JP2008122292A - Method of detecting shift amount of detecting center axis - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detect the shift amount of the detection center axis of each object detecting means in an extremely short time, even if a plurality of object detecting means are mounted in a vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: For detecting the shift amount of the detection center axis of an image sensor 40, a previously calculated shift amount of the detection center axis of a laser radar 10 is utilized. The shift amount of the detection center axis of the laser radar 10 is ascribable to not only the shift of the attaching angle of the laser radar 10 to the vehicle, but also the shift (angle θ) between the longitudinal central axis direction and traveling direction of the vehicle. The shift between the longitudinal central axis direction and traveling direction of the vehicle similarly affects the detection center axis of the image sensor 40. Therefore, based on the shift amount of the detection center axis of the laser radar 10, a target search area when the image sensor 40 detects a target 72 is set. Thus, the target search area can be set to certainly include the target 72 by narrowing the range. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is applied to a vehicle including a plurality of detection means for detecting an object existing in front of the vehicle, and a deviation amount detection method for detecting a deviation amount from a target direction of a detection center axis of the plurality of detection means. It is about.

  Various detection means such as a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, or an image sensor are known as detection means for detecting an object existing in front of a vehicle. In recent years, for example, when there is a preceding vehicle, the vehicle is equipped with a millimeter wave radar or a laser radar for adaptive cruise control for controlling the traveling speed so as to follow the preceding vehicle within a set vehicle speed range. In order to execute the lane keep assist for assisting the traveling in the traveling lane, there are cases where the vehicle is equipped with a plurality of object detecting means such as an image sensor for recognizing a white line.

  Such an object detection means is used to accurately detect a detection target object (preceding vehicle or white line) so that the detection axis of the object detection means coincides with a target direction (usually the traveling direction of the vehicle). It must be attached to. Therefore, as described in Patent Document 1, for example, the attachment angle of the object detection unit in the vehicle is adjusted so that the detection axis coincides with the vehicle traveling direction.

  For example, in the adjustment method described in Patent Document 1, a rail is provided along the traveling direction of the vehicle (the direction of the center line), and this rail is equipped with a CCD camera that slides on the rail. First, when the CCD camera is in a position close to the vehicle, the position of the CCD camera is adjusted so that the center beam of the laser radar as the object detection means becomes the center position of the image picked up by the CCD camera. . After this adjustment, the CCD camera is slid to a position away from the vehicle, and the position of the center beam of the laser radar is imaged and stored.

The deviation of the optical axis (detection axis) of the laser radar is detected from the deviation of the imaging position of the center beam between the position where the CCD camera is near and the position away from the vehicle. If the optical axis is deviated, the vertical and horizontal adjustment bolts are adjusted to adjust the laser radar optical axis.
JP-A-11-38140

  As described above, the adjustment of the detection axis of the object detection means is a laborious operation. For this reason, especially when a plurality of object detection means are mounted on the vehicle, the problem that it takes a long time for the adjustment work becomes significant.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and even when a plurality of object detection means are mounted on a vehicle, the deviation of the detection center axis of each object detection means is as short as possible. It is an object of the present invention to provide a detection center axis deviation amount detection method capable of detecting the amount.

In order to achieve the above object, the detection method according to claim 1, wherein the detection center axis of the first and second detection means for detecting an object existing in front of the vehicle detects a deviation amount from the target direction. Is
An arrangement step of arranging a target member equipped with first and second targets detected by the first and second detection means, respectively, so as to be in a predetermined positional relationship with the vehicle in front of the vehicle;
A first detection step of detecting the position of the first target by the first detection means;
A first calculation step of calculating a deviation amount between the detection center axis of the first detection means and the target direction based on the detection position of the first target by the first detection means;
The second detection means can set a recognition processing area narrower than the detectable area for recognition processing of the second target for any area in the detectable area, Based on the amount of deviation between the detection center axis of the first detection means calculated in the first calculation step and the target direction, a recognition processing area is set, and the second detection means performs recognition processing in the recognition processing area. A second detection step of detecting a second target by performing,
And a second calculation step of calculating a deviation amount between the detection center axis of the second detection means and the target direction based on the detection position of the second target by the second detection means.

  Thus, in the first aspect of the present invention, first, the target member equipped with the first and second targets detected by the first and second detection means, respectively, is used, and the target member has a predetermined positional relationship with the vehicle. It arrange | positions so that it may become. Therefore, when detecting the deviation amount of the detection center axis of the first and second detection means, the target member only needs to be once arranged at a predetermined position, so that the time required for preparation for detecting the deviation amount of the detection center axis is shortened. be able to.

  Furthermore, the amount of deviation between the detection center axis of the first detection means and the target direction is first calculated based on the detection position of the first target in the first detection means. Next, the second detection is performed. When detecting the second target necessary for calculating the amount of deviation between the detection center axis of the means and the target direction, using the amount of deviation between the detection center axis of the first detection means and the target direction, The detection process can be performed in as short a time as possible.

  That is, the amount of deviation of the detection center axis in the first detection means is not only due to the deviation in the mounting direction of the first detection means to the vehicle, but also in the deviation between the front-rear central axis direction and the traveling direction. Caused by. The deviation between the front-rear central axis direction and the traveling direction of the vehicle similarly affects the detection central axis of the second detection means. For this reason, by setting the recognition processing area when detecting the second target based on the deviation amount of the detection center axis in the first detection means, the second detection target area is used while using the relatively narrow recognition processing area. The recognition processing area can be set with high accuracy so as to include the target. As a result, since the second target can be detected by executing the recognition process only on a relatively narrow recognition process area, the time required for the recognition process can be shortened.

  In this manner, according to the detection method of the first aspect, the deviation amount of the detection center axis of the first and second detection means can be obtained in a short time as much as possible. And if the deviation | shift amount of the detection center axis | shaft of each detection means is calculated | required, the detection center axis | shaft can be adjusted so that the deviation | shift amount may approach zero.

  In addition, as described in claim 2, the recognition processing area described above is the amount by which the detection center axis of the first detection means and the target direction are shifted from the center of the detectable area of the second detection means. It may be set as an area having a predetermined size with the moved position as the center. In this way, the recognition processing area can be easily set based on the calculated deviation amount of the detection center axis of the first detection means.

  As described in claim 3, it is preferable that the second detection means is an image sensor. In the case of an image sensor, the target recognition process takes a relatively long time. However, if the area where the recognition process is executed is limited to a narrow range, the processing time can be greatly shortened.

  When an image sensor is used as the second detection means, as described in claim 4, the imageable area of the image sensor is set wider than the detection area where the object should be detected, and the detection center axis of the image sensor It is preferable to further include an adjustment step of determining the position of the detection area within the imageable area based on the amount of deviation between the image sensor and the target direction so that the detection center axis of the image sensor matches the target direction. In this way, for example, it is possible to eliminate the need for hardware adjustment using an adjustment bolt that adjusts the mounting direction of the image sensor vertically and horizontally, so that the detection center axis of the image sensor can be easily adjusted. It can be carried out.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the second detection means can irradiate the pulsed laser over a predetermined angular range in each of the vehicle width direction and the height direction of the vehicle, and receives the reflected laser. It may be a laser radar. The laser radar can also set the target recognition area based on the reflected laser to an arbitrary area. By setting such a limited area, the target can be detected quickly and accurately. This is because you will be able to.

  Note that, as described in claim 6, even when a laser radar is used as the second detection means, the area that can be irradiated with the pulsed laser of the laser radar is the same as in claim 4 described above. By setting the position of the detection area within the irradiable area of the pulsed laser based on the amount of deviation between the detection center axis of the laser radar and the target direction. In addition, an adjustment step of matching the detection center axis of the laser radar with the target direction may be further provided. This is because the detection center axis of the laser radar can be adjusted very easily.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a case where a laser radar and an image sensor are mounted on a vehicle as a plurality of object detection units will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the vehicle does not deviate from an adaptive cruise control (ACC) system 30 that controls the vehicle speed according to the preceding vehicle (preceding vehicle) and the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. A lane keep assist (LKA) system 60 for assisting the vehicle is equipped.

  The ACC system 30 receives detection signals from a vehicle speed sensor, a brake switch, and a throttle opening sensor (not shown) in addition to information on the distance from the laser radar 10 to the preceding vehicle and the direction of the preceding vehicle. Based on these information and detection signals, a brake driver that drives the brake device and a throttle driver that drives the throttle valve to control the traveling speed of the vehicle so as to maintain an appropriate inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle. And a controller for controlling the automatic transmission. In addition, when a preceding vehicle is not detected, the ACC system 30 drives each driver and controller so that the vehicle travels at a set speed set by the driver.

  The laser radar 10 includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. The laser radar control unit 20 controls the light emission of the light emitting unit of the laser radar 10 and calculates the distance to the reflecting object and its direction based on the detection result when the reflected laser beam is detected in the light receiving unit. To do.

  The light emitting unit of the laser radar 10 includes a laser diode that emits laser light and a polygon mirror that is rotatable and has a plurality of mirrors having different surface tilt angles on the outer peripheral surface. The laser radar control unit 20 causes the laser diode to emit laser light at a predetermined cycle while rotating the polygon mirror. As a result, pulsed laser light is irradiated in a range of predetermined angles in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle height direction.

  The light receiving unit of the laser radar 10 includes a light receiving element (photodiode) that receives laser light reflected by an object (not shown) and outputs a voltage corresponding to the intensity. The output voltage of the light receiving element is input to the laser radar control unit 20. After amplifying the received light reception voltage, the laser radar control unit 20 compares the reflected laser beam and noise with a predetermined reference voltage in a comparator (not shown). When it is determined that the received light voltage is equal to or higher than the predetermined reference voltage, the distance to the reflecting object is calculated based on the elapsed time from the emission of the laser beam to the reception of the reflected laser beam, and the laser beam is irradiated. The direction of the reflecting object is obtained from the direction.

  Here, the laser beam irradiation area of the laser radar 10 and the object detection area used when actually detecting an object such as a preceding vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 2, the laser light pattern 12 is shown only when it is emitted to the right end and the left end in the irradiable area 11, and is omitted in the middle.

  The laser radar 10 emits a laser diode at a predetermined period while rotating the polygon mirror, and as shown in FIG. 2, when the irradiation direction of the laser beam is set to the Z axis, the laser radar 10 is in an XY plane perpendicular to the direction. Laser light can be irradiated so as to sequentially scan the irradiable area 11. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the laser radar 10 can irradiate 6 lines of laser light in the vehicle height direction (Y-axis direction).

  The laser radar 10 having such an irradiable area 11 is attached to the front surface of the vehicle, for example, the lower part of the bumper of the vehicle. The laser light emitted from the laser radar 10 needs to be accurately directed to an object existing ahead of the host vehicle, that is, a preceding vehicle or the like. Therefore, conventionally, it has been necessary to adjust the mounting angle of the laser radar 10 so that the center (detection center axis) of the laser light irradiation area coincides with the target direction.

  However, it is difficult for the operator to adjust the mounting angle of the radar radar 10 by mechanical means such as an adjustment bolt, and the work time is also long. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to adjust the detection center axis of the laser radar 10 to a desired target direction by software processing in the laser radar 10 instead of such adjustment by mechanical means. I made it. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the object detection area used when actually detecting an object such as a preceding vehicle is made narrower than the laser beam irradiable area. Then, the position of the object detection area is determined so as to cancel out the deviation amount according to the deviation amount between the detection center axis of the laser radar 10 and the target direction. A method for detecting the amount of deviation between the detection center axis of the laser radar 10 and the target direction will be described later.

  On the other hand, the image sensor 40 is installed at a predetermined position in the vehicle interior, for example, behind the room mirror, and images a road ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle. When the image sensor 40 is installed at a predetermined position in the vehicle interior, the image sensor 40 is attached so that the imaging range is a predetermined imaging range with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle. However, as will be described in detail later, the image sensor 40 is also set with an object detection area that is narrower than the imageable range, and therefore it is not necessary to precisely adjust the mounting angle of the image sensor 40 in the mounting operation described above. .

  The image sensor 40 includes an amplification unit and an A / D conversion unit, and when an image is captured, the pixel value of an analog signal indicating the brightness of each pixel of the image is amplified by a predetermined gain, and A / D conversion is performed. Is converted to a digital value and stored. Then, the image sensor 40 outputs the held pixel value as an image signal for each line of the image.

  The image sensor control unit 50 processes the image signal output from the image sensor 40 to recognize the position of the white line that divides the lane in which the vehicle travels, and outputs the recognized white line position to the LKA system 60. . Further, as described above, the image sensor control unit 50 sets an object detection area for performing white line recognition processing based on the amount of deviation between the detection center axis of the image sensor 40 and the target direction.

  The LKA system 60 determines whether or not the vehicle has deviated from the lane based on the position of the white line output from the image sensor control unit 50. The steering force of the steering wheel is adjusted so that it is easy to return to the center of the traveling lane by instructing the vehicle to issue an alarm or controlling the assist amount in the steering device.

  Next, a description will be given of a method for detecting the amount of deviation of the detection center axis of each object detection unit from the target direction when a plurality of object detection units are provided as in the laser radar 10 and the image sensor 40 described above.

  First, the target used for detecting the amount of deviation will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a target member 70 equipped with the targets 71 and 72 of the laser radar 10 and the image sensor 40.

  The target 71 for the laser radar 10 is formed from a member having a high reflectance with respect to the laser light. The target 71 is mounted on the target member 70 so as to have a predetermined positional relationship with the laser radar 10 mounted on the vehicle. Specifically, when the detection center axis of the laser radar 10 matches the target direction, the center position of the target 71 matches the center position of the laser beam irradiable area 11 of the laser radar 10. It is installed.

  The target 72 for the image sensor 40 has a pattern composed of a bright part (white) and a dark part (black). The imaging of the target 72 may be performed indoors or outdoors, such as in a vehicle manufacturer's factory or a dealer's open space. Even in such a case, the pattern is formed by combining the bright part and the dark part so that the pattern with the same pattern does not occur in the surroundings. The target 72 having such a pattern is also mounted on the target member 70 so that the target 72 is imaged at the center of the imageable area.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the target member 70 described above is installed at a position away from the stopped vehicle by a predetermined distance. Alternatively, the target member 70 is fixed and the vehicle is moved with respect to the target member 70 and stopped at a position separated by a predetermined distance. Thus, in this embodiment, the target member 70 equipped with both the laser radar target 71 and the image sensor target 72 is used. Accordingly, when detecting the deviation amount of the detection center axis of the laser radar 10 and the image sensor 40, it is only necessary to once arrange the target member 70 at a predetermined position, so that the time required for preparation for detecting the deviation amount of the detection center axis is shortened. be able to. When the target 71 for the laser radar 10 and the target 72 for the image sensor 40 can be shared, a single target that can be shared may be attached to the target member 70.

  In this state, the laser radar control unit 20 executes the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 to first detect the deviation amount of the detection center axis of the laser radar 10 and set the object detection area.

  That is, in step S110 of FIG. 6, the target 71 is irradiated with laser light and the reflected light is received. As shown in FIG. 3, the irradiation angle range of the laser light irradiated at this time is not limited to the entire irradiable area 11 but limited to a target detection area set to cover the range where the target 71 exists. Thereby, the processing load for detecting the target 71 can be reduced.

  Next, in step S120, the reflected laser beam having the highest received light intensity is identified as the center laser beam among the received reflected laser beams in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. The received light intensity can be obtained from the time when the received light voltage exceeds the reference voltage.

  The identification of the center laser beam will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 shows the received light intensity of the reflected laser beam by the target 71 for each laser beam when the laser beam is scanned in the X-axis direction in the laser beam irradiation angle range described above. FIG. 8 shows the received light intensity of the reflected laser beam by the target 71 with respect to each laser beam when the laser beam is scanned in the Y-axis direction. As is apparent from FIGS. 7 and 8, the reflected laser beam showing the highest received light intensity is used as the X-axis center laser beam and the Y-axis center laser beam. As shown in FIG. 3, the difference between the position determined as the intersection of the X-axis center laser beam and the Y-axis center laser beam and the center point of the laser beam irradiable area 11 is the detection center of the laser radar 10. This is the amount of shaft misalignment.

  In step S130, an object detection area is set based on the intersection of the X-axis center laser beam and the Y-axis center laser beam. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, an area having a predetermined angular range in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction is determined around the intersection position of the X-axis center laser beam and the Y-axis center laser beam, and this is detected as an object. Area. By setting the object detection area in this way, the detection center axis of the laser radar 10 can be adjusted to the target direction (target direction). As a result, the object detection area is also set to a desired recognition area. Matched.

  When the laser radar 10 detects an object that actually exists in front of the host vehicle after the object detection area is set according to the above-described procedure, the laser radar control unit 20 detects whether the object is in the object detection area. The laser beam is emitted so as to scan two-dimensionally. By such a two-dimensional scan, the scan angles θx and θy indicating the direction of the reflecting object and the measured distance r are obtained in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle height direction.

  Next, a method for detecting the amount of deviation of the detection center axis from the target direction with respect to the image sensor 40 will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the amount of deviation of the detection center axis of the laser radar 10 described above is used to detect the amount of deviation of the detection center axis of the image sensor 40. Thereby, the time required for detecting the shift amount of the detection center axis of the image sensor 40 can be shortened.

  That is, the already calculated deviation amount of the detection center axis of the laser radar 10 is not only due to the deviation of the mounting angle of the laser radar 10 to the vehicle, but also as shown in FIG. And a deviation (angle θ) from the traveling direction. The deviation between the front-rear central axis direction and the traveling direction of the vehicle similarly affects the detection central axis of the image sensor 40. Therefore, by setting the target search area when the image sensor 40 detects the target 72 based on the deviation amount of the detection center axis of the laser radar 10, the target 72 is surely included while narrowing the range. As described above, the target search area can be set with high accuracy. As a result, it is only necessary to execute a recognition process for detecting the target 72 only for a narrowly set target search area, so that the time required for the recognition process can be shortened.

  Therefore, the image sensor control unit 50 receives the deviation amount of the detection center axis of the laser radar 10 from the laser radar control unit 20, and as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10, in step S210, the detection center axis of the laser radar 10 is detected. A target search area is set based on the amount of deviation. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, an area having a predetermined size centered on a position moved by the amount of deviation of the detection center axis of the laser radar 10 from the center of the imageable area of the image sensor 40. Set the target search area. Although not all deviation amounts of the detection center axis of the laser radar 10 are caused by deviations in the front-rear center axis direction of the vehicle, the target search area can be set easily in this way. Note that the center position of the target search area may be obtained after the deviation amount of the detection center axis of the laser radar 10 is reduced by a predetermined ratio.

  Next, in step S220, the image signal of the target search area is captured, and each pixel is binarized into a bright part (white) and a dark part (black) according to the pixel value of each pixel in the image signal. In step S230, in the image signal in which the pixel value of each pixel is binarized, the position of the pattern of the target 72 is specified and the center position of the pattern is detected.

  When the center position coordinates of the pattern of the target 72 are obtained in this way, an object detection area for performing white line recognition processing is determined in step S240. An example of this object detection area is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the object detection area is defined as a range having a predetermined size in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with the center position of the target 72 as the center. By setting the object detection area based on the target center position as described above, the object detection area of the image sensor 40 is targeted while reducing the adjustment work of the imaging range when the image sensor 40 is mounted on the vehicle. It is possible to match with the imaging area.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the laser radar 10 and the image sensor 40 are mounted on the vehicle as the plurality of object detection units has been described. However. The combination of a plurality of object detection means mounted on the vehicle is not limited to this example, and millimeter wave radar and laser radar, millimeter wave radar and image sensor, and all of millimeter wave radar, laser radar, and image sensor are included. You may combine.

  However, when a millimeter wave radar is combined, the millimeter wave radar is used as the first detection means of the present invention to first detect and adjust the amount of deviation of the detection center axis, and to perform laser radar and / or image sensor. As a second detection means, it is preferable to set a recognition processing area based on the deviation amount of the detection center axis of the millimeter wave radar, and to execute a recognition process for detecting a target in the recognition processing area. Since the millimeter wave radar detects the azimuth of the target from the phase difference of the received waves at the plurality of receiving antennas, the recognition processing area cannot be set to a narrow area azimuthally, and the first detection means This is because the deviation amount of the detection center axis cannot be effectively utilized.

  In the embodiment described above, the amount of deviation of the detection center axis is first detected using the laser radar 10 as the “first detection means”. At this time, the irradiation angle range of the laser beam was narrowed down to the target detection area. However, in this case, since the deviation amount of the detection center axis in the other object detection means cannot be used, the target detection area must be set in a relatively wide range. On the other hand, when this laser radar 10 is used as the “second detection means”, the shift amount of the detection center axis in the “first detection means” can be used, so a target detection area in a narrower range can be obtained. Can be used.

  In the above-described embodiment, both the laser radar 10 and the image sensor 40 set the object detection area at a position that cancels the shift amount in order to correct the shift amount of the detection center axis. . This eliminates the need for mechanical adjustment work using bolts or the like, but of course, the detection center axis deviation may be corrected by mechanical adjustment work. In particular, for millimeter wave radar, it is difficult to adjust the detection area in software, and the deviation of the detection center axis must be adjusted mechanically.

It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure in this embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a laser beam irradiation possible area of the laser radar. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an object detection area used when an object such as a preceding vehicle is actually detected in the laser radar. FIG. It is a figure which shows the target member 70 equipped with the targets 71 and 72 of the laser radar 10 and the image sensor 40, respectively. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of a vehicle and the target member. 4 is a flowchart showing processing for detecting the amount of deviation of the detection center axis of the laser radar 10 and setting an object detection area. 3 is a graph showing the received light intensity of reflected laser light by a target with respect to each laser light when laser light is scanned in the X-axis direction in a target detection area of the laser radar. 3 is a graph showing the received light intensity of reflected laser light by a target with respect to each laser light when laser light is scanned in the Y-axis direction in a target detection area of the laser radar. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the state which the front-back center axis direction and the advancing direction of the vehicle shifted | deviated. 5 is a flowchart illustrating processing for detecting a shift amount of a detection center axis of an image sensor 40 and setting an object detection area. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method of setting a target search area in the image sensor 40 based on the amount of deviation of the detection center axis of the laser radar 10. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method for setting an object detection area used when an image is actually detected in the image sensor 40. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Laser radar 20 Laser radar control part 30 ACC system 40 Image sensor 50 Image sensor control part 60 LKA system 70 Target member

Claims (6)

A detection method for detecting a deviation amount from a target direction of a detection center axis of first and second detection means for detecting an object existing in front of a vehicle,
An arrangement step of arranging a target member equipped with first and second targets detected by the first and second detection means, respectively, so as to have a predetermined positional relationship with the vehicle in front of the vehicle; ,
A first detection step of detecting a position of the first target by the first detection means;
A first calculation step of calculating a deviation amount between a detection center axis of the first detection unit and a target direction based on a detection position of the first target by the first detection unit;
The second detection means can set a recognition processing area narrower than the detectable area for recognition processing of the second target for any area in the detectable area. Then, based on the amount of deviation between the detection center axis of the first detection means and the target direction calculated in the first calculation step, the recognition processing area is set, and the second detection means has its A second detection step of detecting the second target by performing recognition processing in a recognition processing area;
And a second calculation step of calculating a deviation amount between a detection center axis of the second detection means and a target direction based on a detection position of the second target by the second detection means. A method for detecting the deviation of the detection center axis.   The recognition processing area is centered on a position shifted from the center of the detectable area of the second detection means by the amount that the detection center axis of the first detection means is shifted from the target direction, The detection center axis deviation amount detection method according to claim 1, wherein the detection center axis deviation amount detection method is set as an area having a size.   The detection center axis deviation detection method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second detection means is an image sensor.   The imageable area of the image sensor is set wider than the detection area where the object should be detected, and the image sensor is configured to detect the object in the imageable area based on the amount of deviation between the detection center axis of the image sensor and the target direction. 4. The detection center axis shift amount detection method according to claim 3, further comprising an adjustment step of matching a detection center axis of the image sensor with a target direction by determining a position of a detection area.   The second detection means is a laser radar capable of irradiating a pulsed laser over a predetermined angle range in each of the vehicle width direction and height direction of the vehicle and receiving a reflected laser. The detection center axis deviation amount detection method according to claim 1 or 2.   The area that can be irradiated with the pulsed laser of the laser radar is set wider than the detection area where the object should be detected, and is based on the amount of deviation between the detection center axis of the second detection means and the target direction. 6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising an adjustment step of determining a position of the detection area within an area that can be irradiated with the pulsed laser so that a detection center axis of the laser radar coincides with a target direction. Of detecting the deviation amount of the detection center axis.

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