KR20170001540A - A Method for Detecting a Pedestrian Automatically and a Device for Generating a Signal on Detecting a Pedestrian Automatically - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for automatically detecting a pedestrian and a device for generating a signal to automatically recognize a pedestrian, which has an automatic pedestrian recognizing function, and specifically, to a method for automatically detecting a pedestrian and a device for generating a signal to automatically recognize pedestrian, which automatically control operation of a traffic light by dividing a general pedestrian and a signal pedestrian in an area in which walking is permitted in accordance with a signal of the traffic light such as a crosswalk so as to automatically detect the general pedestrian and the signal pedestrian. The device for generating a signal to automatically recognize a pedestrian includes: a distance sensor (33) capable of measuring a distance to an object located in a predetermined area; a control unit (C) processing information transmitted from the distance sensor (33) and determining a movement of the object in accordance with a change in the distance or the distance to the object; a counter (CT) measuring the change in a viewpoint in accordance with the movement of the object; and a comparator (CP) determining whether the object corresponds to a signal waiting pedestrian based on a value transmitted from the counter (CT). The predetermined area is divided and detected by multiple channels formed in the distance sensor (33).

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a pedestrian automatic detecting method and a pedestrian automatic recognizing signal,

The present invention relates to a pedestrian automatic recognizing method and a pedestrian automatic recognizing pedestrian having a pedestrian automatic recognizing function and more particularly to a pedestrian automatic pedestrian recognizing pedal Thereby automatically controlling the operation of the traffic lights and the gait automatic recognition signal.

The traffic light installed on the pedestrian crossing operates regularly to change the signal to control the movement of the vehicle and the pedestrian. However, the regular operation of the traffic lights according to the installation position or operation time may be provided with a signal change switch which can obstruct the traffic flow and forcibly change the signal to solve such a problem. When a walking signal is required, the pedestrian can walk by changing the signal through such a signal changing switch. However, such a forced switch is difficult to be recognized by pedestrians, and has to be exposed to the outside, so that maintenance and repair are difficult. Various techniques for solving such disadvantages are known in the art.

Patent Registration No. 10-0995055 discloses a transit waiting line analysis module that performs a transverse waiting analysis mode in a first mode; A pedestrian crossing analysis module performing a pedestrian crossing analysis mode in a second mode; An elastic transit time adjustment module for performing an elastic transverse time mode in a third mode; A failure diagnosis module for performing a failure self-diagnosis mode in a fourth mode; And a signal period generation unit for performing a signal period generation mode in the fifth mode, wherein the first to fourth modes are performed in order or simultaneously with respect to the pedestrian image sensing type traffic signal device. The prior art uses a camera to obtain information about a pedestrian or a transit waiting line.

Patent Registration No. 10-1026683 discloses a wireless communication system including an antenna for transmitting a microwave signal and sensing the signal, a transmitting and receiving unit for transmitting and receiving signals sensed by the antenna, and a receiving unit for modulating, demodulating, A microwave sensor which is formed as a modulation / demodulation unit for processing a signal and is installed on a pedestrian crossing to calculate information such as the speed, size, and residence time of an object approaching the pedestrian crossing, A gateway for transmitting and receiving a signal generated by the microwave sensor installed at each crosswalk provided with the microwave sensor, a camera for monitoring and photographing the vicinity of the crosswalk, and a warning for providing information to a vehicle or a pedestrian by sensing operation of a microwave sensor A controller configured to transmit and receive the information and the current state detected and generated in the adjacent transverse sidewall adjacent to the display unit through the gateway at predetermined time intervals and to share the current state and the operation state with respect to the respective devices; And a management server that remotely controls and manages a microwave sensor and a control device installed on each crosswalk, and discloses a pedestrian pedestrian safety system using a microwave sensor.

Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0111707 discloses a pedestrian, which is installed inside a barriers for distinguishing a pedestrian crossing from a road, and which detects a pedestrian and a vehicle located on a pedestrian crossing approaching a pedestrian crossing, ; And a detection control unit for generating an illumination control signal for controlling the illumination on the pedestrian crossing based on the detection signal detected by the human body sensing unit and transmitting the illumination control signal to the human body sensing unit.

A pedestrian detection device for the control of traffic signals or a detection device for monitoring a specific area should be able to identify pedestrians, signal waiters, buildings or vehicles and, if possible, detect the movement of pedestrians or signaling waiters Do. When the image acquisition device is used, it is possible to acquire such information from the acquired image, but it has a disadvantage that the information acquisition process is complex and error is likely to occur. For example, in the case of a detection unit installed on a pedestrian crossing, it is necessary to be able to distinguish a pedestrian from a waiting signal from the obtained detection signal. However, the prior art does not disclose a method for distinguishing a pedestrian, a signal signer, and a building like this.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art and has the following purpose.

Prior art 1: Patent registration No. 10-0995055 (published by Dix Vision Co., Ltd., November 18, 2010) Pedestrian video-assisted traffic signal device and traffic signal method Prior Art 2: Patents Registration No. 10-1026683 (Venus Security Co., Ltd., Published Apr. 07, 2011) Pedestrian Safety System and Operation Method of Pedestrian Crosswave Using Microwave Sensors Prior Art 3: Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0111707 (Katy Co., Ltd., October 10, 2012) Pedestrian Pedestrian Human Detection System and Method

An object of the present invention is to provide a pedestrian automatic detecting method and pedestrian automatic recognizing signal which enable control of a traffic light through identification of a pedestrian and a signal waiting in a predetermined detection area from distance information obtained from a detection unit.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an automatic pedestrian detection method includes the steps of: disposing at least one distance sensor capable of measuring the distance of an object detected in different areas by a plurality of channels; Setting a signal waiting area capable of distance measurement by the distance sensor; Detecting a pedestrian located in a signal waiting area by the distance sensor; Setting a count area for the pedestrian; Determining whether the count for the pedestrian increases in the count area; And controlling the operation of the traffic light according to the determination as to whether or not the count is increased.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the signal waiting area is divided into a plurality of detection areas according to the distance of the signal waiting area with respect to the detection reference position where the distance sensor is disposed.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the increase in the count in the count area is determined by the distance information obtained by the plurality of channels with respect to the pedestrian.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the step of detecting the pedestrian, when the pedestrian left for a predetermined period of time is detected by the plurality of channels, the detection area is reset and the detected movement of the pedestrian The direction is determined according to the direction.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a gait automatic recognition signal generator that automatically recognizes a pedestrian and a signal waiting person includes a distance sensor capable of measuring the distance of an object located in a predetermined area; A control unit for processing the information transmitted from the distance sensor and determining the movement of the object in accordance with the distance or distance to the object; A counter for measuring a change with time of movement of the object; And a comparator for determining whether the object corresponds to a signal waiter based on a value transmitted from the counter, wherein the predetermined region is divided and detected by a plurality of channels formed in the distance sensor.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling a traffic signal by detecting presence or absence of a pedestrian or an object by recognizing or detecting a pedestrian by means of an infrared sensor or an ultrasonic sensor, Make sure the problem is overcome. In addition, the present invention solves the problem that traffic flow is obstructed by turning on a frequent gait signal generated due to such technical limitations. Further, the present invention makes it possible to recognize pedestrians who are hard to recognize by a general method, such as pedestrians who are deaf or hard of hearing, pedestrians whose walking is not constant, baby strollers or wheelchair, In addition, the present invention is installed at least with a security camera so that security or crime prevention functions can be performed, and it can be installed independently or integrally with a traffic light, and can be applied to various environments. As described above, the present invention can quickly and accurately detect the type and moving state of an object, thereby making it possible to construct a smart traffic signal and prevent a traffic accident occurring in various environments.

1 shows an embodiment of a method for automatically detecting a pedestrian according to the present invention.
2A and 2B show an embodiment of the operation of the detection unit applied to the method according to the present invention.
3A shows an embodiment of a walking automatic recognition signaling device according to the present invention.
FIG. 3B shows an embodiment in which a gait automatic recognition signal according to the present invention is applied to a traffic light.
FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary operation of a traffic light according to a walking automatic recognition signaling apparatus according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the following description, components having the same reference numerals in different drawings have similar functions, so that they will not be described repeatedly unless necessary for an understanding of the invention, and the known components will be briefly described or omitted. However, It should not be understood as being excluded from the embodiment of Fig.

The automatic detection method according to the present invention protects a pedestrian in a pedestrian crossing, prevents a safety accident that may occur to a pedestrian while simultaneously installing a separate operation switch, It has the purpose of automatically controlling the operation of the traffic lights according to the state. If necessary, it can be installed in safety blind spot and can be used for safety accident prevention. Or may be applied to automatic lighting of a park or streetlight, and may be applied to the detection of vehicle traffic. As such, the present invention can be applied to any field requiring motion detection and is not limited to the embodiments shown.

In the following, the present invention will be described in connection with monitoring or controlling the operation of a traffic light by detecting a pedestrian by being integrated with a traffic light in the vicinity of a pedestrian crossing or independently installed in a traffic light, but this is not limitative to the present invention.

1 shows an embodiment of a method for automatically detecting a pedestrian according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a method for automatically detecting a pedestrian according to the present invention includes the steps of: (P11) placing at least one distance sensor capable of measuring the distance of an object detected in different areas by a plurality of channels; A step (P12) of setting a signal waiting area capable of measuring the distance by the distance sensor; Detecting a pedestrian located in the signal waiting area by the distance sensor (P13); A step (P14) of setting a count area for the pedestrian; Determining whether the count for the pedestrian increases in the count area (P15); And a step (P16) in which the operation of the traffic light is controlled according to the determination of whether or not the count is increased.

The distance sensor may be a sensor capable of measuring the distance of a moving or stationary object, and the distance sensor may be, for example, but not limited to, an optical radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a laser sensor, or a 3D camera sensor. The distance sensor includes a sensor from which distance information between the object and the object can be extracted from the obtained information irrespective of the type of information obtained. Then, the distance of the object located in the area set as the signal waiting area by the distance sensor can be measured. The distance sensor can be determined based on a crosswalk, a driveway, a delivery or a traffic light (P11). The distance sensors may be one or more, and each of the distance sensors may have a plurality of channels. A channel means a path for obtaining information, a plurality of channels formed in one distance sensor can detect different regions, and a plurality of channels formed in different distance sensors can detect the same or different regions have. Therefore, the same area is not detected at the same time by the same distance sensor but can be detected by another distance sensor.

The distance sensor can be arranged with reference to the signal waiting area (P11). Specifically, an area where a pedestrian passes or waits for passage of a pedestrian crossing may be set as a signal waiting area (P12). As described above, the setting of the signal waiting area (P12) and the arrangement of the distance sensors (P11) may be performed in an appropriate order and not necessarily in a predetermined order. The signal waiting area can be detected by the distance sensor and set as an area to pass for the passage of a pedestrian crossing (P12). The signal waiting area can be set variously according to the structure of the crosswalk, the arrangement of the traffic lights, or the arrangement of the roadway.

When a signal waiting area is set (P12), an object located in the signal waiting area can be detected by the distance sensor (P13). The distance sensor can detect the distance to all objects located in the signal waiting area through the scanning method or through the channel in which the detection area is set in advance. And it can detect the pedestrian by detecting the distance to the object (P13). A pedestrian refers to an object that is currently in motion or remains stationary at a predetermined position after movement is completed among all objects in the signal waiting area. A pedestrian does not necessarily have to be a person. For example, a pedestrian can be a mobile object such as a stroller, a wheelchair, a bicycle, or a motorcycle. The distance sensor may have a processing device, such as an independent or integrated microprocessor, and may store information about a stationary object that is always placed in the signal waiting area. The information about the fixed object may be used as a criterion for determining whether or not there is a pedestrian according to the distance information measured by the distance sensor.

A plurality of pedestrians can be detected, and a count area can be set for a pedestrian made up of or for each pedestrian (P14). The count area may be set based on the detected pedestrian in the signal waiting area. For example, if a pedestrian is detected in the area A of the signal waiting area, the count area may be set to a direction approaching the pedestrian crossing. The count area can be set for multiple pedestrians. When a group of pedestrians is detected, a count area can be set in a direction approaching the pedestrian crossing for one group.

Thus, the count area means a virtual area determined according to the position of the pedestrian, which can be a moving area expected for the pedestrian to cross the crosswalk in the signal waiting area. And whether the pedestrian is moving to the count area or not can be determined.

The distance sensor can determine whether the pedestrian moves to the count area by detecting the distance with time of the detected pedestrian (P15). If it is detected that a pedestrian or a group of pedestrians move in a direction different from the count area (NO), it will not correspond to the signal waiting area, and will be out of the signal waiting area after a predetermined time elapses. On the other hand, if one pedestrian or a group of pedestrians is moved to the count area (YES), the pedestrian is judged to be a pedestrian. Then, the moving waiting area is set again at the position where the pedestrian is moved (P14), and then the moving to the waiting waiting area can be detected (P15). The distance sensor continuously detects the distance to the pedestrian at regular intervals and sets the moving direction of one pedestrian or one group of pedestrians based on the measured distance.

In this manner, it is determined whether the pedestrian corresponds to the signal waiter according to the detection of the continuous pedestrian, the setting of the waiting waiting area, and the detection of the pedestrian in the waiting waiting area, so that the operation of the traffic light can be controlled (P16).

As described above, the automatic detection method according to the present invention determines whether or not a pedestrian or pedestrian crossing from an object detected in the signal waiting area corresponds to a pedestrian or a general pedestrian, and accordingly controls the operation of the traffic light, Can be controlled.

On the other hand, if the pedestrian is not going to cross the pedestrian crossing, it can generate a warning signal to the pedestrian or the vehicle. In the case of the visually impaired, the signal lamp can be automatically adjusted without having to manually operate the signal lamp separately. In addition, traffic lights can be automatically adjusted for pedestrian crosswalks on quiet roads where there is little traffic, or during unusual night times.

Hereinafter, an operation process of the distance sensor for detecting the moving direction of the pedestrian by the distance measurement by the pedestrian and adjusting the signal light or generating the warning signal will be described below.

2A and 2B show an embodiment of the operation of the detection unit applied to the method according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2A, a distance sensor corresponding to the detection unit may be disposed separately from the signal light unit or at the detection reference position D together with the signal light unit. Depending on the number of distance sensors, the detection reference position D may be a plurality of, and is described for one detection unit in FIGS. 2A and 2B, and the other detection units may be operated in the same or similar manner, Do not.

The distance sensor disposed at the detection reference position D may have a channel for acquiring at least one detection information. The signal waiting area SA can be divided into a plurality of detection intervals according to the distance from the detection reference position D to the signal waiting area SA.

For example, one channel may be assigned to one detection angle (alpha) in a certain direction in accordance with a detectable region of a distance sensor provided at a detection reference position (D) It is possible to detect one detection area CA1 that is opposite to the first detection area CA1 and two channels can detect the two detection areas CA2 that are increased from the first detection angle alpha by the mutual angle?. And the k channel detects the k detection region corresponding to the k detection angle (? + (K-1) *?). For example, the detection maximum positions Max_1 to Max_n may be set in the vertical direction and the detection minimum positions (Min_1 to Min_n) may be set with respect to the detection region divided in each constant direction. Each channel detects an object or a pedestrian located between the detection minimum positions (Min_1 to Min_n) and measures the distance of each object or signal atmosphere. Specifically, one channel detects a distance or an area between one detection minimum position (Min_1) and one detection maximum position (Max_1) in one detection area (CA1). And the n-channel detects an area or a distance between the n-detection minimum position (Min_1) and the n-maximum detection position (Max_n). In this way, the signal waiting area can be divided into a plurality of detection areas in a predetermined direction with reference to the detection reference position D, and each channel of the distance sensor is allocated to each of the detection areas CA1 and CA2 , Each channel can detect the signal waiting area in the direction perpendicular to each of the detection areas CA1 and CA2, for example. In this way, all areas of the signal waiting area can be detected by a plurality of channels. If an object or a pedestrian is detected in the signal waiting area, the count area can be set.

When a pedestrian or an object left for a predetermined period of time is detected by a plurality of channels in the process of detecting a pedestrian, the detection area is reset, and whether or not the detection area is excluded from the detection object is determined according to the moving direction of the pedestrian left in the detection area .

Referring to FIG. 2B, if an object LO is detected by three channels i, j, k for a predetermined time in the signal waiting area, The area can be reset. If the distance is dist_i, dist_j and dist_k in each channel (i, j, k) for the position where the object LO is detected for a predetermined time, the detection region of each channel (i, j, k) As shown in FIG.

- Detection distance of channel (i) = Min_i to Max_i2

- Detection distance of channel (j) = Min_j ~ Max_j2

- Detection distance of channel (k) = Min_k to Max_k2, where Max_i2 = dist_ia; Max_j2 = dist_ja; Max_k2 = dist_ka, and a is a distance for compensating the detection error, for example, may be set to 20 to 50 cm. In such a case, the direction toward Min_i, Min_j and Min_k from the long-lived object (LO) can be reset to the detection area or the count area. If the pedestrian or the object is detected again in the reset detection area or the count area, it can be determined as a signal waiting area.

As described above, the detection method according to the present invention can exclude an object or a pedestrian, which has been left for a predetermined period of time, from the detection area. This can prevent detection of an object or a pedestrian that has been continuously left in the detection area as a signal waiting area. For example, be accidentally left in the signal waiting area, such as a bicycle or a cargo, and in such a case, be recognized as having a signal waiting. In this case, the present invention allows the neglected object to be excluded from the signal waiting list. Excluding an object or a pedestrian by resetting the detection area can be applied to various situations and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown.

The predetermined time may be variably set according to the area where the automatic walker recognizer is installed or the surrounding environment. It is possible to determine the resetting of the detection area and the exclusion from the detection object by various methods, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown.

If a distance sensor is installed at the traffic light and the detection reference position D is a specific position on a straight line extending vertically from the traffic light, the signal waiting for crossing the crosswalk will show detection information that is getting smaller and smaller, Non-waiting pedestrians will show increasingly distant detection information.

A detection counter according to the detected position of the pedestrian in the signal waiting area can be set as needed.

For example, if the pedestrian is detected at 1 position in the signal waiting area at time 1, the detection counter may be set to zero. The detection counter is incremented by one and can be set to one if the two positions are detected at two positions in the signal waiting area at two times and the two positions are closer to the detection reference position D than the one position. When a pedestrian is detected at three times at three positions near the detection reference position (D), the counter can be incremented by one and set to be 3 again. In this way, the pedestrian increases or decreases the counter according to the distance to the detection reference position D according to the detection time, and if the counter reaches a predetermined value, the pedestrian can be determined as a signal waiter.

The counter may be set for each pedestrian, and the value of the counter serving as a pedestrian for crossing the pedestrian cross can be variously set according to the type of the pedestrian, the installation position of the traffic light, the type of the distance sensor or the surrounding environment, The data can be made in advance into a database stored in an appropriate storage medium. And the database can be called and applied by the control unit according to the operation of the traffic light and the distance sensor. Various databases can be created, and the present invention is not limited by the kind of database.

The signal waiting area can be divided into various methods, and the detection area or the detection area can be divided in various ways as well. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown. And the method according to the present invention can be applied to various traffic light devices.

3A shows an embodiment of a walking automatic recognition signaling device according to the present invention.

3A, the walking automatic recognition signaling apparatus according to the present invention includes a distance sensor 33 capable of measuring a distance of an object located in a predetermined area; A control unit (C) for processing the information transmitted from the distance sensor (33) and determining the movement of the object in accordance with a change in distance or distance to the object; A counter (CT) for measuring a change with time of the movement of the object; And a comparator (CP) for determining whether the object corresponds to a signal waiter based on a value transmitted from the counter (CT), wherein the predetermined area is defined by a plurality of channels formed in the distance sensor Divided.

The distance sensor 33 may be, for example, an optical radar sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a laser scan sensor, or a radar sensor, but may be any distance sensor capable of distance measurement with respect to an object.

A plurality of distance sensors 33 may be provided and a plurality of channels for detecting respective detection regions corresponding to the detection regions divided into the respective distance sensors 33 may be formed. And the distance sensor 33 can detect a pedestrian or an object within a predetermined detection area, such as a signal waiting area. And the detected distance information can be transmitted to the control unit C. [ The control unit C may include any processor capable of processing the distance signal and may control the overall operation of the gait automatic recognition signal. The distance information may be preprocessed and transmitted to the control unit C and the control unit C may determine the movement of the object based on the distance or distance change to the detected pedestrian or object from the distance information. The distance detection unit DC and the object identification unit DO can be disposed integrally or separately with the control unit C. [ The distance detection unit (DC) and the object identification unit (DO) can be in the form of a program or a hardware. The distance detection unit (DC) can store the distance information on the detected object or pedestrian in each channel in a visual manner, and can store a change in the distance to an object or a pedestrian. And send it to the object identification unit (DO). The object identifying unit DO can set a signal waiting area or a count area and can determine the moving direction of a pedestrian or an object in accordance with a distance or a distance change transmitted from the distance detecting unit DC. The resetting of the detection area for an object or pedestrian left for a predetermined period of time described above can also be performed by the object identification unit (DO).

Movement information for an object or a pedestrian determined by the object identification unit (DO) can be transmitted to the control unit (C). Then, the control unit C can control the increase / decrease of the counter CT.

The counter CT may have a function of increasing the count by a predetermined amount according to the moving direction of the pedestrian. And the value of the counter CT can be transmitted to the comparator CP. The comparator CP may determine whether the object or the pedestrian corresponds to a signal waiter based on the count value transmitted from the counter CT. And the information determined by the comparator (CP) can be transmitted to the control unit (C).

The control unit C can finally determine whether the object or the pedestrian corresponds to the signal waiting in accordance with the information transmitted from the comparator CP and transmit it to the control unit of the traffic light through the communication unit T, for example. And thus the operation of the traffic lights can be controlled accordingly. The communication unit T may be various connectors or chips capable of wired or wireless communication.

The gait automatic recognition signaling device according to the present invention may have various structures, and may be integrated with a traffic light or independently installed with a traffic light.

FIG. 3B shows an embodiment in which the gait automatic recognition signals 31a and 31b according to the present invention are applied to the traffic lights 30a and 30b.

3B, the signal lamps 30a and 30b can be operated on the basis of the information transmitted from the gait automatic recognition signals 31a and 31b, which can be wired or wirelessly communicated with the gait automatic recognition signals 31a and 31b have. The signal lamps 30a and 30b can detect the distance of the object located in the signal waiting area SA set in the waiting area where the pedestrian waits for the passage of the crosswalk by the gait automatic recognition signals 31a and 31b. The signal lamps 30a and 30b include gait automatic recognition signals 31a and 31b; And a signal indicator LS operated according to the information transmitted from the gait automatic recognition signalers 31a and 31b. The gait automatic recognition signalers 31a and 31b include a signal waiting area SA by a plurality of channels, And determines the moving state of the object on the basis of the detected distance to distinguish the pedestrian and the signal waiting list. The information on the moving state determined by the walking automatic recognizing signals 31a and 31b The display state is determined in the signal display lamp LS.

The traffic lights 30a and 30b refer to a traffic light installed in a traffic lane or a traffic lane to control traffic of a vehicle or a pedestrian. It may be a traffic light for traffic of a pedestrian or a vehicle installed on an arbitrary road such as an urban road, an industrial road, a local road or a school road, and is not limited by the type or position of a road to be installed.

The signal lamps 30a and 30b may be installed to face each other on both sides of the crosswalk CL and may consist of a signal lamp LP and a signal indicator LS provided above the signal lamppost LP. An electric signboard 37 for providing traffic information to the traffic lights 30a and 30b may be provided and an LED light 35 for illuminating the signal waiting area SA where the pedestrian is located may be provided. Also, a warning device 36 such as a speaker can be provided to inform the outside such as the approach state of the vehicle, the operating state of the signal indicator LS, or the state where the pedestrian crosses the crosswalk CL. Various additional devices can be installed in the traffic lights 30a and 30b, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown.

The automatic detecting units 31a and 31b for detecting a pedestrian crossing the crosswalk CL are manufactured as independent modules and attached to the signal lamps 30a and 30b or the signal lamps 30a and 30b, 30b. ≪ / RTI > Specifically, the automatic detection units 31a and 31b independently manufactured can be attached to the signal lamps 30a and 30b already installed.

The automatic recognition signals 31a and 31b may include the distance sensor 33 described above and may include manual buttons 34 as required. The automatic recognition signals 31a and 31b can be connected to a control program installed in the traffic lights 30a and 30b and can be made to exchange data.

The distance sensor 33 may be a light-based radar sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a laser scan sensor or a radar sensor as described above, and may detect the distance of an object moving into the signal waiting area SA can do. Then, the moving state of the object can be determined based on the distance of the detected object, and it can be determined whether or not the moving object corresponds to the signal waiting state. The information detected by the distance sensor 33 can be transmitted to a control device such as a microprocessor and the control device can control the display of the signal indicator LS based on the transmitted information. The control device may be the same or an independent control unit as the control unit installed in the signal lamps 30a and 30b itself.

An alarm signal is generated with respect to the vehicle A through the warning device 36 such as the electric sign board 37 or a speaker, if the alarm signal is determined by the control device based on the information measured by the distance sensor 33 . In a situation where illumination is required such as nighttime, the light DW, the signal waiting area SA or the crosswalk CL can be illuminated by the LED illumination 35. [

The manual button 34 can be used when it is necessary to activate the signal indicator (LS) in a forced or urgent situation. In this case, the surveillance camera may be operated to record and store the related situation, and the manual button 34 may be set to be in a call connection with the related control room depending on the operating structure. The surveillance camera may be activated, for example, when a signaling waiter passes the crosswalk (CL) at night or on a road with little traffic. The surveillance camera can record the driving situation of the vehicle (A) or the moving state of the pedestrian, and store or record it as a still image.

The operation of such a traffic light will be described below.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary operation of a traffic light according to a walking automatic recognition signaling apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the automatic gait recognition method includes a step P41 of initializing a counter, a step P42 of setting a signal waiting area, a step P421 of detecting a pedestrian, a step of detecting a pedestrian detected when a pedestrian is detected A step P43 of detecting whether the count of the pedestrian in the count area is increased or not, a step P44 of increasing the detection count according to a predetermined value if the count is increased, (P441) judging whether or not a predetermined value has been reached (P441), and activating a signal (P45) if the count reaches a predetermined value.

The counter can be in a program form and not necessarily in hardware form. The counter may be any number of counting or counting software known in the art, and may be installed or embedded in the automatic detection unit. The signal waiting area can be appropriately set on the basis of the crosswalk, guidance, or roadway as described above (P42), and the distance sensor is arranged in the traffic light according to the setting position of the signal waiting area to move into the signal waiting area, It is possible to detect an object moving from the area to the outside.

A pedestrian may be detected in the signal waiting area by the distance sensor (P421). A pedestrian does not necessarily have to be a person, as explained above. For example, bicycles, wheelchairs, motorcycles, cultivators, or wagons.

If the pedestrian is not detected (NO), the detection state can be maintained (P42). On the other hand, if a pedestrian is detected (YES), the count area can be set based on the pedestrian (P43). The count area can be set to the area between the current position of the pedestrian and the pedestrian crossing, and the count increase / decrease becomes the basis. If the first pedestrian is detected and then moved to the count area (YES), the count can be increased (P44). On the other hand, if the pedestrian is moved in the opposite direction of the count area (NO), the count is not decreased or the count is not increased. In this way, the sense count can be increased, maintained or reduced. The method of increasing the detection count can be set in advance, and the count value as to whether or not the pedestrian corresponds to the signal waiter from the increase / decrease of the detection count can be predetermined. It can be determined whether or not the predetermined value can be the threshold value C and the count value of the pedestrian has reached the threshold value C. [ Specifically, the count & cir & threshold value C of the pedestrian can be judged (P441), and if the threshold value C has not been reached (NO), the detection status for the pedestrian can be maintained or the counter can be initialized. On the other hand, if the count of the pedestrian has reached the threshold value C (YES), the signal can be activated (P45). And whether the pedestrian is moving to the pedestrian crossing can be detected (P451). If the pedestrian moves to the pedestrian crossing (YES), a notification signal may be generated (P46). If no movement is detected (NO), detection of the pedestrian may continue. The movement of the pedestrian crossing the pedestrian crossing where the notification signal is generated (P46) can be continuously detected, and the surveillance camera can be operated as described above. Then, when the situation is completed, the initialization of the count can be performed again.

The gait automatic recognition method can be operated in various ways in connection with a traffic light and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling a traffic signal by detecting presence or absence of a pedestrian or an object by recognizing or detecting a pedestrian by means of an infrared sensor or an ultrasonic sensor, Make sure the problem is overcome. In addition, the present invention solves the problem that traffic flow is obstructed by turning on a frequent gait signal generated due to such technical limitations. Further, the present invention makes it possible to recognize pedestrians who are hard to recognize by a general method, such as pedestrians who are deaf or hard of hearing, pedestrians whose walking is not constant, baby strollers or wheelchair, In addition, the present invention is installed at least with a security camera so that security or crime prevention functions can be performed, and it can be installed independently or integrally with a traffic light, and can be applied to various environments. As described above, the present invention can quickly and accurately detect the type and moving state of an object, thereby making it possible to construct a smart traffic signal and prevent a traffic accident occurring in various environments.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . The invention is not limited by these variations and modifications, but is limited only by the claims appended hereto.

30a, 30b: Traffic light 31a, 31b: Walking automatic recognition signal
33: Distance sensor 34: Manual button
35: LED light 36: warning device
37: display board A: vehicle
C: control unit CA1: 1 detection area
CA2: 2 Detection area CL: Pedestrian crossing
CP: comparator CT: counter
D: Detection reference position DC: Distance detection unit
DO: Object identification unit DW:
i, j, k: channel LO: object
LP: Signal light LS: Signal light
P: Pedestrian SA: Signal waiting area
T: communication unit

Claims (3)

Disposing at least one distance sensor capable of measuring the distance of an object detected in different areas by a plurality of channels;
Setting a signal waiting area capable of distance measurement by the distance sensor;
Detecting a pedestrian located in a signal waiting area by the distance sensor;
Setting a count area for the pedestrian;
Determining whether the count for the pedestrian increases in the count area; And
And controlling the operation of the traffic light according to the determination as to whether or not the count is increased,
Wherein the increase in the count in the count area is determined by the distance information obtained by the plurality of channels with respect to the pedestrian. The method according to claim 1, wherein the signal waiting area is divided into a plurality of detection areas according to a distance of a signal waiting area (SA) with respect to a detection reference position where the distance sensor (33) is disposed. 1. A walking automatic recognition signal generator for automatically recognizing a pedestrian and a signal waiting list,
A distance sensor 33 capable of measuring the distance of an object located in a predetermined area;
A control unit (C) for processing the information transmitted from the distance sensor (33) and determining the movement of the object in accordance with a change in distance or distance to the object;
A counter (CT) for measuring a change with time of the movement of the object; And
And a comparator (CP) for determining whether the object corresponds to a signal waiter based on the value transmitted from the counter (CT)
Wherein the predetermined area is divided and detected by a plurality of channels formed in the distance sensor (33).

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