Automatic driving system

An automatic driving system mounted on a vehicle, the automatic driving system comprising:

• a navigation device that searches for a route from a current position of the vehicle to a destination;
• a route detail information generation device that generates detail information of the route by using the route searched by the navigation device and map information;
• and
• an automatic driving control device that performs automatic control of acceleration and deceleration and steering of the vehicle using the detail information,
• wherein the route detail information generation device divides the route into a plurality of block regions and, out of the detail information corresponding to the block regions, outputs the detail information currently required for the automatic control to the automatic driving control device, the route detail information generation device outputs the detail information in a unit of block region,
• wherein the block regions are obtained by dividing the route by a predetermined distance and, with respect to the block region that includes an intersection, the block region is made longer than the length of the intersection.

An automatic driving system mounted on a vehicle, the automatic driving system comprising:

• a navigation device that searches for a route from a current position of the vehicle to a destination;
• a route detail information generation device that generates detail information of the route by using the route searched by the navigation device and map information;
• and
• an automatic driving control device that performs automatic control of acceleration and deceleration and steering of the vehicle using the detail information,
• wherein the route detail information generation device divides the route into a plurality of block regions and, out of the detail information corresponding to the block regions, outputs the detail information currently required for the automatic control to the automatic driving control device, the route detail information generation device outputs the detail information in a unit of block region,
• wherein the block regions are obtained by dividing the route by a predetermined distance, and
• the route detail information generation device causes the predetermined distance to be different depending on the type of the detail information,
• wherein the type of the detail information includes lane information that indicates a running lane that is runnable by the vehicle from now, lane supplementary information that indicates a content related to a running limit of the running lane that is runnable by the vehicle from a current position, and feature information corresponding to the running lane that is runnable by the vehicle from now.

An automatic driving method of a vehicle, comprising steps of:

• (i) searching for a route from a current position of the vehicle to a destination;
• (ii) generating, by using a computer, detail information of the route by using the route searched by the step (i) and map information;
• and
• (iii) performing, by a controller, automatic control of acceleration and deceleration and steering of the vehicle using the detail information,
• wherein the step (ii) comprises dividing the route into a plurality of block regions and, out of the detail information corresponding to the block regions, outputting the detail information currently required for the automatic control to the controller, the detail information is output in a unit of block region,
• wherein the step (ii) firstly outputs the detail information corresponding to a predetermined number of the block regions to the controller, and for the block regions after that, upon determining the vehicle has passed one block region, outputs the detail information corresponding to the next block region to the controller, and
• the controller includes a detail information storage unit that stores therein the detail information output from the step (ii) and, upon determining that the vehicle has passed one block region, deletes the detail information of the passed block region from the detail information storage unit.

An automatic driving apparatus mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

• a navigation device that searches for a route from a current position of the vehicle to a destination;
• a route detail information generation controller that generates detail information of the route by using the route searched by the navigation device and map information;
• and
• an automatic driving controller that performs automatic control of acceleration and deceleration and steering of the vehicle using the detail information,
• wherein the route detail information generation controller divides the route into a plurality of block regions and, out of the detail information corresponding to the block regions, outputs the detail information currently required for the automatic control to the automatic driving controller, the route detail information generation controller outputs the detail information in a unit of block region,
• wherein the route detail information generation controller firstly outputs the detail information corresponding to a predetermined number of the block regions to the automatic driving controller, and for the block regions after that, upon determining the vehicle has passed one block region, outputs the detail information corresponding to the next block region to the automatic driving controller, and
• the automatic driving controller includes a detail information storage device that stores therein the detail information output from the route detail information generation controller and, upon determining that the vehicle has passed one block region, deletes the detail information of the passed block region from the detail information storage device.

An automatic driving method of a vehicle, comprising steps of:

• (i) searching for a route from a current position of the vehicle to a destination;
• (ii) generating, by using a computer, detail information of the route by using the route searched by the step (i) and map information;
• and
• (iii) performing, by a controller, automatic control of acceleration and deceleration and steering of the vehicle using the detail information,
• wherein the step (ii) comprises dividing the route into a plurality of block regions and, out of the detail information corresponding to the block regions, outputting the detail information currently required for the automatic control to the controller, the detail information is output in a unit of block region, and
• wherein the block regions are obtained by dividing the route by a predetermined distance and, with respect to the block region that includes an intersection, the block region is made longer than the length of the intersection.

An automatic driving method of a vehicle, comprising steps of:

• (i) searching for a route from a current position of the vehicle to a destination;
• (ii) generating, by using a computer, detail information of the route by using the route searched by the step (i) and map information;
• and
• (iii) performing, by a controller, automatic control of acceleration and deceleration and steering of the vehicle using the detail information,
• wherein the step (ii) comprises dividing the route into a plurality of block regions and, out of the detail information corresponding to the block regions, outputting the detail information currently required for the automatic control to the controller, the detail information is output in a unit of block region, and
• wherein the block regions are obtained by dividing the route by a predetermined distance, and
• the step (ii) causes the predetermined distance to be different depending on the type of the detail information,
• wherein the type of the detail information includes lane information that indicates a running lane that is runnable by the vehicle from now, lane supplementary information that indicates a content related to a running limit of the running lane that is runnable by the vehicle from a current position, and feature information corresponding to the running lane that is runnable by the vehicle from now.

An automatic driving system mounted on a vehicle, the automatic driving system comprising:

• a navigation device that searches for a route from a current position of the vehicle to a destination;
• a route detail information generation device that generates detail information of the route by using the route searched by the navigation device and map information;
• and
• an automatic driving control device that performs automatic control of acceleration and deceleration and steering of the vehicle using the detail information,
• wherein the route detail information generation device divides the route into a plurality of block regions and, out of the detail information corresponding to the block regions, outputs the detail information currently required for the automatic control to the automatic driving control device, the route detail information generation device outputs the detail information in a unit of block region,
• wherein the block regions are obtained by dividing the route by a predetermined distance, and
• the route detail information generation device causes the predetermined distance to be different depending on the type of the detail information,
• wherein, with respect to the block region that includes an intersection, the block region is made longer than the length of the intersection.