JPH05341842A - Fault detector for traveling vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure the output of the traveling control data on a traveling vehicle by checking the presence or absence of the front obstacles existing on the traveling path of the vehicle and by calculating the distance between the vehicle and each obstacle. CONSTITUTION:A slit light projecting system 2 is provided on a traveling vehicle 1, and a photodetecting system 3 photographs a slit pattern 5 formed on the traveling path of the vehicle 1 by the laser light 4 radiated on the front side of the path. Then, the change of the pattern 5 is analyzed within the photographed image so that the shape of the traveling path, the presence or absence of the obstacles, the shapes of these obstacles, the distance between the vehicle 1 and each obstacle, etc., are calculated at a high speed. Then, it is decided whether the vehicle 1 can travel or not and at the same time the data necessary for traveling are outputted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an obstacle detection device for a traveling vehicle, and more particularly, it detects obstacles of a traveling vehicle that recognizes the presence or absence of an obstacle in front and the shape of a traveling road and outputs the data as data necessary for traveling control. Regarding the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional vehicle obstacle detection device,
In a roadway obstacle detection system, a simple infrared sensor or ultrasonic sensor is used to determine only the presence of obstacles in front, or a stereo camera method is used to detect obstacles based on parallax between two cameras. There is a method of determining the distance to the traveling vehicle.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned conventional obstacle detection device for a traveling vehicle, the former method using an infrared ray or ultrasonic sensor only detects the presence or absence of an obstacle, so that it is necessary for automatic traveling. It is useless in that it cannot recognize the shape of information in the front. Also, in the latter method using a stereo camera, it takes time to calculate the corresponding points of the two cameras, and when the front side is a wall of uniform color and uniform density, the corresponding points cannot be found. It has the drawback that the distance cannot be determined.

[0004]

The obstacle detection device for a traveling vehicle according to the present invention comprises means for irradiating a laser beam from a laser light source into a thin linear slit light and irradiating the slit light in the width direction of the traveling path. , And a means for recognizing the presence or absence of an obstacle based on the shape of the imaged slit light.

[0005]

The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the present embodiment, FIG. 3 is a detailed perspective view of a slit light projecting system of the present embodiment, and FIG. It is a block diagram of an example.

In the autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment, a laser light 4 from a laser light source is converted into a thin linear slit light, and a slit light projecting system 2 for irradiating the irradiation pattern 5 in the width direction of the traveling path is provided. An image pickup device 3 for picking up an irradiation pattern 5 of irradiation on the traveling path and an image processing device 48 for recognizing the presence or absence of an obstacle based on the image information of the picked-up irradiation pattern (slit pattern) 5 are configured.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. The slit light projecting system 2 is installed on the upper part of the autonomous vehicle 1, and it is expanded only in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction, and the slit pattern 5 on the traveling path of the irradiated laser beam 4 is directed downward toward the front of the traveling vehicle. The image is input to the image pickup device 3 and processed by the image processing device 48.

FIG. 2 (a) shows an autonomous vehicle 1 running between the left and right walls.
In a state where the autonomous vehicle 1 passes through between the left and right walls, and in the captured image of the irradiation pattern at that time.
An image of the slit pattern 13 taken by the laser beam 12 at the time of is a horizontal line at a specific place in the image as shown by 16. The autonomous vehicle advances in the direction of 6, and the left side wall 8 and the right side wall 9
When it comes to the position 7 between them, the image of the slit pattern 11 by the laser beam 10 is bent leftward and rightward as shown by 15.

FIG. 2 (b) shows how the autonomous vehicle 1 approaches when there is an obstacle 18 in front of the vehicle and a captured image shows the laser at the position 24 before the slit pattern of the autonomous vehicle reaches the obstacle 18. The slit pattern 22 of the light 23 becomes the position 28 where the traveling road should be in the image, but when the position further ahead 21 is reached, the image of the slit pattern 20 irradiated on the obstacle 18 shows the traveling road 27, The obstacle 18 is imaged as 26, and when the autonomous vehicle further approaches the obstacle 18, it moves to a position 25 above the image of the slit pattern.

In the slit projection optical system 2 shown in FIG. 3, the laser light 31 emitted from the laser light source 30 is reflected by the reflecting mirror 29.
Then, the bent laser beam 32 is turned into a cylindrical lens 33.
The slit pattern 36 of the laser light 34 enlarged only in the horizontal direction 35 is created by.

The image processing means shown in FIG. 5 digitally converts the picked-up image information 37 by the A / D converter 38, and 2
The image information a, which has been digitized by the digitization circuit 39 and which has been smoothed by the smoothing circuit 40, is output to the road cutout circuit 41, the obstacle shape determination circuit 44, and the inter-obstacle distance calculation circuit 45.
In the traveling road cutout circuit 41, an image in the expected traveling road cutout window 47 is cut out for the slit pattern 46 on the traveling road when there is no obstacle, and the travelable width in the traveling road width determination circuit 42 and the connectivity of the slit patterns. The presence / absence of an obstacle and the travelable width are calculated from the above, and if there is an obstacle, the obstacle shape determination circuit 44 calculates obstacle shape data, and the inter-obstacle distance calculation circuit 45 calculates distance data. The output is output to the traveling path control unit 43.

[0012]

As described above, according to the present invention, means for irradiating the slit light obtained by converting the laser light from the laser light source into a thin linear shape in the width direction of the traveling road and the slit light for the traveling road are imaged. By providing a means and a means for recognizing the presence / absence of an obstacle based on the shape of the imaged slit light, the data necessary for traveling control such as the possible traveling width of the front, the presence / absence shape of the obstacle, and the distance from the traveling vehicle can be obtained. The effect is that it can be calculated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a detailed perspective view of a slit light projecting system of the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Autonomous vehicle 2 Slit projection light system 3 Imaging device 4 Laser light 5 Irradiation pattern

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Laser light from a laser light source is converted into thin linear slit light, the slit light irradiates in the width direction of the traveling road, a means for imaging the slit light on the traveling road, and an imaging device. And a means for recognizing the presence or absence of an obstacle based on the shape of the slit light that has been formed.