Map matching apparatus and map matching method

A map matching apparatus of an autonomous driving vehicle comprising

• a processor to execute a program;
• and
• a memory to store the program which, when executed by the processor, performs processes of,
• acquiring map information including link endpoint coordinates, which are coordinates of endpoints of a plurality of links, and a connection relationship of each of the links;
• acquiring movement information of a moving body on a predetermined route;
• specifying a link string, which is a string of the links corresponding to the route, based on the map information and the movement information;
• and
• providing the specified link string to a controller, which controls an autonomous driving operation of a vehicle on the basis of the specified link string, wherein
• the process of specifying a link string includes
• generating a physical network, which is a road network, based on the connection relationship and the movement information,
• generating a hierarchical logical network in which the physical network is duplicated in a plurality of layers and configured into a hierarchy based on an offset relative to a common point of the route, the physical network being duplicated by copying the same road network data into each of the plurality of layers, and
• specifying the link string indicating a minimized cost in the hierarchical logical network,
• the movement information includes a coordinate point string of positions on the route,
• a number of layers in the hierarchical logical network is equal to or greater than a number of divided sections obtained by dividing the route by the coordinate point string,
• a start link in the hierarchical logical network is a logical link within a layer corresponding to a first coordinate point of the coordinate point string and closest to the first coordinate point, and
• an end link in the hierarchical logical network is the logical link within a layer corresponding to a last coordinate point of the coordinate point string and closest to the last coordinate point.

A map matching method comprising the steps of a processor:

• acquiring map information including link endpoint coordinates, which are coordinates of endpoints of a plurality of links, and a connection relationship of each of the links;
• acquiring movement information of a moving body on a predetermined route;
• and
• specifying a link string, which is a string of the links corresponding to the route, based on the acquired map information and the acquired movement information;
• and
• providing the specified link string to a controller, which controls an autonomous driving operation of a vehicle on the basis of the specified link string, wherein
• specifying a link string includes
• generating a physical network, which is a road network, based on the connection relationship and the map information,
• generating a hierarchical logical network in which the physical network is duplicated a plurality of times and configured into a hierarchy based on an offset relative to a common point of the route, the physical network being duplicated by copying the same road network data into each of the plurality of layers, the physical network being duplicated by copying the same road network data into each of the plurality of layers, and
• specifying a route with a minimized cost in the hierarchical logical network as the link string.