JP2007206099A - Map creation support system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a map creation support system, wherein a road on which vehicles and the like can travel and a promenade and the like are distinguished, and a three-dimensional map is created, by using road data having three-dimensional positional information and the corresponding image. <P>SOLUTION: The map creation support system is constituted of a measuring vehicle 1 and a map-creating means 3. The measuring vehicle 1 comprises a GPS receiving means 11 for acquiring positional information; photographing means 12 and 13 for acquiring images, corresponding to the positional information; an image acquisition means 16 for directing the photographic means for imaging; a measuring means 14 which stores the acquired positional information in a storage area, performs synchronization for acquiring the positional information and the images at a prescribed travel distance, and informs the GPS-receiving means and the image acquisition means of the acquisition time; a generating means 15 for generating the time for measuring the prescribed travel distance and informing to the measuring means; and an image storage means 17 for storing the photographed images. The map-creating means 3 creates a map from the positional information and the images. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a map creation support system for creating a three-dimensional map, and more particularly to a map creation support system for creating a map by acquiring position information and an image with a measuring vehicle.

  Conventionally, road network data used when creating a road map is often created from an ortho image based on aerial photographs or the like. An ortho image is an image obtained by converting an aerial photograph taken from the same area from a plurality of angles into a state where the ground surface is viewed from directly above by image processing. As a result, it is possible to obtain an image substantially equivalent to a state viewed from directly above.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, the ground surface photo data is acquired via a satellite communication station, and the image processing unit converts the photo data into ortho image data substantially free from distortion as viewed from directly above. Based on the ortho image data, a skeleton map (road network data) composed of roads and related three-dimensional information is extracted, further, basic road data is calculated from the skeleton map, necessary attribute data is superimposed, and there is no distortion. A technique for creating digital ortho map data, distributing it to a vehicle, and using it for navigation control and travel control is disclosed.

  Further, as a technique that does not use the above ortho image, Patent Document 2 obtains the position of a vehicle by receiving radio waves from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite, and determines the vehicle travel locus from the position of the vehicle and the reception time of the radio waves. Is created by the trajectory creation means, and the lane of the road from which the travel trajectory is acquired from the travel trajectory and the lane width data set for each vehicle is demarcated by the lane demarcation means, and the map creation means is used using the demarcated lane Discloses a road map creation system for creating a road map.

JP-A-11-184375 JP 2002-318533 A

  However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, road network data acquired by satellite photographs or the like may actually be extracted as a road network including a promenade that is not a road, which is problematic in terms of accuracy. Moreover, in the technique of Patent Document 2, there is a problem that road data having highly accurate three-dimensional position information together with an image cannot be created, and furthermore, a vehicle equipped with a measuring device is used. There is no description regarding the supply of power consumed by the measuring instruments and vehicles.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention distinguishes roads on which a small measurement vehicle can actually travel and roads on which the vehicle can travel from promenades, etc., and acquires road data having three-dimensional position information and images corresponding thereto. An object of the present invention is to provide a map creation support system for creating a three-dimensional map.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following features.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, in a map creation support system for creating a three-dimensional road map based on information acquired by a measurement vehicle, GPS receiving means for acquiring position information and an image corresponding to the position information are provided. An image capturing unit for acquiring, an image acquiring unit for instructing the image capturing unit to perform image capturing, recording the acquired position information in a storage area, synchronizing the position information and the image to acquire at a predetermined moving distance, and the GPS Measuring means for notifying the acquisition means to the receiving means and the image acquisition means; generating means for measuring a predetermined movement distance and generating a timing for notifying the measurement means; and image storage means for storing the captured image A measuring vehicle provided, verification / correction means for correcting the position information acquired by the measuring vehicle by comparing with the base station information acquired by the GPS reference station, and a road from the corrected position information. Creation means for creating a network; provision means for assigning the image to the road network; measurement data storage database for storing position information and images acquired by the measurement vehicle as measurement data; and the road network and an image on the road network A map creation support system comprising: a map creation unit including a map data storage database that stores a map to which map is assigned as map data.

  By actually traveling on a road that can be driven by the measurement vehicle and acquiring position information and images, the road where the vehicle can travel and the promenade are distinguished, and road data having three-dimensional position information and corresponding to it. A 3D map can be created from the image to be displayed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the map creation support system according to the first aspect, when it is difficult to acquire position information by the GPS receiving means, a DMI that generates a pulse according to a predetermined movement distance is provided. A map creation support system that acquires position information by using an inertial measurement device that acquires a three-dimensional movement direction.
Position information can be acquired even when passing through a tunnel or the like where radio waves from GPS satellites do not reach.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the map creation support system according to the first or second aspect, wherein the map creation means detects a sign from a sign recognized by the image and a travel locus of the measurement vehicle at the time of photographing. A map creation support system comprising coordinate calculation means for calculating coordinates.
Knowing the exact coordinates of the signs and the like installed on the road makes it possible to reflect the exact positions of the signs and surrounding buildings on the map.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the map creation support system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the measurement vehicle includes at least two cameras as photographing means for photographing the front and rear in the traveling direction. When shooting in backlight against the direction of travel, place two cameras that shoot in front, set one to an aperture value that corresponds to backlight, and set the other to an aperture value that corresponds to backlight It is a map creation support system characterized in that the front is photographed by setting to.
By providing a dedicated camera for shooting in backlight, a clear image can be acquired even in shooting in backlight.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the map creation support system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the measurement vehicle includes a first battery for driving the measurement vehicle, and the measurement vehicle. A second battery for supplying power consumed by each means, a power converter for converting DC power supplied from the second battery into AC power, and the 2 during operation of the engine of the measurement vehicle. A map creation support system comprising power supply means including a generator for supplying power to two batteries at the same time and a relay for transmitting power from the generator to the second battery.
Maintenance such as replacement and recharging of the battery that occurs when only the battery provided in the conventional light vehicle is used becomes unnecessary, and it becomes possible to cope with the traveling of the measurement vehicle for a long time.

  According to the present invention, road data having three-dimensional position information is obtained by distinguishing between a road on which a vehicle or the like can travel and a promenade by actually traveling on a road that can be traveled by a measurement vehicle and acquiring position information and images. In addition, it is possible to provide a map creation support system that creates a three-dimensional map from images corresponding thereto.

    The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following description is an example of the best mode of the present invention, and it is easy for a person skilled in the art to make other embodiments within the scope of the claims by making changes and modifications within the scope of the claims. However, this does not limit the scope of the claims.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a map creation support system of the present invention.
The map creation support system of the present invention includes a measurement vehicle 1 that travels on a road to acquire position information and an image thereof, and a map creation means 3 that creates a map using measurement data acquired by the measurement vehicle. .

  The measurement vehicle 1 in the map creation system of the present invention includes a GPS receiving unit 11 that acquires position information, cameras 12 and 13 that capture images corresponding to the position information, and images that instruct the cameras 12 and 12 to capture images. The acquisition unit 16 records the acquired position information in a storage area, synchronizes to acquire the position information and the image at a predetermined moving distance, and notifies the GPS reception unit 112 and the image acquisition unit 16 of the acquisition time. Measuring unit 14, a shutter timing generator 15 for generating a timing for measuring a predetermined moving distance and notifying the measuring unit 14, an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) 19 including an optical fiber gyro, DMI (Distance Measuring Indicator) 20 that generates a pulse every time the distance is moved, and an image storage file that stores captured images And a 7. Position information and images acquired by the measurement vehicle 1 are input as measurement data 31 to the map creation means 3 via an arbitrary recording medium such as a DVD.

  The map creation means 3 verifies and corrects the accuracy by comparing the measurement data storage database 36 for storing the measurement data 31 acquired by the measurement vehicle with the GPS reference station data 32 acquired by the GPS base station. A verification / correction unit 33; a coordinate calculation unit 38 that calculates the coordinates of the sign from the sign recognized by the image and the travel locus at the time of shooting; a road network creation unit 34 that creates a road network from the corrected measurement data; A point of interest (POI, hereinafter referred to as “POI”) is acquired from the acquired image data, and is given to the road network, and the map data created by the POI granting unit 35 is stored. And a map data storage database 37.

The measurement vehicle 1 of the present invention uses a light vehicle with an engine displacement of less than 1000 CC so that it can travel on a narrow street. However, in order to acquire the measurement data 31 for creating a map with the above equipment, it is necessary to suitably secure the power supply of these equipment. The conventional battery and alternator provided in the light vehicle cannot cope.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing power supply means of the measurement vehicle according to the present invention. The power supply means of the measurement vehicle 1 according to the present invention includes a first battery 21 provided in a conventional light vehicle, and a second battery (auxiliary battery) that supplies power consumed by the various measuring devices provided in the measurement vehicle. ) 24, an alternator 22 that supplies power to these batteries 21, 24 simultaneously, an inverter 25 that converts DC power supplied from the second battery 24 into AC power, and an ignition 26 of the measuring vehicle when the ignition 26 is on. The relay 23 is configured to transmit power from the alternator 22 to the second battery 24.

Since the power generated by the alternator provided in the conventional light vehicle cannot supplement the power consumed by the measurement vehicle of the present invention, the alternator 22 can generate about 10 amperes more than the power generation capability of the alternator provided in the conventional light vehicle. Use things. Electric power when the engine of the measurement vehicle 1 is driven is supplied by the first battery. The 1st battery 21 is using what is provided in the conventional light vehicle. The electric power generated by the alternator 22 is supplied to the first battery provided in the engine room and transmitted to the relay 23. The relay 23 transmits the electric power generated by the alternator to the second battery 24 when the ignition 26 is on. Here, the relay 23 is used when the engine of the measuring vehicle 1 is stopped, that is, when the various measuring devices included in the measuring vehicle are operating when the alternator 22 is not operating, the first battery. This is to prevent 21 from being used. This is because the first battery and the second battery are in a conducting state during power generation, and this is shut off using a relay. The direct current power of the second battery is converted into alternating current power by the inverter 25 and supplied to the various measuring devices described above.
By providing such power supply means, maintenance such as replacement and recharging of the battery that occurs when only the battery provided in the conventional light vehicle is used becomes unnecessary, and the measurement vehicle 1 can be used for a long time. It becomes possible.

  Cameras 12 and 13 are arranged at two locations on the front and rear of the roof of the measurement vehicle so that the front and rear of the traveling direction can be photographed. The cameras that photograph the front are the primary camera 12 and the cameras that photograph the rear. A secondary camera 13 is arranged. Still images are taken seven times a second at predetermined intervals. The reason for arranging it on the roof is to make it approximately the same position as the human eye. In the vicinity of the camera, an antenna of the GPS receiving unit 11 is provided, and a radio wave from a GPS satellite is received to notify the measuring unit 14 of position information.

  The measurement unit 14 extracts the three-dimensional information of the current position from the position information and the information of the IMU 19 including the optical fiber gyro, and saves it in the storage area. An optical fiber gyro is a device that detects rotational angular velocities from deviations of interference fringes caused by differences in arrival times of light that change depending on angular velocities by putting light traveling in opposite directions through optical fibers wound in a ring shape. Furthermore, since it has features that it has no moving parts, is small compared to a mechanical gyro, is small, and is more accurate than a vibration gyro, it is arranged in the measurement vehicle 1 that is a small vehicle according to the present invention. Is preferred.

  Further, in a place where reception of radio waves from a GPS satellite such as a tunnel does not reach, a three-dimensional position is obtained by using the traveling direction and altitude obtained by the IMU 19 provided in the measurement vehicle 1 and the travel distance obtained by the DMI 20. Complement information.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration relating to image acquisition in the measurement vehicle of the present invention.
The acquisition of the position information is executed every moving distance of 1 m, and the image capturing by the camera is executed every moving distance of 5 m. The acquired position information is latitude, longitude, and altitude. The travel distance is measured by a pulse corresponding to the vehicle speed at which DMI provided in the measurement vehicle is generated (hereinafter referred to as “vehicle speed pulse”). The DMI generates a vehicle speed pulse of 4096 revolutions and is input to the shutter timing generator 15.

  The shutter timing generator 15 calculates a moving distance from the number of vehicle speed pulses generated when moving a predetermined distance and a unit moving distance between the vehicle speed pulses and the moving distance 1m is Event1, and the moving distance 5m. Generate a synchronized signal with Event2. Event1 and Event2 are input to the measurement unit 14 and recorded as Event information. Event information is the sequence number of the generation time and the generation frequency of the corresponding Event1 and Event2 signals when moving 1 m and 5 m. The measurement unit 14 transmits Event information of Event2 for each moving distance of 5 m to the image acquisition unit 16.

  The image acquisition unit 16 recognizes Event2 and instructs the cameras 12 and 13 to shoot, and the cameras 12 and 13 that have received the instructions shoot under conditions such as a shutter speed set in the cameras 12 and 13 in advance. . The two cameras 12 and 13 are used to photograph the front and rear at the same time. Among the captured images, a clear image whose movement distance is the closest to the interval of 5 m, that is, the closest image to the generation time of the Event2 signal, is selected, and the image acquisition unit 16 uses the event information (Event generation time) as tag information. , Sequence number) is written in the image file, compressed by JPEG or the like, and stored in the image storage file 17. Since shooting is performed continuously for 7 seconds per second, it is possible to select images that meet the above conditions.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the arrangement of cameras for acquiring images during backlighting in the measurement vehicle of the present invention.
In the embodiment of the present invention, normally, two cameras are arranged before and after each of the measurement vehicles, but at the time of backlighting, the cameras are arranged side by side on the roof of the measurement vehicle. In other words, the secondary camera 13 that has been photographing the rear at the normal time is arranged on the right side of the primary camera 12 in the traveling direction of the measurement vehicle, and both the front is photographed. The reason for setting in this way is to eliminate the time lag for setting the backlight correction when photographing with the primary camera 13 in the backlight state.

  In photographing at the time of backlighting, the photographing conditions such as the aperture values of the cameras 12 and 13 are set for the primary camera 12 for normal use and the secondary camera 13 for reverse use. These changes are set by the image acquisition unit 16. Next, after the captured image is stored in the image storage file 17, the map creation means 3 verifies the image captured by the normal primary camera 12 and extracts a dark image captured by the primary camera 12 during backlighting. An image of the secondary camera 13 taken at the same time is extracted, replaced with the image, and stored in the measurement data storage database 36. In this way, a clear image can always be acquired.

  The position information acquired by the measurement vehicle 1 and the image corresponding thereto are stored as measurement data in a measurement data storage database 36 provided in the map creation means 3 via a recording medium such as a DVD.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of the map creation means.
The verification / correction unit of the map creation means 3 uses the measurement data 31 of the position information (latitude, longitude, altitude) and the GPS reference station data 32 acquired by the GPS base station among the measurement data acquired by the measurement vehicle. Kinematic analysis is performed, and the measurement data is verified and corrected to improve accuracy. As a result, an error of about 10 cm can be reduced from an error of several meters before correction. Since this kinematic analysis and correction is a known technique, the description thereof is omitted here.

  Next, the road network creation unit 34 creates a road network (hereinafter also referred to as “road NW”) in the road network creation unit 34 by using the position information measurement data 31 with improved accuracy as point cloud data. To do. Specifically, the point cloud data is a collection of location information acquired every 1 m, points are plotted on an existing map as nodes consisting of latitude and longitude, and roads and intersections are connected by connecting the plotted points. create. Thus, the created road network data is stored in the map data storage database 37 of the map creation means 3.

Next, the exact position of the sign present along the road is calculated as coordinates. If the exact coordinates of the sign are known, the position of the building near the sign can be accurately reflected on the map.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of triangulation for calculating the coordinates of a sign.
The coordinate calculation unit 38 calculates the coordinates of the sign 38 from the sign 38 recognized in the image and the traveling locus of the measuring vehicle 1 at the time of photographing. Photographing is performed every 5 m, and the same sign 38 may be photographed at a plurality of points. For example, in FIG. 5, the same sign 38 is photographed at three places in the traveling locus of the measurement vehicle 1. The coordinates are calculated by the following procedure using the above measurement data.

First, the angle of the recognized sign 38 from the photographing reference point is calculated. Next, the direction of the measurement vehicle at the time of shooting is calculated from the trajectory of the measurement vehicle 1. Next, it is confirmed whether or not the same sign 38 is recognized in the front and rear 5 m images among the images taken every 5 m. If it is recognized, the direction and angle of the recognized same sign 38 are calculated. Next, the distance between the measurement vehicle 1 and the sign 38 is calculated by triangulation. Here, if the same sign 38 is not recognized in the front and rear images of 5 m, the distance between the measurement vehicle 1 and the sign 38 is calculated by comparing the size of the photographed sign 38 with the reference size of the sign 38. To do. The coordinates of the sign are calculated from the calculated angle, direction and distance.
In this way, by knowing the exact coordinates of the sign installed on the road, it is possible to reflect the exact position of the sign and surrounding buildings on the map.

  Next, the image acquired by the measurement vehicle 1 is given to the created road network. As described above, the acquired image is taken every 5 m of moving distance. Therefore, depending on the position, an image with almost no change may be taken continuously, and it is not necessary to add them all to the map. Also, depending on the use of the created map, the buildings that are of interest differ, so for example, a bank, a convenience store, a gas station, or the like is appropriately selected from images taken and attached to the map.

  In this way, by using the measurement data 31 acquired by the measurement vehicle 1 that is a light vehicle, the road on which the vehicle or the like can travel is distinguished from the promenade and the like, and road data having three-dimensional position information and corresponding to it. A 3D map can be created from images.

It is a schematic block diagram of the map creation assistance system of this invention. It is a figure which shows the electric power supply means of the measurement vehicle which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure which concerns on the image acquisition in the measurement vehicle of this invention. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning of the camera for the image acquisition at the time of backlight in the measurement vehicle of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the map preparation means of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the triangulation for a coordinate calculation.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Measuring vehicle 11 GPS receiving part 12 Primary camera 13 Secondary camera 14 Measuring part 15 Shutter timing generator 16 Image acquisition part 17 Image storage file 19 IMU
20 DMI
21 First battery 22 Alternator 23 Relay 24 Second battery (auxiliary battery)
25 Inverter 26 Ignition 3 Map creation means 31 Measurement data 32 GPS reference station data 33 Verification / correction section 34 Road network creation section 35 POI assignment section 36 Measurement data storage database 37 Map data storage database 38 Coordinate calculation section

Claims (5)

In a map creation support system that creates a 3D road map based on information acquired by a measurement vehicle,
The map creation support system includes:
GPS receiving means for obtaining position information, photographing means for obtaining an image corresponding to the position information, image obtaining means for instructing the photographing means to perform photographing, and recording the obtained position information in a storage area, Synchronizing to acquire information and images at a predetermined moving distance, measuring means for notifying the GPS receiving means and the image acquiring means of the acquisition timing, and timing for measuring the predetermined moving distance and notifying the measuring means A measuring vehicle comprising: generating means for generating the image; and image storage means for storing the captured image;
Verification / correction means for correcting the position information acquired by the measurement vehicle by comparing with the base station information acquired by a GPS reference station, creation means for creating a road network from the corrected position information, and the image on the road network An assigning means for assigning, a measurement data saving database for saving position information and an image acquired by the measuring vehicle as measurement data, and a map data saving for storing the road network and a map assigned with an image as map data And a map creation support system comprising a database. The map creation support system according to claim 1,
When it is difficult to acquire the position information by the GPS receiving means, the position information is acquired by using a DMI that generates a pulse according to a predetermined moving distance and an inertial measurement device that acquires a three-dimensional moving direction. A map creation support system characterized by The map creation support system according to claim 1 or 2,
The map creation support system, wherein the map creation means includes coordinate calculation means for calculating the coordinates of the sign from the sign recognized by the image and the travel locus of the measuring vehicle at the time of photographing. The map creation support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The measuring vehicle includes at least two cameras as photographing means for photographing the front and rear in the traveling direction, and when photographing in the backlight with respect to the traveling direction, two cameras for photographing the front are arranged. A map creation support system characterized in that is set to an aperture value corresponding to backlight and another one is set to an aperture value corresponding to direct light to photograph the front. The map creation support system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The measurement vehicle includes a first battery for driving the measurement vehicle;
A second battery for supplying power consumed by each means included in the measurement vehicle;
A power converter that converts DC power supplied from the second battery into AC power;
A generator for simultaneously supplying power to the two batteries while the engine of the measuring vehicle is in operation;
A map creation support system comprising: a power supply unit including: a relay for transmitting power from the generator to the second battery.

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