MAP INFORMATION SYSTEM

• US 20200133303A1
• Filed: 09/03/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakaguchi, Eiji
• Granted Patent: US 11,507,107 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 from vehicle to occupant
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3822 Road feature data, e.g. slope data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3826 Terrain data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3848 Data obtained from both position sensors and additional sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3896 Transmission of map data from central databases
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

A map information system includes: an in-vehicle device that executes automated driving control of a vehicle; and an external device having external map information used for the automated driving control. The in-vehicle device includes: a memory device in which map information is stored; and a control device configured to execute the automated driving control based on the map information stored in the memory device, The control device is further configured to: determine whether or not a takeover occurs during the automated driving control; set an upload target area including the takeover occurrence position, in a case where the takeover occurs during the automated driving control; and upload the map information regarding the upload target area to the external device. The external device updates the external map information based on the map information uploaded from the in-vehicle device.

Claims

1. A map information system comprising:

an in-vehicle device installed on a vehicle and configured to execute automated driving control that controls automated driving of the vehicle; and

an external device having external map information used for the automated driving control, wherein

the in-vehicle device comprises;

a memory device in Which map information is stored; and

a control device configured to execute the automated driving control based on the map information stored in the memory device,

the control device is further configured to;

determine whether or not a takeover being a transition from the automated driving control to manual driving occurs during the automated driving control;

set an upload target area including a position where the takeover occurs, in a case where the takeover occurs during the automated driving control; and

read the map information regarding the upload target area from the memory device and upload the read map information to the external device, and

the external device is configured to execute external map update processing that updates the external map information based on the map information uploaded from the in-vehicle device.

2. The map information system according to claim 1, wherein

the in-vehicle device further comprises an information acquisition device configured to use a sensor to acquire driving environment information indicating driving environment for the vehicle, and

the control device is further configured to execute internal update processing that updates the map information stored in the memory device, based on the driving environment information.

3. The map information system according to claim 2, wherein

the upload target area is smaller than an area of the map information to which the internal update processing is applied.

4. The map information system according to claim 2, wherein

after executing the internal update processing, the control device reads the map information regarding the upload target area from the memory device and uploads the read map information to the external device.

5. The map information system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the map information and the external map information includes a time stamp, and

in the external map update processing, the external device determines whether or not to update the external map information, based on the time stamp of each of the map information and the external map information.

6. The map information system according to claim 5, wherein

when the time stamp of the map information is newer than the time stamp of the external map information, the external device updates the external map information with the map information.

7. The map information system according to claim 5, wherein

the map information includes an evaluation value indicating certainty of the map information,

the external map information includes an evaluation value indicating certainty of the external map information, and

when the time stamp of the map information is newer than the time stamp of the external map information and the evaluation value of the map information is higher than the evaluation value of the external map information, the external device updates the external map information with the map information.

8. The map information system according to claim 1, wherein

the map information includes an evaluation value indicating certainty of the map information, and

the external device executes the external map update processing without using the map information whose evaluation value is less than a predetermined value.

9. The map information system according to claim 1, wherein

the external device is further configured to:

calculate a change degree being a difference between the map information and the external map information, for each point or each area in the upload target area;

prohibit the external map update processing with respect to an update-prohibited area in which the change degree is equal to or less than a threshold; and

permit the external map update processing with respect to an update-permitted area in which the change degree exceeds the threshold.

10. The map information system according to claim 1, wherein

the control device is further configured to:

calculate a change degree being a difference between the map information and the external map information, for each point or each area in the upload target area; and

exclude an update-prohibited area in which the change degree is equal to or less than a threshold, from the upload target area.