle and the surrounding environment detected by the on-vehicle device;
an update map data generation unit that generates the update map data based on the traveling probe information received by the traveling probe information reception unit;
a map data transmission unit configured to transmit the update map data generated by the update map data generation unit to the in-vehicle device;
With regard to the update map data generated using the traveling probe information, the process proceeds from the stage where the contents of the update map data are determined to the stage where the update map data is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device. In a predetermined stage included in the period up to , the information necessary to identify the endpoints of the transmission-unnecessary section, which is a road section where the transmission of traveling probe information is unnecessary, and which direction corresponds to the transmission-unnecessary section A traveling probe information collecting device, comprising: a stop information transmitting unit that transmits to the vehicle-mounted device transmission stop instruction information including section information having at least information necessary for specifying the . A traveling probe information providing device for providing a server device with traveling probe information used to generate update map data,
a detection unit that detects at least the traveling position of the traveling position of the own vehicle and the surrounding environment;
a map data receiving unit that receives update map data transmitted from the server device;
a map data update unit for updating existing map data stored in a map data storage unit using the update map data;
Information transmitted from the server device and necessary for identifying both end points of a transmission-unnecessary section, which is a road section for which transmission of traveling probe information is unnecessary, and identifying which direction corresponds to the transmission-unnecessary section. a stop information receiving unit that receives stop transmission instruction information including section information having at least information necessary for
When the stop information receiving unit receives the transmission stop instruction information from the server device, both end points of the transmission useless section of the existing map data stored in the map data storage unit based on the section information , a transmission useless interval setting unit that sets flag information including information indicating that the end points of the transmission useless interval and azimuth information indicating which direction is the transmission useless interval;
Referencing the map data stored in the map data storage unit, and transmitting as the traveling probe information information that the road section corresponding to the traveling position detected by the detection unit is detected by the detection unit . A traveling probe information transmitting unit that determines whether or not is an unnecessary section, transmits the traveling probe information to the server device if it is not an unnecessary section, and stops transmitting the traveling probe information if it is an unnecessary section A traveling probe information providing device comprising: A method for a server device to collect traveling probe information used for generating update map data from an in-vehicle device,
a step in which the traveling probe information receiving unit of the server device receives the traveling probe information indicating at least the traveling position out of the traveling position of the vehicle and the surrounding environment detected by the in-vehicle device from the in-vehicle device;
a step in which the update map data generation unit of the server device generates the update map data based on the traveling probe information received by the traveling probe information reception unit;
a step in which the map data transmission unit of the server device transmits the update map data generated by the update map data generation unit to the in-vehicle device;
With respect to the update map data generated using the traveling probe information, the stop information transmission unit of the server device transmits the update map data on the vehicle from the stage when the content of the update map data is determined. In a predetermined stage included in the period up to the stage where transmission to the machine is performed, information necessary to identify the end points of the transmission useless section, which is a road section where the transmission of traveling probe information is unnecessary, and which and transmitting to the vehicle-mounted device transmission stop instruction information including section information having at least information necessary to identify whether the direction corresponds to the transmission useless section. .

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