阅读说明：本技术 地图选择装置、存储地图选择用计算机程序的存储介质以及地图选择方法 (Map selection device, storage medium storing computer program for map selection, and map selection method ) 是由 五十岚谅 于 2021-05-17 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供一种地图选择装置、存储地图选择用计算机程序的存储介质以及地图选择方法,其在车辆以自动控制进行行驶时,在存在登载着行驶路线所包含的一个区间的多个地图的情况下,对地图进行选择以使得降低驾驶员的负担。地图选择装置具有：取得部(41),其取得车辆(2)的从当前地到目的地的行驶路线(R)；存储部(42),其存储多个地图；以及地图选择部(51),其从存储于存储部(42)的多个地图中以使得包含行驶路线(R)的当前地～目的地的方式选择登载着行驶路线(R)的一个以上的地图,地图选择部(51)在存在登载有行驶路线(R)所包含的一个区间的多个候选地图的情况下,选择适于自动控制的候选地图来作为利用于该区间的行驶的地图。(Provided are a map selection device, a storage medium storing a computer program for map selection, and a map selection method, which select a map so as to reduce the burden on a driver when a plurality of maps each having one section included in a travel route are loaded when a vehicle travels under automatic control. The map selection device includes: an acquisition unit (41) that acquires a travel route (R) of a vehicle (2) from a current location to a destination; a storage unit (42) that stores a plurality of maps; and a map selection unit (51) that selects one or more maps on which the travel route (R) is placed, from among the plurality of maps stored in the storage unit (42), so as to include the current location to the destination of the travel route (R), wherein the map selection unit (51) selects, as a map used for travel in a section, a candidate map suitable for automatic control when a plurality of candidate maps on which one section included in the travel route (R) is placed exist.)

1. A map selection device is characterized by comprising:

an acquisition unit that acquires a travel route of a vehicle from a current location to a destination;

a storage unit that stores a plurality of maps; and

a map selection unit that selects one or more maps on which the travel route is to be posted, from among the plurality of maps stored in the storage unit, so as to include a current location to a destination of the travel route,

when there are a plurality of candidate maps on which one section included in the travel route is registered, the map selection unit selects a candidate map suitable for automatic control as a map used for travel in the section.

2. The map selection device of claim 1,

the map selection unit selects the map used for travel in the section based on an evaluation value for evaluating suitability for automatic control in each of the plurality of candidate maps.

3. The map selection device of claim 2,

the vehicle driving system further includes an evaluation value calculation unit that calculates the evaluation value for each of the candidate maps on which the one section included in the travel route is mounted, based on a control level of automatic control that the vehicle can travel using the candidate map.

4. The map selection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the vehicle travel distance calculation unit is configured to calculate a length of a section of the travel route on which each of the one or more maps is placed, for each of the one or more automatically controlled control levels corresponding to the one or more maps selected by the map selection unit, and to calculate a distance that the vehicle can travel on the travel route at each of the plurality of control levels.

5. A non-transitory storage medium readable by a computer and storing a computer program for map selection, the computer program causing a processor to execute:

the vehicle's travel route from the current location to the destination is input via the acquisition unit,

selecting one or more maps on which the travel route is to be placed from among the plurality of maps stored in the storage unit so as to include a current location to a destination of the travel route,

the storage medium is characterized in that it is,

the computer program for map selection causes a processor to execute: when selecting one or more maps on which the travel route is to be posted, if there are a plurality of candidate maps on which one section included in the travel route is to be posted, a candidate map suitable for automatic control is selected as a map used for travel in the section.

6. A map selection method, a map selection apparatus performs:

the vehicle's travel route from the current location to the destination is input via the acquisition unit,

selecting one or more maps on which the travel route is to be placed from among the plurality of maps stored in the storage unit so as to include a current location to a destination of the travel route,

the map selection method is characterized in that the map selection device executes:

when selecting one or more maps on which the travel route is to be posted, if there are a plurality of candidate maps on which one section included in the travel route is to be posted, a candidate map suitable for automatic control is selected as a map used for travel in the section.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a map selection device, a storage medium storing a computer program for map selection, and a map selection method.

Background

A high-precision road map referred to by an automatic driving control system of a vehicle for automatically controlling the vehicle includes information on a road for estimating a current location of the vehicle. The map includes position information of road features such as a lane line, a sign, or a structure of a road and a lane surrounding the road.

The control level of the automatic control that can be executed by the vehicle is determined based on information included in the map together with the hardware of the vehicle. Even the same vehicle may have different control levels of automatic control that can be executed depending on the map used for traveling. The higher the control level of the automatic control of the vehicle is, the more the vehicle is automatically controlled, and the less the driver is controlled, so that the burden on the driver is reduced.

The control level of automatic control of a vehicle is classified into, for example, 1 to 5. In level 1, the operation of a single function in the vehicle is controlled, and for example, only one of the operation in the left-right direction or the operation in the front-rear direction of the vehicle is controlled. In level 2, the operation of the vehicle in which a plurality of functions are combined is controlled, and for example, the operation of the vehicle in the left-right direction and the operation of the vehicle in the front-rear direction are simultaneously controlled. In level 3, under specific conditions, control of automatic driving of the vehicle is performed under the supervision of the driver. In level 4, control of full automatic driving of the vehicle is performed under specific conditions. In level 5, control of full automatic driving in the vehicle is unconditionally performed. The control of the levels 1 and 2 is also generally referred to as manual driving control because the driver is the subject to operate the vehicle. The control of the levels 3 to 5 is generally called automatic driving control because an automatic driving control system of a vehicle is a main body to operate the vehicle.

For example, the electronic device proposed in patent document 1 uses only one map as a travel route to a destination, and presents a travel route for which the user load time is minimized, using the predicted travel time information and the user load factor corresponding to the level of automatic driving control.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2017-32421

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

In the future, it is expected that various maps used for automatic control of a vehicle will be provided by a map provider. Since the control level of the vehicle is affected by the accuracy of the position of the road feature in the map, the type and number of the road features registered in the map, and the like, the control level of the automatic control is set according to the type of the map used. As a result, when a plurality of maps corresponding to different control levels are provided for the same road section, it is considered that the load on the driver differs depending on the selected map when the vehicle travels under automatic control.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a map selection device that selects a map so as to reduce the burden on a driver when a plurality of maps in one section included in a travel route are loaded when a vehicle travels under automatic control.

Means for solving the problems

According to one embodiment, a map selection apparatus is provided. The map selection device includes: comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires a travel route of a vehicle from a current location to a destination; a storage unit that stores a plurality of maps; and a map selection unit that selects one or more maps on which the travel route is to be placed, from among the plurality of maps stored in the storage unit, so as to include a current location to a destination of the travel route, wherein the map selection unit selects, as a map used for travel in a section, a candidate map suitable for automatic control when there are a plurality of candidate maps on which one section included in the travel route is to be placed.

In the map selection device, the map selection unit preferably selects a map used for travel in the section based on the evaluation values of the candidate maps for evaluating the suitability for automatic control.

In the map selection device, it is preferable that the map selection device further includes an evaluation value calculation unit that calculates, for each of a plurality of candidate maps on which one section included in the travel route is registered, an evaluation value based on a control level of automatic control that enables the vehicle to travel using the candidate map.

In addition, the map selection device preferably includes a travel distance calculation unit that obtains a length of a section of the travel route on which the map is placed in each of the maps of the one or more maps, in accordance with a control level of the automatic control corresponding to the one or more maps selected by the map selection unit, and calculates a distance that the vehicle can travel at each of the plurality of control levels when traveling on the travel route.

According to another embodiment, a non-transitory storage medium is provided that is readable by a computer and stores a computer program for map selection. The computer program for map selection causes a processor to execute: the map selection computer program causes a processor to execute the steps of inputting a travel route from a current location to a destination of a vehicle via an acquisition unit, and selecting one or more maps on which the travel route is to be placed from among a plurality of maps stored in a storage unit so as to include the current location to the destination of the travel route: when selecting one or more maps on which a travel route is to be placed, if there are a plurality of candidate maps on which a single section included in the travel route is to be placed, a candidate map suitable for automatic control is selected as a map used for travel in the section.

In addition, according to other embodiments, a map selection method is provided. The map selection means performs: the map selection device is configured to input a travel route from a current location to a destination of a vehicle via an acquisition unit, and to select one or more maps on which the travel route is to be posted from among a plurality of maps stored in a storage unit so as to include the current location to the destination of the travel route, and is configured to execute: when selecting one or more maps on which a travel route is to be placed, if there are a plurality of candidate maps on which a single section included in the travel route is to be placed, a candidate map suitable for automatic control is selected as a map used for travel in the section.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

The map selection device according to the present invention can achieve an effect of reducing the burden on the driver because it selects a map so as to reduce the burden on the driver when a plurality of maps in one section included in the travel route are mounted when the vehicle travels under automatic control.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a map selection system in which a map selection device is installed.

Fig. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle.

Fig. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the server.

Fig. 4 is a sequence diagram of the map selection process.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an image displayed on a display unit of the user interface.

Fig. 6 is an operation flowchart of the map selecting unit of the processor of the server.

Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the map selecting unit.

Fig. 8 is an operation flowchart of the travel distance calculating unit of the processor of the server.

Description of the reference symbols

1 map selection system

2 vehicle

11 radio communication terminal

12 receiver for position finding information

13 navigation device

14 user interface

15 map storage device

16 vehicle control device

17 travel route selection device

18 in-vehicle network

19 windscreen

21 communication interface

22 memory

23 processor

24 signal line

31 travel route generation unit

32 travel distance notification unit

33 map storage unit

3 server

41 communication interface

42 storage device

421 map data

43 memory

44 processor

45 communication line

51 map selection part

52 evaluation value calculation unit

53 running distance calculating unit

4 network

5 base station

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a map selection system in which a map selection device is installed. The map selection system 1 disclosed in the present specification will be described in brief below with reference to fig. 1.

The map selection system 1 in the present embodiment is configured to include at least a vehicle 2 and a server 3. The vehicle 2 includes at least a User Interface (UI)14, a map storage device 15, a vehicle control device 16, and a travel route selection device 17. The server 3 includes at least the storage device 42 and the map selecting section 51. The vehicle and the server 3 are connected to each other by accessing a base station 5 connected via a communication network 4, a gateway (not shown), and the like. In fig. 1, only one vehicle 2 and one base station 5 are illustrated, but the map selection system 1 may have a plurality of vehicles 2, or a plurality of base stations 5 may be connected to the communication network 4.

The travel route selection device 17 transmits the travel route R of the vehicle 2 from the current location S to the destination G to the server 3. Fig. 1 shows an example of an image 142 including a navigation map indicating the travel route R.

When the travel route R is acquired, the map selection unit 51 selects one or more maps on which the travel route R is mounted, from among the plurality of maps stored in the storage device 42, so as to include the current location S to the destination G of the travel route R. Fig. 1 shows an example of 3 candidate maps M1 to M3 selected so as to include the current position S to the destination G of the travel route R.

When there are a plurality of candidate maps in which one section included in the travel route R is loaded, the map selection unit 51 selects a candidate map suitable for automatic control as a map used for travel in the section. When the evaluation value for evaluating the suitability for automatic control is map M3 (high) → map M2 → map M1 (low), map M2 is selected by the map selecting unit 51 in section D1, map M3 is selected by the map selecting unit 51 in sections D2 and D3, and map M1 is selected by the map selecting unit 51 in section D4. The map selection unit 51 transmits the relationship between the travel route R and the section and information on the map selected for each section to the vehicle 2.

The travel route selection device 17 of the vehicle 2 receives the relationship between the travel route R and the sections D1 to D4 and the information on the maps M1 to M3 selected for each section from the server 3, and stores the information in the map storage device 15. The travel route selection device 17 displays an image 142 including a navigation map indicating the travel route R using the UI 14. The vehicle control device 16 of the vehicle 2 performs control such that the vehicle 2 travels at a control level of automatic control that enables travel in each section, based on the relationship between the travel route R stored in the map storage device 15 and the sections D1 to D4 and the information on the maps M1 to M3 selected for each section. Thus, the vehicle 2 can travel at the control level of the automatic control corresponding to the map in each section of the travel route R using the map having the highest evaluation value relating to the automatic control, and therefore the map selection system 1 can further reduce the burden on the driver when the vehicle 2 travels under the automatic control.

The configuration of the vehicle 2 and the server 3 in the map selection system 1, and the detailed processing flow in the vehicle 2 and the server 3 will be described later. Note that, although the map selection system 1 may include a plurality of vehicles 2, the map selection process may be performed by the same vehicle 2 having the same configuration, and therefore, one vehicle 2 will be described below.

Fig. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the vehicle 2. The vehicle 2 includes a wireless communication terminal 11, a positioning information receiver 12, a navigation device 13, a UI14, a map storage device 15, a vehicle control device 16, a travel route selection device 17, a windshield 19, and the like. Further, the vehicle 2 may have a camera (not shown) that acquires an image showing the environment around the vehicle 2 in order to estimate the position of the vehicle 2 and detect other objects around the vehicle 2. The vehicle 2 may also include a distance measuring sensor (not shown) such as a LiDAR sensor for measuring a distance to an object around the vehicle 2.

The wireless communication terminal 11, the positioning information receiver 12, the navigation device 13, the UI14, the map storage device 15, the vehicle control device 16, and the travel route selection device 17 are communicably connected via an in-vehicle network 18 conforming to a standard such as a controller area network.

The wireless communication terminal 11 is an example of a communication unit, and is a device that executes wireless communication processing conforming to a predetermined wireless communication standard, and is connected to the server 3 via the base station 5 and the communication network 4, for example, by accessing the base station 5.

The positioning information receiver 12 outputs positioning information indicating the current location of the vehicle 2. For example, the positioning information receiver 12 can be a GPS receiver. The positioning information receiver 12 outputs the positioning information and the positioning information acquisition time at which the positioning information was acquired to the navigation device 13 and the vehicle control device 16 every time the positioning information is acquired at a predetermined reception cycle.

The navigation device 13 is controlled by the travel route selection device 17 to generate a travel route R from the current location to the destination of the vehicle 2 based on the navigation map data, the destination of the vehicle 2, and the current location of the vehicle 2. The navigation device 13 generates a travel route R from the current location to the destination based on a criterion such as distance priority, time priority, cost priority, general road priority, or highway priority, using an algorithm such as the Dijkstra method. The navigation device 13 uses the positioning information output from the positioning information receiver 12 as the current location of the vehicle 2. Each time the navigation device 13 generates the travel route R, the navigation device 13 outputs the travel route R to the travel route selection device 17 via the in-vehicle network 18.

The UI14 is controlled by the travel route selection device 17 to notify the driver of the travel information of the vehicle 2 and to generate an operation signal according to an operation from the driver. The travel information of the vehicle 2 includes information on the current location of the vehicle 2, the travel route R, and the like. The UI14 has a display section 141 that displays an image. As the UI14, for example, a touch panel-equipped display device in which a touch panel is mounted on a liquid crystal display device can be used.

Every time the travel route R is set, the map storage device 15 stores the relationship between the travel route R and the section received from the server 3, and information on the map selected for each section.

The vehicle control device 16 tracks another object based on information on the other object detected by an object detection device, not shown, and estimates a future trajectory. The vehicle control device 16 generates a driving plan of the vehicle 2 so that a predetermined distance is maintained between the vehicle 2 and another object, based on the travel route R of the vehicle 2, the relationship between the travel route R and the section stored in the map storage device 15, and information on the map selected for each section, the future trajectory of another object estimated by the vehicle control device 16, the current location of the vehicle 2, and the like. Then, the vehicle control device 16 generates a control signal based on the driving plan. The vehicle control device 16 transmits the control signal to an actuator (not shown) that controls the steered wheels of the vehicle 2, a drive device (not shown) such as an engine of the vehicle 2, or a brake (not shown) via the in-vehicle network 18. All or a part of the functions of the vehicle control device 16 are, for example, functional modules realized by a computer program operating on a processor. Alternatively, all or a part of the functions of the vehicle control device 16 may be dedicated arithmetic circuits.

The travel route selection device 17 executes a travel route generation process of transmitting the travel route R generated using the navigation device 13 to the server 3. Further, the travel route selection device 17 executes travel distance notification processing as follows: the travel distance at each control level of the automatic control when the vehicle 2 travels along the travel route R is received from the server 3, and the received information is notified to the driver via the UI 14. Further, the travel route selection device 17 executes the following map storage processing: information indicating the travel route R selected by the driver is transmitted to the server 3, the relationship between the selected travel route R and the section and information on the map selected for each section are received from the server 3, and the received information is stored in the map storage device 15. Therefore, the travel route selection device 17 includes a communication I/F21, a memory 22, and a processor 23. The communication I/F21, the memory 22, and the processor 23 are connected via a signal line 24.

The communication interface (I/F)21 is an example of an in-vehicle communication unit, and has an interface circuit for connecting the travel route selection device 17 to the in-vehicle network 18. That is, the communication I/F21 is connected to the wireless communication terminal 11, the positioning information receiver 12, the navigation device 13, the UI14, the map storage device 15, the vehicle control device 16, and the like via the in-vehicle network 18. The communication I/F21 transmits information indicating the travel route R or the travel route R selected by the driver to the wireless communication terminal 11 each time the information is given from the processor 23. Further, the communication I/F21 outputs the received information to the processor 23 every time the travel distance of each control level of the automatic control in the case where the vehicle 2 travels along the travel route R or the map used for traveling on the selected travel route R is received from the wireless communication terminal 11.

The memory 22 is an example of a storage unit, and includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and a nonvolatile semiconductor memory. The memory 22 stores a computer program and various data of an application used in information processing executed by the processor 23 of the travel route selection device 17, a vehicle ID for identifying the vehicle 2, and the like. The vehicle ID can be used to identify each vehicle 2 when the server 3 communicates with a plurality of vehicles 2, for example.

The processor 23 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing units) and peripheral circuits thereof. The processor 23 may further include another arithmetic circuit such as a logic arithmetic unit, a numerical arithmetic unit, or a graphic processing unit. When the processor 23 has a plurality of CPUs, a memory may be provided for each CPU.

The processor 23 includes a travel route generation unit 31 that executes travel route generation processing, a travel distance notification unit 32 that executes travel distance notification processing, and a map storage unit 33 that executes map storage processing. These respective sections of the processor 23 are, for example, functional modules realized by a computer program operating on the processor 23. Alternatively, each of these units included in the processor 23 may be a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in the processor 23.

Fig. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the server 3. The server 3 includes a communication interface (I/F)41, a storage device 42, a memory 43, a processor 44, and the like. The communication I/F41, the storage device 42, the memory 43, and the processor 44 are connected via signal lines 45. The server 3 may further include an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a display device such as a liquid crystal display.

The communication I/F41 is an example of an acquisition unit, and includes an interface circuit for connecting the server 3 to the communication network 4. The communication I/F41 is configured to be able to communicate with the vehicle 2 via the communication network 4 and the base station 5.

The storage device 42 is an example of a storage unit, and includes, for example, a hard disk device or an optical recording medium as a non-transitory storage medium, and an access device thereof. The storage device 42 stores map data 421 including a plurality of maps used for traveling of the vehicle 2, and the like. The storage device 42 may also store the vehicle ID of the vehicle 2. Further, the storage device 42 may store a computer program that is executed on the processor 44 and that executes processing of the server 3 related to map selection processing and the like.

The map data 421 stores a plurality of maps, information indicating regions respectively indicated in the plurality of maps, and control levels of automatic control that can be handled for each map. Each of the plurality of maps has a position and a type of each road feature (for example, a road sign such as a lane marking line, a temporary stop line, or a speed display, a road sign, or a traffic signal) shown in the map. The plurality of maps may have information related to traffic control, information related to an accident, information related to other vehicles and pedestrians, and information related to a signal.

The control level of the automatic control that can be handled for each map is set based on the accuracy of the positions of the road features registered in each of the plurality of maps, the types and the number of the road features registered in the maps, and the like. The accuracy of the position of the road feature in each of the plurality of maps influences the accuracy of the position of the vehicle estimated based on the position of the road feature. Further, the type of road feature registered in the map imposes restrictions on the sensor that can detect the road feature of that type. Therefore, the type of the road feature registered in the map affects the accuracy of the position of the vehicle estimated based on the position of the road feature, depending on the sensor mounted on the vehicle 2. The number of road features registered in the map imposes a restriction on the frequency of estimating the position of the vehicle based on the detected road features, and therefore, affects the accuracy of estimating the position of the vehicle based on the position of the road features.

The memory 43 is another example of a storage unit, and includes, for example, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory and a volatile semiconductor memory. The memory 43 temporarily stores various data generated during execution of processing related to the server 3 in the map selection processing, various data acquired through communication with the vehicle 2 such as a travel route received from the vehicle 2, and the like.

The processor 44 has one or more cpus (central Processing units) and peripheral circuits thereof. The processor 44 may further include another arithmetic circuit such as a logic arithmetic unit or a numerical arithmetic unit. And, the processor 44 executes processing associated with the server 3 in the map selection processing.

The processor 44 includes a map selection unit 51, and the map selection unit 51 selects one or more maps on which the travel route R is mounted, from among the plurality of maps stored in the storage device 42, so as to include the current location to the destination of the travel route R. The processor 44 further includes an evaluation value calculation unit 52, and the evaluation value calculation unit 52 calculates, for each of the plurality of candidate maps on which one section included in the travel route R is mounted, an evaluation value for evaluating suitability for automatic control of each of the plurality of candidate maps based on, for example, a control level of automatic control that the vehicle 2 can travel using the candidate map. Further, the processor 44 includes a travel distance calculation unit 53, and the travel distance calculation unit 53 obtains the length of the section of the travel route R on which each of the one or more maps is placed, in accordance with the control level of the automatic control corresponding to the one or more maps selected by the map selection unit 51, and calculates the distance that the vehicle 2 can travel at each of the plurality of control levels when traveling on the travel route R. These sections that the processor 44 has are, for example, functional modules realized by a computer program that operates on the processor 44. Alternatively, each of these units included in the processor 44 may be a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in the processor 44.

Fig. 4 is a sequence diagram of the map selection process. In the map selection system 1, every time the travel route R is generated in the vehicle 2, the selection of the map is repeatedly performed in accordance with the time chart shown in fig. 4.

The travel route generation unit 31 of the processor 23 in the travel route selection device 17 of the vehicle 2 inputs the destination of the vehicle 2 from the driver via the UI14 (step S101). This processing is normally performed when the travel route R is set before the vehicle 2 starts traveling.

The travel route generation unit 31 inputs the destination of the vehicle 2 input from the UI14 to the navigation device 13, and causes the navigation device 13 to generate the travel route R from the current location to the destination on each of a plurality of criteria (step S102). As the plural references, there are distance priority, time priority, cost priority, general road priority, and highway priority. The travel route generation unit 31 may generate the travel route R that complies with a criterion of at least one of distance priority, time priority, cost priority, general road priority, and highway priority.

The travel route generation unit 31 outputs the plurality of travel routes R generated by the navigation device 13 to the wireless communication terminal 11 via the communication I/F21, and transmits the plurality of travel routes R to the server 3 via the base station 5 and the communication network 4 (step S103). Also, the processor 44 of the server 3 receives a plurality of travel routes R via the communication I/F41.

The map selection unit 51 of the processor 44 in the server 3 selects one or more maps on which the travel route R is mounted, from among the plurality of maps stored in the storage device 42, for each of the plurality of travel routes R so as to include the current location to the destination of the travel route R (step S104). Here, when there are a plurality of candidate maps in which one section included in the travel route R is placed, the map selection unit 51 selects a candidate map suitable for automatic control as a map used for travel in the section. The map selection unit 51 then notifies the travel distance calculation unit 53 of the relationship between the travel route R and the section, and information on the map selected for each section. The details of the map selection process by the map selection unit 51 will be described later with reference to fig. 6 and 7.

The travel distance calculation unit 53 of the processor 44 in the server 3 obtains the length of the section of the travel route R to be placed on each map of the one or more maps, for each of the plurality of travel routes R, in accordance with the control level of the automatic control corresponding to the one or more maps selected by the map selection unit 51. Then, the travel distance calculation unit 53 calculates a distance that the vehicle 2 can travel at each of the plurality of control levels when traveling on the travel route R (step S105). The travel distance calculation process of the travel distance calculation unit 53 will be described in detail later with reference to fig. 8.

The travel distance calculation unit 53 transmits to the vehicle 2, for each of the plurality of travel routes, the distance that the vehicle 2 can travel at each of the plurality of control levels when traveling on the travel route R, via the communication I/F41 and via the communication network 4 and the base station 5 (step S106). The wireless communication terminal 11 of the vehicle 2 receives, for each of the plurality of travel routes, a distance that the vehicle 2 can travel at each of the plurality of control levels when traveling on the travel route R, and outputs the information to the travel route selection device 17.

The travel distance notification unit 32 of the processor 23 in the travel route selection device 17 notifies the driver of the distances that the vehicle 2 can travel at each of the plurality of control levels when traveling on the travel route R, via the UI14, for each of the plurality of travel routes (step S107).

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the image 142 displayed on the display unit 141 of the UI 14. In the image 142 displayed on the UI14, a navigation map including the travel route R from the current location S to the destination G of the vehicle 2 is displayed. In the image 142, a distance priority key B1, a time priority key B2, a fee priority key B3, a general road priority key B4, and an expressway priority key B5 for selecting a reference for generating the travel route R are displayed. The travel route R generated based on the reference selected by the driver is displayed in the image 142. In the image 142, distances H1, H2, and H3 are displayed, which enable the vehicle 2 to travel at each of the plurality of control levels when traveling on the travel route R. In the image 142, the distance, the required time, the cost, and the like in the case where the vehicle 2 travels on the travel route R are displayed. Every time any one of the distance priority key B1 to the expressway priority key B5 is operated by the driver, the travel distance notification unit 32 displays an image 142 including the travel route R corresponding to the operated key, the distance that can be traveled at each of the plurality of control levels, and the like on the display unit 141. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the image shown by the UI142, and may show other maps according to the travel route.

The travel distance notification portion 32 inputs the travel route R selected by the driver via the UI14 (step S108). When the decision key B6 is operated by the driver, the travel distance notification unit 32 determines that the travel route R displayed on the UI14 is selected by the driver.

The travel distance notification unit 32 outputs the information indicating the selected travel route R to the wireless communication terminal 11 via the communication I/F21, thereby transmitting the information indicating the selected travel route R to the server 3 via the base station 5 and the communication network 4 (step S109). The communication I/F41 of the server 3 receives information indicating the selected travel route R. The communication I/F41 outputs information indicating the selected travel route R to the processor 44.

The map selecting unit 51 of the processor 44 in the server 3 transmits the relationship between the travel route R selected by the driver and the section and the information on the map or maps selected for each section to the vehicle 2 via the communication I/F41 and via the communication network 4 and the base station 5, based on the information indicating the travel route R given from the communication I/F41 (step S110). The wireless communication terminal 11 of the vehicle 2 receives the information and outputs the information to the travel route selection device 17.

The map storage unit 33 of the processor 23 in the travel route selection device 17 of the vehicle 2 stores the relationship between the travel route R and the section input from the wireless communication terminal 11, and the information on one or more maps selected for each section in the map storage device 15 (step S111). Then, the vehicle control device 16 of the vehicle 2 controls the travel of the vehicle 2 in each section of the travel route R at the control level of the automatic control at which the vehicle 2 can travel, based on the relationship between the travel route R and the section stored in the map storage device 15 and the information on the map or maps selected for each section. For example, in the example shown in fig. 7, the vehicle control device 16 controls the traveling of the vehicle 2 at the control level 2 in the section D1 of the travel route R, controls the traveling of the vehicle 2 at the control level 3 in the sections D2 and D3 of the travel route R, and controls the traveling of the vehicle 2 at the control level 1 in the section D4 of the travel route R.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the map selecting unit 51 of the processor 44 of the server 3. The map selection process of the map selection unit 51 in step S104 will be described below with reference to the operational flowchart shown in fig. 6.

The map selection unit 51 executes loop processing of steps S202 to S203 for each of the plurality of travel routes R that follow the criteria of distance priority, time priority, cost priority, general road priority, and highway priority (steps S201 to S204).

The map selection unit 51 selects one or more maps on which the travel route R is mounted so as to include the current location to the destination of the travel route R, from among the plurality of maps stored in the storage device 42, based on information indicating the regions indicated by the plurality of maps (step S202).

Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the map selection unit 51. In the example shown in fig. 7, for the travel route R, the map M1, the map M2, and the map M3 are selected. The map M1 corresponds to the control level 1 of the automatic control, the map M2 corresponds to the control level 2 of the automatic control, and the map M3 corresponds to the control level 3 of the automatic control.

The section D1 of the travel route R is mounted on the map M1 and the map M2. The section D2 of the travel route R is mounted on the map M1, the map M2, and the map M3. The section D3 of the travel route R is mounted on the map M2 and the map M3. The section D4 of the travel route R is only mounted on the map M1.

Each of the plurality of maps in the same section on which the travel route R is mounted becomes a candidate map for selecting one map from the plurality of maps for the section. In the section D1 of the travel route R, the map M1 and the map M2 become candidate maps. In the section D2 of the travel route R, the map M1, the map M2, and the map M3 become candidate maps. In the section D3 of the travel route R, the map M2 and the map M3 become candidate maps.

When there are a plurality of candidate maps in which one section included in the travel route R is loaded, the map selection unit 51 selects a candidate map suitable for automatic control as a map used for travel in the section (step S203). Specifically, the map selection unit 51 selects a map used for travel in a section based on the evaluation values of the candidate maps for evaluating the suitability for automatic control. Here, the map selection unit 51 selects the candidate map having the highest evaluation value as the map used for the section travel.

In the example shown in fig. 7, the evaluation value of the map M1 is 1, the evaluation value of the map M2 is 10, and the evaluation value of the map M3 is 100. The map selecting unit 51 selects the map M2 as a candidate map having the highest evaluation value for the section D1, the map M3 as a candidate map having the highest evaluation value for the section D2, and the map M3 as a candidate map having the highest evaluation value for the section D3. In step S202, the map selection unit 51 selects the map M1 for the section D4 mounted only on the map M1.

In this way, the map selection unit 51 selects the map so that the section where the map having the highest evaluation value for evaluating the automatic control is mounted on the travel route R is longest.

Next, the following description will be given of a process of calculating an evaluation value with respect to a map which becomes a candidate map by the evaluation value calculation unit 52 of the processor 44 of the server 3. The evaluation value calculation unit 52 calculates evaluation values for each of the plurality of candidate maps based on feature quantities including a control level of automatic control that the vehicle 2 can travel using the candidate map. By using the map corresponding to the control level of the automatic control in which the hardware of the vehicle 2 can run or higher, the vehicle 2 can run at the control level in which the hardware of the vehicle 2 can run. For example, in the case of a vehicle having hardware capable of traveling at control level 3, traveling at control level 3 is possible by using a map corresponding to a control level equal to or higher than control level 3. Therefore, the control level of the automatic control at which the vehicle 2 can travel using the candidate map means the highest control level at which the hardware of the vehicle 2 can travel and which is equal to or lower than the control level of the automatic control corresponding to the map. The evaluation value calculation unit 52 may calculate the evaluation value based on the feature quantity of the map such as freshness information of the map (the length of the period between the current time and the date and time when the map was created), provider reliability information indicating the reliability of the provider who created the map, position accuracy information indicating the accuracy of the position of the road feature registered in the map, the number of times of transfer required to transfer the control of the vehicle 2 from the automatic control to the manual control of the driver by the vehicle control device 16 when the vehicle 2 travels in the past using the map under the automatic control (override) request), and the number of updates of which the map information is updated, together with the control level of the automatic control. Each time an override request is generated in the vehicle 2, the evaluation value calculation unit 52 receives information indicating the map used when the override request is generated from the vehicle 2, increments (increment) the number of times of travel management requests associated with the map, and stores the updated number of times of travel management in the storage device 42 in association with the map.

The evaluation value calculation unit 52 calculates the evaluation value Y of the map using the following expression (1).

Y＝W·X (1)

Here, X represents a vector having, as components, feature quantities of a map such as a control level, a numerical value representing freshness information, a numerical value representing supplier reliability information, a numerical value representing position accuracy information, the number of times required for movement of a pipe, the number of updates, and W represents a vector having, as components, weights of feature quantities of respective maps. W · X represents the inner product of the vector W and the vector Y. The weight of the feature amount of the map is determined by, for example, multivariate analysis.

The feature values of the map and the weights thereof are recorded in the storage device 42 in association with the map, and the evaluation value calculation unit 52 reads out these pieces of information from the storage device 42 every time it calculates the evaluation value of the map serving as a candidate map. The storage device 42 stores the date and time when the map was created, and the evaluation value calculation unit 52 reads the date and time when the map was created from the storage device 42, obtains the length of the period between the current time and the date and time when the map was created, and calculates a numerical value indicating the freshness information. The above is a description of the process of calculating the evaluation value by the evaluation value calculation unit 52.

The map selection unit 51 executes the loop processing of step S202 to step S203 for each of the plurality of travel routes R. The above is a description of the map selection process by the map selection unit 51 in step S104.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the travel distance calculation unit 53 of the processor 44 of the server 3. Next, the travel distance calculation process of the travel distance calculation unit 53 in step S105 will be described with reference to the operation flowchart shown in fig. 8.

The travel distance calculation unit 53 executes loop processing of step S302 for each of the plurality of travel routes R that follow the criteria of distance priority, time priority, cost priority, general road priority, and highway priority (steps S301 to S303).

The travel distance calculation unit 53 extracts the length of the section of the travel route R on which the one or more maps are respectively placed, for the travel route R to be subjected to the loop processing, at the control level of the automatic control corresponding to the one or more maps selected by the map selection unit 51. Then, the travel distance calculation unit 53 calculates a distance that the vehicle 2 can travel at each of the plurality of control levels when traveling on the travel route R (step S302).

In the example shown in fig. 7, the map selection unit 51 selects the map M2 corresponding to the control level 2 for the section D1 of the travel route R, and selects the map M3 corresponding to the control level 3 for the sections D2 and D3 of the travel route R. The map selection unit 51 selects the map M1 corresponding to the control level 1 for the section D3 on the route R.

The travel distance calculation unit 53 obtains the length of the section D4 on which the map M1 corresponding to the control level 1 is placed, and calculates the distance that the vehicle 2 can travel at the control level 1 when traveling on the travel route R. The travel distance calculation unit 53 also obtains the length of the section D1 on which the map M2 corresponding to the control level 2 is placed, and calculates the distance that the vehicle 2 can travel at the control level 2 when traveling on the travel route R. Further, the travel distance calculation unit 53 calculates a length obtained by summing up the length of the section D2 and the length of the section D3 on which the map M3 corresponding to the control level 3 is placed, and calculates a distance that the vehicle 2 can travel at the control level 3 when traveling on the travel route R.

The travel distance calculation unit 53 executes the loop processing of step S302 described above for each of the plurality of travel routes R. The above is a description of the travel distance calculation process of the travel distance calculation unit 53 in step S105.

As described above, the map selection device acquires the travel route of the vehicle from the current position to the destination via the acquisition unit. The map selection device selects one or more maps on which a travel route is to be placed, from among a plurality of maps stored in a storage unit, so as to include a current location to a destination of the travel route. Here, when there are a plurality of candidate maps in which one section included in the travel route is placed, the map selection device selects a candidate map suitable for automatic control as a map used for travel in the section. Thus, when the vehicle travels under automatic control, the map selection device selects a map so as to reduce the load on the driver when there are a plurality of maps in which one section included in the travel route is mounted, and thus the load on the driver can be reduced. Further, the map selection device obtains the length of the section of the travel route on which each of the one or more maps is placed, in accordance with the control level of the automatic control corresponding to the selected one or more maps, and calculates the distance that the vehicle can travel at each of the plurality of control levels when traveling on the travel route. Thus, the map selection device notifies the driver of the distance that the vehicle can travel at each of the plurality of control levels when traveling on the travel route, whereby the driver can specifically grasp the degree of load.

In the present invention, the map selection device, the storage medium storing the map selection computer program, and the map selection method according to the above-described embodiments may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, but extends to the inventions recited in the claims and equivalents thereof.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the server has a function of the map selection device, but the map selection device may be disposed in the vehicle.

In the above-described embodiment, the method of calculating the evaluation value by the evaluation value calculation unit is an example, and is not limited to this method. For example, the evaluation value calculation unit may calculate the evaluation value based only on the control level of the automatic control. The evaluation value calculation unit may calculate the evaluation value based on the feature amount of the map other than the above, together with the control level of the automatic control. Further, the evaluation value calculation unit may calculate the evaluation value based on a part of the feature quantities of the plurality of maps together with the control level of the automatic control.

In the above-described embodiment, the map selection unit selects one or more maps on which the travel route is to be placed, from among the plurality of maps stored in the storage device, for each of the plurality of travel routes, so as to include the current location to the destination of the travel route. Here, in the case of a travel route having a long total travel distance, such as one currently in tokyo and one destined for osaka, a plurality of maps of the east area, and a plurality of maps of the west area may be sequentially received and stored in the map storage device of the vehicle as the vehicle moves. This is because the map storage device of the vehicle cannot store all maps because the map storage device has a large storage capacity. In this case, the map selection unit selects one or more maps on which the travel route is to be placed, from among the plurality of maps stored in the storage device at the kangdong point, so as to include a point of the travel route located at a boundary between the current point of the kangdong point and the east-sea point. Before the vehicle starts traveling in the east-sea area, the map selection unit selects one or more maps on which the travel route is to be placed from among the plurality of maps in the east-sea area stored in the storage device so as to include a point on a boundary between the east-sea area and the east-sea area of the travel route and a point on a boundary between the east-sea area and the west-sea area. Before the vehicle starts traveling in the northeast region, the map selection unit selects one or more maps on which the travel route is to be placed from among the plurality of maps on the northeast region stored in the storage device so that a point including a boundary between the northeast region and the northeast region of the travel route is located at a destination of the northeast region. The processing of the map selection unit includes repeatedly selecting one or more maps on which the travel route is to be placed as the vehicle moves.