Map information system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022221305-A1
Application number	US-202217571620-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 10, 2022
Priority date	Jan 12, 2021
Publication date	Jul 14, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A map information system includes: a vehicle configured to store at least one piece of map information and travel autonomously based on the map information; and a map server configured to provide the vehicle with the map information, wherein the vehicle includes: an external environment sensor configured to acquire surrounding information on the vehicle; and a controller configured to store the map information and execute travel control to cause the vehicle to travel autonomously, the controller is configured to determine whether the travel control based on the map information and the surrounding information can be executed based on whether the map information matches the surrounding information, and the controller notifies the map server of a position of the vehicle and notifies the map server that the map information should be updated upon determining that the travel control cannot be executed.

First claim

1 . A map information system, comprising:
a vehicle configured to store at least one piece of map information and travel autonomously based on the map information; and a map server configured to provide the vehicle with the map information, wherein the vehicle includes: an external environment sensor configured to acquire surrounding information on the vehicle; and a controller configured to store the map information and execute travel control to cause the vehicle to travel autonomously, the controller is configured to determine whether the travel control based on the map information and the surrounding information can be executed based on whether the map information matches the surrounding information, and the controller notifies the map server of a position of the vehicle and notifies the map server that the map information should be updated upon determining that the travel control cannot be executed.

2 . The map information system according to claim 1 , wherein when the map information does not match the surrounding information, the controller extracts an area where the map information does not match the surrounding information, determines whether a moving object is present in the area based on a detection result of the external environment sensor, and determines that the travel control based on the map information and the surrounding information cannot be executed when the moving object is present in the area.

3 . The map information system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a vehicle sensor for estimating a movement amount of the vehicle; and a receiver configured to receive a signal from a positioning satellite, wherein the controller is configured to execute first travel control and second travel control as the travel control, the first travel control being executed for estimating the position of the vehicle by using the movement amount based on the vehicle sensor so as to cause the vehicle to travel autonomously, the second travel control being executed for estimating the position of the vehicle based on the signal from the positioning satellite received by the receiver so as to cause the vehicle to travel autonomously based on the map information, and in a case where the position of the vehicle can be estimated neither by using the movement amount based on the vehicle sensor nor based on the signal from the positioning satellite, the controller determines that the travel control based on the map information and the surrounding information cannot be executed, and notifies the map server of the position of the vehicle and notifies the map server that the map information should be updated.

4 . The map information system according to claim 3 , wherein the map information includes additional information including information on reception intensity of the signal from the positioning satellite in each lane, and
the controller notifies the map server that the map information should be updated upon determining that the reception intensity of the signal from the positioning satellite received by the receiver does not match the additional information.

5 . The map information system according to claim 1 , further comprising an attitude angle sensor configured to acquire an attitude angle of the vehicle,
wherein the map information includes additional information including gradient information indicating a gradient of a road surface, and the controller notifies the map server that the map information should be updated upon determining that the gradient information at the position of the vehicle in the map information does not match the attitude angle of the vehicle acquired by the attitude angle sensor.

6 . The map information system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one piece of map information comprises plural pieces of map information,
the controller is configured to store the plural pieces of map information generated at different periods and compare the plural pieces of map information with the surrounding information in reverse chronological order, and in a case where one of the plural pieces of map information matches the surrounding information and the one of the plural pieces of map information is not the latest of the plural pieces of map information stored in the controller, the controller notifies the map server that the map information should be updated.

7 . The map information system according to claim 1 , further comprising an input/output device configured to give notification to an occupant and accept an input by the occupant,
wherein in a case where the map information does not match the surrounding information, the controller causes the input/output device to give the notification that the map information does not match the surrounding information and accept the input as to whether to notify the map server that the map information should be updated.

8 . The map information system according to claim 1 , wherein the map information includes attribute information indicating a travel direction of each lane, and
the controller notifies the map server that the map information should be updated upon determining that a behavior of a surrounding vehicle acquired by the external environment sensor does not match the attribute information.

9 . The map information system according to claim 1 , wherein the map information includes positional information on lanes, and
the controller notifies the map server that the map information should be updated upon determining that the number of lanes in front of the vehicle acquired by the external environment sensor does not match the number of lanes in front of the vehicle acquired from the map information.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Chikamori Hidetoshi
• Nakamura Kazumasa
• Konishi Hitoshi
• Harayama Takuji
• Masakawa Tomoaki
• Aso naofumi
• Matsuzawa Ryo
• Wang Zhaoqi

Classifications

• B60W2556/50

  of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data · CPC title

• B60W2556/40

  High definition maps · CPC title

• B60W2552/15

  Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction · CPC title

• G01S19/50

  whereby the position solution is constrained to lie upon a particular curve or surface, e.g. for locomotives on railway tracks · CPC title

• G01S19/14

  specially adapted for specific applications · CPC title