JP2002329289A - Method and device for detecting vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide vehicle detecting method and device capable of simultaneously presenting different information in addition to advancing information of a vehicle in spite of a simple method. SOLUTION: This device is provided with a means for detecting vehicle advancing and a means for detecting the car body color of the advancing vehicle. The advancing of the vehicle is detected, detection light is also emitted to the car body of the advancing vehicle, detection light reflected from the car body is received by a light receiving means, and information of the car body color can be simultaneously presented together with the advancing information of the car body. Since the information of the car body color can be simultaneously presented together with the advancing information of the car body, the vehicle can be more accurately specified.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for detecting a vehicle, for example, an approach of a vehicle such as an automobile or a train.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various methods have been known for detecting that a vehicle has entered a specific area.
In a general method, a light emitter and a light receiver are arranged on both sides of the approach path where the vehicle enters, and the light from the light emitter is always received by the light receiver, and the vehicle crosses between them to receive light In this method, when the light to the vessel is cut off, the signal changes at that time. Further, as another method, there is also a method of constantly irradiating a detection wave to an approaching path where a vehicle enters, and detecting a change in a reflected wave therefrom to detect the presence or absence of the vehicle. is there. In any case, the conventional method does not have a function of detecting the presence or absence of the vehicle, but detecting even the color of the vehicle body.

[0003]

As described above, the conventional vehicle detection method can detect whether or not a vehicle has entered, but cannot detect the color of a vehicle body. However, for example, in the case of detecting the passage of a vehicle or the like whose body color is specified to some extent, the operation can be simplified if the color of the body can be detected at the same time. For example, when the color of a vehicle body is specified in a criminal investigation or the like, if it is possible to know that a vehicle of the vehicle body color has passed a certain point, it can be dealt with immediately. Further, in the case of managing the passage of a train, knowing the color of the vehicle body makes it possible to relatively accurately know which train has entered or the like. Therefore, there is a demand for a detection method capable of obtaining more information on a vehicle that has entered by a simple method.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a vehicle detection method and apparatus capable of presenting other information in addition to vehicle entry information at the same time while being a simple method. It is intended for.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides means for detecting entry of a vehicle and means for detecting the color of a vehicle entering the vehicle. At the same time, information on the body color can be presented at the same time.

The present invention detects the entry of a vehicle and irradiates a detection light to a vehicle body of the entered vehicle,
A vehicle detection method, wherein the detection light reflected from the vehicle body is received by a light receiving means, and the color of the vehicle body is simultaneously detected from the output level of the light receiving means. It has the effect that color information can be presented simultaneously.

According to the present invention, the means for detecting the entry of the vehicle comprises a light emitter and a light receiver arranged on opposite sides of the approach path of the vehicle body, and detects the color of the vehicle body. The light receiving means in the color detection means,
A vehicle detection method characterized by being also used as the light receiver of the means for detecting the entry of the vehicle, the number of parts can be reduced by also serving as the light receiver, and the cost can be reduced and provided inexpensively, This has the effect of reducing the size and weight of the device.

The present invention is also a vehicle detection method, wherein the detection light for detecting the color of the vehicle body emits light for a predetermined time after the entry of the vehicle is detected. Since light can be emitted only when detection is necessary, it has the effect of saving power.

The present invention is also directed to a vehicle entry detecting means for detecting entry of a vehicle, a light projecting means for applying detection light toward a vehicle body of the entered vehicle, and receiving the detection light reflected from the vehicle body. A light-receiving means for outputting a signal corresponding to the level of the received light, and a vehicle-color detecting means having a color determining means for determining a color of the vehicle body from an output level of the light-receiving means, A vehicle detection device for simultaneously detecting presence / absence and a color of a vehicle body, and has an operation of simultaneously presenting information of a vehicle body color together with entry information of the vehicle body.

According to the present invention, the vehicle entry detecting means comprises a light emitter and a light receiver which are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the approach path of the vehicle body, and the light receiving means of the vehicle body color detecting means comprises The vehicle detection device according to claim 4, wherein the device also serves as the light receiver of the vehicle detection means, and the number of parts can be reduced by also serving as the light receiver, and the cost can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.
This has the effect of reducing the size and weight of the device.

According to the present invention, there is further provided a vehicle detection system wherein the light emitting means of the vehicle body color detecting means is provided with a control means for emitting detection light after the entry of the vehicle is detected. This is a device, and has a function of saving power because detection light can be emitted only when detection is necessary.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a vehicle detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle detection device according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an automobile that has entered the approach road, and in this example, a case in which the vehicle travels in the direction of arrow 2 in FIG. 1 is taken as an example. Reference numeral 10 denotes a control device that controls the entire vehicle detection device, 11 denotes a light emitter for detecting vehicle entry, 12 denotes a light emitter for detecting vehicle body color, and 13 denotes light receiving means for detecting vehicle entry and light receiving means for detecting vehicle body color. It is also a light receiver.

Here, the above-mentioned vehicle detecting light emitting device 11 includes:
The light receiver 13 is disposed on the opposite side of the vehicle approach path with respect to the vehicle approach path, and is disposed at a position shifted from the light receiver 13 in the vehicle approach direction. That is, in this example, the light receiver 13 is disposed forward and the light projector 11 is disposed rearward with respect to the vehicle traveling direction. However, in this structure, the light 14 emitted from the light projector 11 can be received by the light receiver 13. In addition, the height of the light emitter 11 and the light receiver 13 is such that the detection optical path 14 is blocked by the vehicle 1 entering the vehicle approach path, and the height at which the entry of the vehicle 1 can be detected (the height of the bumper in this example). Is set to On the other hand, the light emitting device 12 for detecting the color of the vehicle body is arranged on the same side as the light receiving device 13 with respect to the approach path of the vehicle, alongside the light receiving device 13. The detection optical path 15 projected from the projector 12
Is provided so as to intersect with the detection optical path 14, and when the detection light is emitted from the projector 12 in a state where the vehicle 1 is approaching the vehicle approach path, the detection light hits the vehicle body side surface of the vehicle 1 and is reflected. The reflected detection light is received by the light receiver 13.
And is ready to be received.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration in the control device 10 together with the light projectors 11, 12 and the light receiver 13. FIG.
To explain the circuit configuration of this, 16 is a central processing unit (CPU) for controlling the whole vehicle detection device, and 17 is a photodetector 13
Is a level detector for detecting the output level of the output. Reference numeral 18 denotes a switching circuit (S / W circuit) which controls light emission of the light emitting unit 12 for detecting a vehicle body color, and causes the light emitting unit 12 to emit light (pulse light emission) at a certain fixed cycle. Reference numeral 19 denotes a vehicle body color determination unit which determines a vehicle body color from a signal from the level detector 17. The body color determined here is displayed on the display 20 and stored in the memory 21 as data together with the measured date and time.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for detecting an automobile and detecting the color of a vehicle body in the present embodiment. FIG. FIG. Therefore, the operation of the vehicle detection device according to the present embodiment will be described next according to the processing procedure of FIG. First, in this vehicle detection device, the floodlight 11 for vehicle entry detection is always on,
It is always in a state of emitting light toward the light receiver 13,
The light receiver 13 outputs a signal of a certain level. Then, in step ST1, it is monitored whether or not the vehicle has entered the detection area based on the output signal level of the light receiver 13 at this time. On the other hand, the projector 1 for detecting the vehicle body
2 is in the off state.

Next, when the vehicle 1 enters and reaches the position of the point P1 in FIG. 1, the detection optical path 14 is blocked by the vehicle 1, and the signal level of the light receiver 13 becomes close to zero. descend. Then, it is determined from the state of the signal level that the car 1 has entered the detection area (step ST).
2). When it is detected that the vehicle has entered the detection area, the light emitting device 12 for detecting the vehicle body color is transmitted through the switching circuit 18.
Are pulse-lit at a constant period (step ST3). Even if the light projector 12 is turned on, the signal level of the light receiver 13 remains close to 0 until the vehicle 1 advances to the position P2 in FIG. 1 where the detection optical path 15 from the light projector 12 is interrupted. does not change.

When the vehicle 1 passes through the position P2 in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 is traveling while traversing the detection optical path 15, and the light emitted from the projector 12 is reflected by the side of the vehicle body of the vehicle 1, and is reflected by the light receiver. 13 is incident. The reflected light that enters the light receiver 13 is incident as a pulse wave that is the same as the state in which the light emitter 12 emits a pulse.
Then, the output signal of the light receiver 13 at this time is sent to the vehicle body color determination unit 19, and the body color determination unit 19 determines the body color from the output signal level of the light receiver 13 (step ST).
4).

The determination here is made, for example, as follows. Level h of signal output from light receiver 13
In FIG. 4 (see FIG. 4), the level of light reflected by the color of the body of the automobile 1 is different. The level is high in the case of the white system, and becomes lower as it goes to the black system. Based on this property, the body color determination unit 19 stores color data corresponding to the output level of the light receiver 13 and compares the color data with the output level of the light receiver 13 to determine the color of the vehicle body. Is determined. The colors determined here are sequentially displayed on the display 21 together with the determined date and time.

When the car 1 has passed the position P2 in FIG. 1, the floodlight 1
1 is continuously incident on the photodetector 13, and the output level of the photodetector 13 at this time indicates that the automobile 1 has exited the detection area, that is, the rear end of the automobile 1 is P2 in FIG.
(Step ST)
5). Then, the pulse emission of the vehicle body color detecting light emitter 12 is stopped (turned off) via the switching circuit 18 (step ST6). Next, when the detection result of the vehicle body color detected by the vehicle body color determination unit 19 is stored in the memory 21 together with the determined date and time (step ST7), the detection of the entry of the first vehicle 1 and the detection of the vehicle body color are performed. Complete. And
Again, detection of the entry of the next automobile and detection of the body color are performed in the same manner.

When the color of the vehicle body is determined, the color often varies depending on the position of the vehicle body.
In this case, the color may be specified from the pulse-detected signal depending on which color is the most, or a pulse waveform within the detection time may be continuously recorded and detected as a pattern. Further, it may be displayed as a pattern or stored as it is.

Therefore, in the vehicle detection device according to the present embodiment, when the vehicle enters the detection area, the vehicle can be detected, and the color of the vehicle body is simultaneously detected from the output level of the light receiver 13. be able to. As a result, the data specifying the vehicle body increases (data indicating that the vehicle has entered, and data of the color of the vehicle), so that more accurate information can be known. Further, since the means for detecting the entry of the vehicle and the means for detecting the color of the vehicle also serve as a light receiver, the number of parts can be reduced. As a result, the cost can be reduced and the device can be provided at low cost, and the size and weight of the device can be reduced. further,
The light emitting device 12 for body color detection is turned on when the vehicle 1 enters the detection area, and is turned off when the vehicle 1 exits the detection area. Power saving.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the automobile 1 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the automobile but can be similarly applied to a case where a vehicle such as a train is handled. It also claims the right to implement on vehicles. In addition, although the case where only one light emitting device 12 for detecting the color of the vehicle body is provided is shown, the light emitting device 12 may be provided at a plurality of positions together with the light receiving device by changing the position.

[0023]

As apparent from the above embodiment, the present invention can detect the approach of a vehicle entering the vehicle body detection area and the color of the vehicle body. More and more accurate information can be provided. In addition, since the means for detecting the entry of the vehicle and the means for detecting the color of the vehicle body also serve as a light receiver, the number of parts can be reduced, the cost can be reduced, and the apparatus can be provided at low cost.・ Lightening can be achieved. further,
The body color detection light is turned on when the car enters the detection area, turns off when the car enters the detection area, and turns off when the car leaves the detection area. The effect can be expected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control circuit configuration according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a detection processing procedure according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation waveform at the time of detection according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 automobile 2 traveling direction of automobile 10 control device 11 floodlight for vehicle entry detection 12 floodlight for vehicle body color detection 13 light receiver 14 detection optical path 15 detection optical path 16 central processing unit 17 level detector 18 switching circuit 19 vehicle body color determination unit 20 Display 21 Memory

Claims (6)

[Claims] A detecting means for detecting an approach of a vehicle, applying a detection light to a vehicle body of the vehicle, and detecting light reflected from the vehicle body by a light receiving means; A vehicle detection method, wherein the vehicle color is also detected at the same time. 2. A vehicle color detecting means for detecting the approach of the vehicle, comprising a light emitter and a light receiver arranged on opposite sides of the approach path of the vehicle body and detecting the color of the vehicle body. 2. The vehicle detecting method according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving means in (1) is also used as the light receiving means of the means for detecting the entry of the vehicle. 3. The vehicle detection method according to claim 1, wherein the detection light for detecting the color of the vehicle body emits light for a predetermined time after the entry of the vehicle is detected. . 4. A vehicle entry detecting means for detecting entry of a vehicle, a light projecting means for applying a detection light toward a vehicle body of the entered vehicle, and a light receiving means for receiving the detection light reflected from the vehicle body. Light receiving means for outputting a signal in accordance with the level of the detected light; and vehicle body color detecting means having color determining means for determining the color of the vehicle body from the output level of the light receiving means. A vehicle detection device for simultaneously detecting the colors of the vehicle. 5. The vehicle entry detecting means comprises a light emitter and a light receiver disposed on opposite sides of the approach path of the vehicle body with respect to each other, and the light receiving means of the vehicle body color detecting means is connected to the vehicle detecting means. 5. The vehicle detecting device according to claim 4, wherein said vehicle detecting device is also used as said light receiving device. 6. The light emitting means of the vehicle body color detecting means,
5. A control means for controlling to emit a detection light after the entry of the vehicle is detected.
Or the vehicle detection device according to any one of 5.