KR100715036B1 - Method and apparatus for collecting traffic information - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a traffic information collection method and apparatus for generating traffic information for collection according to a speed of a transverse vehicle detected using a probe car. The present invention detects the image information of the transverse vehicle by the image detection camera installed on at least one side of the probe car, and detects the distance information to the transverse vehicle by the distance measuring sensor, the detected image information and the distance information Detects the relative speed of the transverse vehicle and calculates the speed of the probe car by the pulse signal generated when the probe car moves. The present invention provides a traffic information collecting device and method for generating traffic information for collection using the calculated transverse vehicle speed and transmitting the collected traffic information to a traffic information control center. Therefore, not only the transverse vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane of the probe car but also the information of the transverse vehicle in other lanes can be collected, so that the accuracy and reliability of the collected traffic information can be improved.

Probe car, video detection camera, distance sensor, transverse vehicle, traffic information

Description

Apparatus and method for collecting traffic information {METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING TRAFFIC INFORMATION}             

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a traffic information collecting device and method using a probe car.

2 is a view illustrating a sensing distance adjustment principle of the sensor of FIG. 1.

3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a traffic information collecting device according to the present invention.

4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a distance detection operation according to the distance measuring sensor of FIG. 3.

5 is a flow chart for performing traffic information collection according to the present invention.

6 is a flow chart for calculating the speed of the transverse vehicle passing in accordance with the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100: probe car 210: clock generator

212: counter 214: pulse generator                 

216: video detection camera unit 218: distance measurement sensor unit

220: signal processing unit 222: memory unit

224: transmission unit

The present invention relates to a traffic information collecting device and method, and more particularly, in a traffic information collecting device and method using a probe car, a traffic information collecting device and method for improving the reliability of the collected traffic information by widening the collecting range of the traffic information. It is about.

In general, the collection of traffic information to grasp the traffic conditions of the road is made from a CCTV installed on the road, a traffic correspondent, various sensors installed on the road. This information is analyzed and processed by the traffic information control center and delivered to various organizations or systems that provide traffic information.

Here, in the case of collecting traffic information using a sensor such as a point detector and a beacon, the reliability of the collected traffic information varies according to the installation location of the sensor. In other words, where the sensor installation density is low, the reliability of the collected traffic information becomes very low.

In addition, since the sensor must be installed on all roads where traffic information is required, the installation cost is enormous, and moreover, the sensor must be installed every time a new road is constructed, and it is necessary for maintenance management due to the aging of the facility. The cost is considerable.

As described above, a method of collecting traffic information using a probe car (or an observation vehicle) is disclosed to collect traffic information without incurring a huge cost for the infrastructure for collecting traffic information.

The conventional method of collecting traffic information using a probe car is to calculate only the speed of the probe car and transmit it to the traffic information control center.

This conventional method not only has too much data processing to be performed at the traffic information control center, but also a lot of probe cars have the same conditions in order to make the information representative of the road while increasing the reliability of the information collected at the probe car. There is a disadvantage in that it must operate evenly throughout the city.

In order to improve the above-mentioned disadvantages, the present applicant is equipped with a scanning sensor on the probe car, and not only traffic information (for example, traveling speed) related to the probe car, but also a vehicle driving the adjacent lane of the probe car (hereinafter, referred to as lateral passage). The traffic information collection method for detecting and processing the traffic information such as the driving speed of the vehicle is transmitted to the traffic information center by the probe car, and the patent application issued on August 2, 1999 (Patent application 99-31742). Filed. In this case, the probe car is generally optimal for a route bus that runs at a predetermined interval on a predetermined section, but may include a taxi or a passenger car to collect traffic information in an area where the route bus is not operated or the operation is small. .

The apparatus and method for collecting traffic information using a probe car by the present applicant will be briefly described as follows.

After detecting the transverse vehicle by using at least two scanning sensors installed at least one side of the probe car at a predetermined interval in the transverse direction, analyzing the input signal, calculating the transverse vehicle speed, and then collecting the traffic information. Create However, this method should consider the following.

1 is a schematic block diagram for explaining a traffic information collecting device and method using a probe car in the applicant's previous application (Patent Application No. 99-31742).

The traffic information collecting device in the previous application is installed on the transverse side of the probe car 100 so as to detect the transverse passing vehicle located in the transverse lane of the probe car 100 and the first sensor SE-A and the second sensor. (SE-B) is configured.

However, the apparatus for collecting traffic information as described above shows input of noise generated when the first sensor SE-A and the second sensor SE-A detect two different vehicles at the same time. In order to prevent this, the detection distance between the first sensor SE-A and the second sensor SE-A is used within the adjacent lane of the probe vehicle traveling lane.

Here, the sensing distance control of the first sensor SE-A and the second sensor SE-B will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the left side shows a portion (hereinafter referred to as a subject side) in which a sensing object of the first sensor (or second sensor) is located, and the right side shows a sensing portion (ie, a portion where an image is formed) of the sensor. (Hereinafter referred to as image sensor side).                         

Here, the size of the clearly visible point is called the permissible confusion circle, and the permissible confusion circle is shown as a circle in the figure.

In Fig. 2, since the focus on the subject side is set to A and the point A 'on the image sensor side is passed, the image of the subject A is naturally clear, and the image BM of the subject B which is forward by the distance Q2 from the subject surface has a constant size. It is not clear as it is, but if it is less than the diameter of the confusion circle, it can be recognized as clear.

In addition, the image of the subject C, which is rearward by the distance Q1 from the subject surface, can be said to be blurry because the CM has a certain size.

Here, on the subject side, there are two planes (a plane having a certain distance from the lens and passing through points B and C, respectively, in Fig. 2) in which the error width at the image sensor side is equal to the diameter of the allowable confusion circle. Is called the depth of field. In particular, between point A and point B (i.e., Q1) is referred to as the front depth of field, and between point A and point C (i.e., Q2) is referred to as the rear depth of field, and usually the front depth of field (Q1) is referred to as the rear depth of field ( Q2) It has a shorter property.

By utilizing this property, in the present applicant's previous application (Patent Application No. 99-31742), the traffic information collecting device using the probe car has the optimal sensing distance of the sensor (that is, the distance from the sensor to the subject side focus) within the adjacent lane width. In addition, by adjusting the depth of field of the lens to one lane width, it is configured to remove the noise generated by detecting a vehicle in a lane other than the adjacent lane.                         

That is, in order to adjust the sensing distance of the first sensor SE-A and the second sensor SE-B installed in the probe car as described above, the first sensor such that the depth of field becomes the adjacent lane of the probe car traveling lane. The installation position, the installation angle, and the installation interval of the SE-A and the second sensor SE-B are precisely maintained, and the traffic information collected by the probe car 100 is also adjacent to the probe car driving lane. Since it is limited to the information by the transverse vehicle traveling the vehicle, there is a problem that the collection range of the traffic information is limited.

In addition, in order to detect the transverse vehicle of the probe car, at least one pair of (first and second sensors) transverse scanning sensors must be installed at a predetermined interval (20 to 30 cm) on one side of the probe car. When attached to a taxi or a passenger car, there is also a problem that is difficult to install due to the problem that the appearance of the vehicle deteriorates.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the traffic information collecting device and method for collecting traffic information of not only the adjacent lane of the probe car but also other transverse lane vehicles by the image detection camera and the distance measuring sensor. The purpose is to provide.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for collecting traffic information that is easy to install, maintain, and manage a sensor for detecting a transverse vehicle.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to detect the transverse vehicle with only one image sensor having a small size of the sensor, collecting traffic information to solve the appearance aesthetic problem of the probe car equipped with a transverse vehicle detection sensor An apparatus and method are provided.

According to a first aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, in the traffic information collection device using a probe car, the image detection camera unit for detecting the image information of the transverse vehicle of the probe car, the distance to the transverse vehicle A distance measuring sensor unit for detecting information, a pulse generator for outputting a pulse signal for calculating a speed of a probe car, a signal processor for receiving image information, distance information, and pulse signals and generating traffic information for collection; And a memory unit for storing the traffic information for collection and outputting the signal by the signal processor, and a transmitter for transmitting the traffic information for collection, wherein the signal processor detects the transverse vehicle based on the image information, and detects the transverse vehicle. Detecting the moving distance of the transverse vehicle on the image information, and detecting the moving distance on the detected image information. The actual moving distance of the transverse passing vehicle is detected based on the distance information from the louver car to the transverse passing vehicle, the relative speed of the transverse passing vehicle is calculated from the detected actual moving distance, and the speed of the probe car is calculated from the pulse signal. In addition, there is provided a traffic information collecting device characterized by calculating the speed of the transverse passing vehicle by adding the relative speed and the speed of the probe car.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, detecting the image information and the distance information of the transverse passing object by the image detection camera and the distance measuring sensor installed on at least one side of the probe car, by the difference in the shade of the image information Detecting a boundary line of the transverse vehicle, detecting a movement distance on the image information by measuring the movement distance of the detected boundary line of the vehicle, and transverse side according to the movement distance on the image information and the distance information from the probe car to the transverse vehicle Detecting the actual moving distance of the passing vehicle, detecting the relative speed of the transverse passing vehicle by the actual moving distance, calculating the speed of the transverse passing vehicle by adding the detected relative speed of the transverse passing vehicle and the speed of the probe car Step, generating collecting traffic information using the calculated transverse vehicle speed and collecting Its characteristics are to provide a traffic information collection method comprising the step of transmitting traffic information.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a traffic information collecting device and method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited or limited by the following examples.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a traffic information collecting device according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a distance detection operation according to the distance measuring sensor of FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, the traffic information collecting device according to the present invention installed in the probe car 100 includes a clock generator 210, a counter 212, a pulse generator 214, and an image detection camera unit 216. ), A distance measuring sensor unit 218, a signal processor 220, a memory unit 222, and a transmitter 224.                     

Here, the clock generator 210 generates a clock CLK signal, and the counter 212 counts a clock signal input from the clock generator 210.

The pulse generator 214 generates a predetermined number of pulse signals each time the wheel of the probe car 100 rotates, and the generated pulse signal is output to the counter 212 to calculate the speed of the probe car 100. Is used.

The image detection camera unit 216 is a scanning sensor installed on at least one side of the probe car 100 to detect a transverse vehicle, and captures an image of the transverse vehicle, and the distance measuring unit 218 is illustrated in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the distance L between the lateral passing vehicle photographed by the image detecting camera unit 216 and the image detecting camera unit 216 is measured, and the distance information corresponding thereto is output.

At this time, it is apparent that the image detecting camera unit 216 can photograph an image of a transverse vehicle passing not only the adjacent lane of the probe car 100 but also other lanes.

Here, the image detection camera unit 216 may be a photodiode array / image sensor capable of sensing a two-dimensional region, for example, a 16, 35, 46-component Si (silicon) photodiode array or a two-dimensional Si PIN photodiode. An array can be comprised, for example, S3805, S4529, S7585, etc. In addition, the image detection camera unit 216 may be configured of a one-dimensional photo array, for example, an N-MOS (MOS) and a C-MOS one-dimensional image sensor or a CCD region image sensor.

The image detection camera unit 216 composed of such one-dimensional and two-dimensional sensors is generally configured to detect visible light, and the distance measuring sensor unit 218 detects a transverse vehicle using an infrared signal. In this case, it is obvious that the distance measuring sensor unit 218 may be configured to detect an infrared reflection signal according to the infrared signal generated. At this time, since the image detection camera unit 216 composed of the above-described sensors may have a small size and only one side may be installed on one side of the probe car, the deterioration of the aesthetic appearance in the probe car 100 may be greatly reduced.

In addition, the image detection camera unit 216 adjusts the depth of field to detect transverse passing vehicles of the plurality of transverse lanes in order to detect vehicles located in the plurality of transverse lanes of two to three lanes or more. Sensing the image of the transverse vehicle passing in the transverse lane. The distance measuring sensor unit 218 is configured to detect the actual moving distance of the transverse transit vehicle located in the plurality of transverse lanes detected by the distance information from the probe car 100 to the transverse transit vehicle.

On the other hand, the image detection camera unit 216 can fix the depth of field to one side lane, for example, to detect only the adjacent lane of the probe car 100, and also the depth of field to two to three lanes In addition, by adjusting the intensity of the light source or the intensity of the input signal, it may be fixed to separate the signals of two to three lanes, in which case the traffic information is collected only by the image detecting camera unit 216 without the distance sensor unit 218. can do.

The signal processor 220 receives a counted clock signal and a pulse signal, detects a transverse vehicle passing by the captured image information of the transverse vehicle, which is input at a predetermined time interval Δt, and the distance measuring unit 218. The relative speed of the transverse vehicle is calculated based on the distance information of the transverse vehicle.                     

In addition, the signal processor 220 calculates the speed of the transverse vehicle by adding the calculated relative speed of the transverse vehicle and the speed of the probe car 100 calculated by the pulse signal generated when the probe car is moved. Generates traffic information for collection from the speed of the vehicle.

In this case, the operation of the signal processor 220 will be described in more detail as follows.

First, the signal processing unit 220 is the front or rear part of the vehicle due to the difference in the shadow from the difference between the shade of the vehicle portion and the background portion in the captured image information of the transverse passing vehicle input from the image detection camera unit 216 at predetermined time intervals. Find the boundary line of.

The signal processing unit 220 may measure the moving distance of the boundary line divided as described above, that is, the moving distance of the transverse passing vehicle because the image information of the transverse passing vehicle photographed by the image detecting camera unit 216 is continuous.

Here, since the measured moving distance of the transverse vehicle is the distance on the photographed image information, in order to detect the speed of the transverse vehicle, it is necessary to measure the actual moving distance of the transverse vehicle.

The signal processor 220 receives the distance information from the distance measuring sensor 218 to the transverse side vehicle photographed to measure the actual moving distance of the transverse side vehicle, and for a predetermined time by triangulation using the distance information. Calculate the actual travel distance of the transverse vehicle.

Subsequently, the signal processor 220 calculates the relative speed Vr of the transverse vehicle by Equation 1 based on the actual moving distance of the transverse vehicle for a predetermined time.                     

Here, d represents the actual moving distance of the transverse vehicle, and t represents the time required for the actual moving distance.

The signal processor 220 then adds the relative speed Vr of the calculated transverse vehicle and the velocity Vp of the probe car 100 calculated according to the pulse signal generated by the pulse generator 214. The speed Vo of the passing vehicle is calculated.

That is, the formula for calculating the speed Vo of the transverse vehicle is expressed as in Equation (2).

Here, the speed of the probe car 100 may be counted by the pulse output from the pulse generator 214 per unit time, and may be calculated using the counted pulse signal, and may be calculated using the GPS system. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that this may be accomplished by calculating a change in position per unit time.

The traffic information for collection is generated based on the speed Vo of the transverse transit vehicle calculated as described above, and the generated traffic information is stored in the memory unit 222 for a predetermined time or immediately transmitted to the traffic information control center. do.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, a traffic information collecting method by the traffic information collecting device according to the present invention configured and operated as described above is as follows.

5 is a flow chart for performing traffic information collection according to the present invention.

First, image information and distance information of an object passing through the transverse side of the probe car 100 are received by the image detecting camera unit 216 and the distance measuring sensor unit 218 mounted on the side of the probe car 100 ( S400).

Next, the transverse passing object is detected and tracked based on the input image and the distance information using the vehicle tracking algorithm to recognize whether the transverse passing object is a vehicle or not (S402). Here, the method of detecting the transverse passing object using the vehicle tracking algorithm is well known and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

When the transverse passing object is recognized as a vehicle in step S402, the information about the transverse passing object is analyzed to calculate the speed Vo of the transverse passing vehicle (S404), and based on the calculated transverse vehicle speed. The traffic information for collection is generated and selectively stored in the memory unit 222 (S406). At this time, it is apparent that the generated traffic information for collection further includes the number of transverse vehicles in addition to the transverse vehicle speed Vo.

Collecting traffic information generated through the above steps is transmitted to the traffic information control center (S408).

Here, the process of calculating the speed of the transverse vehicle will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6 is a flowchart for calculating the speed of the transverse vehicle according to the present invention.                     

First, the boundary line of the front or rear part of the transverse passing vehicle is detected by the difference in the shade between the vehicle portion and the background portion among the image information of the transverse passing vehicle image (S500).

Next, the moving distance of the boundary line detected for a predetermined time is measured to detect the moving distance of the transverse vehicle on the image information (S502).

The actual moving distance of the transverse vehicle is detected by triangulation using the moving distance and the distance information on the image information detected in step S502 (S504), and the relative movement of the transverse vehicle is detected using the detected actual moving distance. The speed Vr is detected (S506).

Subsequently, the speed Vo of the transverse vehicle is detected by summing the speed Vp of the probe car and the relative speed of the transverse vehicle, according to the pulse signal input from the pulse generator 214 (S508).

The apparatus and method for collecting traffic information according to the present invention can photograph a transverse vehicle of a probe car with an image detecting camera and detect distance information to the transverse vehicle photographed by a distance measuring sensor. The actual moving distance of the transverse vehicle may be calculated based on the captured image and the distance information.

Therefore, the present invention can calculate the actual moving distance of the transverse vehicle by the image information captured by the image detection camera, and calculate the speed of the transverse vehicle traveling through the plurality of transverse lanes photographed by the image detection camera. It can work.                     

In addition, the present invention can generate the traffic information for collection according to the speed of the transverse vehicle passing through a plurality of transverse lanes, etc., thereby improving the reliability of the traffic information for collection.

In addition, since the present invention detects the transverse vehicle with only a small size of the image detection camera installed on the probe car, even if the image detection camera for detecting the transverse vehicle is attached to a taxi or a passenger car, the appearance of the probe car is reduced in appearance. There is also an effect that can be prevented.

Although the above has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims below It will be appreciated that modifications and variations can be made.

Claims (13)

In the traffic information collecting device of the probe car for collecting traffic information using a probe car and transmitting it to a traffic control center, Transverse side vehicle detection means provided on at least one side of the probe car for detecting image information of the transverse side vehicle and the distance information to the transverse side vehicle; The transverse vehicle passing through the image information input at predetermined time intervals is detected, and the actual movement distance and the transverse side of the transverse vehicle are based on the moving distance and the distance information on the image information of the detected transverse vehicle. Signal processing means for calculating a speed of the passing vehicle and generating collecting traffic information using the calculated speed of the transverse vehicle; And And a transmitting means for transmitting the collecting traffic information to a traffic control center. The method of claim 1, The transverse vehicle detection means An image detection camera unit for collecting image information of a transverse vehicle of the probe car; And Distance measuring sensor unit for measuring the distance from the probe car to the transverse vehicle passing through the distance information Traffic information collection device, characterized in that configured to include. The method of claim 2, The distance measuring sensor unit is configured to transmit a predetermined electromagnetic wave to the transverse vehicle, and outputs the distance information according to the return time of the reflected wave according to the transmitted electromagnetic waves. The method of claim 1, The signal processing means, And a boundary line of the transverse passing vehicle is detected based on a difference in shadow of the image information, and a movement distance on the image information is calculated by measuring a movement distance of the detected boundary line of the vehicle. The method of claim 1, And the actual moving distance of the transverse vehicle is calculated by triangulation using the moving distance information on the image information. The method of claim 1, And the speed of the transverse vehicle is calculated by adding up the speed of the probe car and the relative speed of the transverse vehicle. delete In the traffic information collection device using a probe car, An image detection camera unit for detecting image information of a transverse vehicle passing through the probe car; A distance measuring sensor unit for detecting distance information to the transverse vehicle; A pulse generator for outputting a pulse signal for calculating the speed of the probe car; A signal processor configured to receive the image information, the distance information, and the pulse signal and generate traffic information for collection; A memory unit for storing the generated traffic information for collection and outputting the collected traffic information by the signal processor; And Including a transmission unit for transmitting the traffic information for collection Here, the signal processor detects the transverse vehicle by the image information, Detecting the moving distance of the transverse vehicle on the detected image information of the transverse vehicle, An actual moving distance of the transverse vehicle is detected by the moving distance on the detected image information and the distance information; Calculate the relative speed of the transverse vehicle by the detected actual travel distance; Calculating the speed of the probe car by the pulse signal, And calculating the speed of the transverse vehicle by adding the relative speed and the speed of the probe car. The method of claim 8, And the signal processor detects the transverse vehicle based on the image information using a vehicle tracking algorithm. In the traffic information collection method using a probe car, Detecting image information of a transverse passing object and distance information to the transverse passing object by an image detection camera and a distance measuring sensor installed on at least one side of the probe car; Detecting a boundary of the transverse vehicle by the shade difference of the image information; Detecting a moving distance on the image information by measuring a moving distance of the detected boundary line of the vehicle; Detecting an actual moving distance of the transverse vehicle passing according to the moving distance on the image information and the distance information; Detecting the relative speed of the transverse vehicle by the actual moving distance; Calculating the speed of the transverse vehicle by adding the detected relative speed of the transverse vehicle and the speed of the probe car; Generating traffic information for collection using the calculated speed of the transverse vehicle; And Transmitting the traffic information for collection Traffic information collection method comprising a. delete The method of claim 10, The detecting of the boundary line of the transverse vehicle is performed by detecting the difference between the shade of the transverse vehicle portion and the background portion of the image information. delete

Images