Vehicle controller

• US 20060293844A1
• Filed: 06/08/2006
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Sawaki, Masaru
• Granted Patent: US 7,580,780 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching

Abstract

A vehicle position detector in a vehicle on a road leading to a junction predictably evaluates road attributes for determining false map matching possibility before the vehicle actually reaches the junction. The evaluation is based on, for example, an attribute such as a direction of the road, an incline of the road or the like. The position of the vehicle in association with the traveling road in a map matching process is stochastically determined and is used for controlling the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle position detector for use in a vehicle comprising:

a position detector for detecting a current position of the vehicle;

a map data storage for storing map data including description of roads on a map;

a map matching processor for making adjustment of the current position of the vehicle based on the map data;

a junction detector for finding a junction having at least two outbound roads extending therefrom based on the map data;

a similarity calculator for calculating similarity index of the at least two outbound roads from the junction detected by the junction detector; and

an evaluation processor for evaluating the adjustment of the current position of the vehicle made by the map matching processor,

wherein the map matching processor utilizes the current position of the vehicle detected by the position detector,

the junction detector detects the junction to which the vehicle is going to enter,

the similarity calculator calculates the similarity index of the at least two outbound roads based on the map data when the junction detector finds the junction having at least two outbound roads, and

the evaluation processor outputs a prospective accuracy level evaluation of the adjustment of the current position of the vehicle for the at least two outbound roads based on the similarity index before the vehicle reaches the junction.

2. The vehicle position detector as in claim 1,

wherein the map data stored in the map data storage includes at least one of a direction of the road and an incline of the road, and

the similarity calculator uses at least one of difference of the direction between the at least two outbound roads and difference of the incline between the at least two outbound roads as the similarity index.

3. The vehicle position detector as in claim 2 further comprising:

a vector processor for converting each of the at least two outbound roads in the map data into a series of vectors starting at a start point,

wherein each vector in the series of the vectors has a predetermined length, and

the similarity calculator uses at least one of accumulative differences in the series of the vectors and accumulative differences in the series of the vectors as the similarity index.

4. The vehicle position detector as in claim 1 further comprising:

a threshold storage for storing correlation between a threshold of the similarity index and the prospective accuracy level evaluation,

wherein the evaluation processor uses the threshold stored in the threshold storage for determining the prospective accuracy level evaluation.

5. A vehicle controller having the vehicle position detector described in claim 1 comprising:

a vehicle control unit for controlling a vehicle based on the prospective accuracy level evaluation outputted from the evaluation processor.

6. The vehicle controller as in claim 5,

wherein a plurality of the vehicle control units are used for controlling the vehicle,

each of the vehicle control units includes a control level determination unit for determining a threshold of the control level of a predetermined type control of the vehicle, and

the vehicle control unit compares the threshold of the control level of the predetermined type control and the prospective accuracy level evaluation for determining at least one of execution and the control level of the predetermined type control.

7. A vehicle controller for use in a vehicle comprising:

an evaluation acquisition unit for acquiring a certainty level evaluation regarding a road to be traveled by the vehicle; and

a vehicle control unit for controlling the vehicle,

wherein the certainty level evaluation of the road is used to predict a travel probability of the vehicle on the road,

the evaluation acquisition unit acquires the certainty level evaluation for each of prospective traveling roads for which the vehicle is bound after passing a junction when the vehicle approaches the junction, and

the control unit controls the vehicle based on the certainty level evaluation of the road acquired by the evaluation acquisition unit.

8. The vehicle controller as in claim 7,

wherein a plurality of the vehicle control units are used for controlling the vehicle,

each of the vehicle control units includes a control level determination unit for determining a threshold of the control level of a predetermined type control, and

the vehicle control unit compares the threshold of the control level of the predetermined type control and the accuracy level evaluation for determining at least one of execution and the control level of the predetermined type control.