JP2007240380A - Intra-tunnel position detector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an intra-tunnel position detector accurately detecting the position of one's own vehicle even in a tunnel where a radio wave from a GPS satellite is unreceivable. <P>SOLUTION: A micro controller 112 starts an intra-tunnel position detection program, when it determines, based on an output of a photosensor 106, that a vehicle has entered a tunnel where a radio wave from a GPS satellite is unreceivable. Imaging cameras 102 and 104 installed in the vehicle thereby image the interior of the tunnel, and an image processing part 110 detects relative positional relation between intra-tunnel illuminations and the position of the own vehicle. The position of the own vehicle in the tunnel is detected by calculating the longitudinal position and lateral position of the own vehicle among the respective illuminations based on this relative positional relation, This determines the accurate position of the own vehicle in the tunnel and makes it possible to provide a user with accurate leading/guiding. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-tunnel position detection device that detects the position of a host vehicle in a tunnel that cannot receive a GPS signal.

  Currently, a navigation system that searches for a route to a destination and guides the route is developed and used in a vehicle, a portable terminal, or the like. There are two types of navigation devices for detecting the vehicle position: a GPS method for receiving radio waves from GPS satellites and a self-contained navigation method using a vehicle speed sensor and a gyro sensor. These are used together to detect the current position and direction of the vehicle. In places where the radio wave reception environment from GPS satellites such as high-rise buildings is not good, only the self-contained navigation method is used. A vehicle position detection method for solving such a problem has been proposed.

  Patent Document 1 is a method for accurately detecting the position of a vehicle by recognizing a display line on a road surface by image processing. Compared with the conventional self-contained navigation system, the display line can always be corrected based on the reference, so that the position of the vehicle can be detected more accurately and an accurate guidance can be provided.

JP 2000-105898 A

  In the navigation apparatus, the GPS system measures the absolute position with the radio wave of the GPS satellite in the orbit. However, since the radio wave from the GPS satellite cannot be received in the tunnel, the autonomous navigation system is used. However, in the self-contained navigation method, the relative change amount is added as described above, so errors are accumulated, and a large error that cannot be ignored occurs in a long tunnel or a tunnel with a large curve. There is a problem that it cannot be detected and erroneous guidance is performed. On the other hand, the position detection method disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot be said to be a sufficient position detection method in a tunnel because the recognition rate decreases because some roads have unclear display lines.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an in-tunnel position detection device and a navigation device using the same that can accurately detect the position of the host vehicle even in a tunnel in which radio waves from GPS satellites cannot be received. The purpose is that.

  The present invention relates to a function for detecting a position in a tunnel where radio waves from a GPS satellite cannot be received. When it is confirmed that the vehicle has entered the tunnel, a position detection program in the tunnel is activated. The left and right door mirrors of the vehicle are equipped with two imaging cameras including an optical system with a viewing angle of about 180 °. The imaging camera captures the inside of the tunnel and captures the captured image data. By analyzing, the lighting in the tunnel is detected, and the distance and angle (relative positional relationship) from the vehicle to the lighting are detected. Based on the detected distance and angle to the lighting, the front-rear position of the vehicle in the direction of travel and the left-right position of the vehicle in the left-right direction perpendicular to the direction of travel are calculated. The position of the vehicle at is detected.

  The self-vehicle position detecting device in the tunnel according to the present invention includes a determining means for determining whether or not the own vehicle has entered the tunnel, and when the determining means determines that the own vehicle has entered the tunnel, Imaging means for imaging the inside of the tunnel with imaging cameras attached to the left and right of the vehicle, and analyzing the position of the illumination in the tunnel from the image data captured by the imaging means, and detecting the relative positional relationship between the illumination and the vehicle Image processing means and position calculation means for calculating the position of the vehicle in the tunnel based on the relative positional relationship calculated by the image processing means.

  Preferably, the position calculation means includes first position calculation means for calculating left and right positions perpendicular to the traveling direction in the tunnel based on the relative positional relationship detected by the image processing means, and in the tunnel. Second position calculating means for calculating a position in the traveling direction of the first position. The image processing means detects the left angle and the right angle between the illumination and the own vehicle, which are present on the left and right of the own vehicle, from the image data captured by the left and right imaging cameras of the own vehicle, and the first position calculating means is The left angle and the right angle are compared, and the left and right positions of the vehicle are detected based on the comparison result. Preferably, the image processing means detects a front angle or a rear angle between the illumination existing before and behind the own vehicle and the own vehicle from image data captured by at least one of the left and right imaging cameras of the own vehicle, The position calculation means detects the position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle based on at least one of the front angle and the rear angle.

  According to the present invention, by detecting the relative positional relationship between the lighting in the tunnel and the host vehicle, the host vehicle position in the tunnel can be calculated more accurately, and the branch point and lane change in the tunnel can be calculated. Thus, accurate guidance can be provided.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the in-tunnel position detecting apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a top view of the vehicle, and FIG. 2B is a rear view of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 2, the in-tunnel position detection apparatus 100 is picked up by the imaging cameras 102 and 104 installed on the left and right door mirrors of the vehicle, the optical sensor 106 for detecting the ambient brightness, and the imaging cameras 102 and 104. An image processing unit 110 that receives image data and analyzes the image data to detect lighting in the tunnel, a program for calculating the vehicle position, a microcontroller 112 that performs calculation processing, and a vehicle position in the tunnel. The memory 114 stores a program to be detected, arithmetic processing data, and the like, and an output unit 116 that outputs the detected vehicle position.

  The imaging cameras 102 and 104 installed on the left and right door mirrors include a CCD imaging device and an optical system having viewing angles θ1 and θ2 of about 180 °. Preferably, the imaging cameras 102 and 104 include a fisheye lens whose optical axis is aligned horizontally with respect to the road surface and perpendicular to the traveling direction, and images a 180 ° bowl-shaped range centering on the optical axis. In this embodiment, the inside of the tunnel is imaged using two imaging cameras. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the inside of the tunnel may be imaged using more imaging cameras. The imaging camera does not have to be a dedicated imaging camera in the tunnel, and may detect an obstacle around the own vehicle when the own vehicle is not traveling in the tunnel. Further, the mounting position of the imaging camera is not necessarily limited to the door mirror.

  The image processing unit 110 analyzes image data from the imaging cameras 102 and 104 and detects an illumination position in the tunnel. When imaging inside a tunnel using a larger number of imaging cameras, the image data captured by the plurality of imaging cameras is combined so that the inside of the tunnel within a certain range centered on the vehicle is captured. It is also possible to change the viewpoint to extract the illumination from there.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example in the tunnel. Two lanes of lanes 210 and 220 pass through the tunnel, and illuminations 200a to 206a and 200b to 206b are installed on the inner walls on both sides of the tunnel at substantially constant intervals. P is the position of the traveling vehicle.

  Next, the vehicle position detection method when traveling in a tunnel as shown in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, when the own vehicle enters the tunnel, the microcontroller 112 determines that the own vehicle has entered the tunnel based on the output of the optical sensor 106 (step S101). Accordingly, the microcontroller 112 activates the in-tunnel position detection program and controls the image processing unit 110. The image processing unit 110 analyzes image data captured by the imaging cameras 102 and 104 installed in the door mirror, detects illumination in the tunnel, and detects a relative positional relationship between the vehicle and the illumination ( Step S102).

  FIG. 5 shows a state in which the image processing unit 110 has converted the viewpoint of the image data from the back direction of the vehicle, that is, a state in which the vehicle is projected from the back direction. Here, the left angle with the illumination 200a in the left direction from the imaging camera 102 is θ3, and the right angle with the illumination 200b in the right direction from the imaging camera 104 is θ4. When it is determined that the image processing unit 110 has entered the tunnel, the image processing unit 110 performs image processing on the image data from the imaging cameras 102 and 104 at a certain period, and detects angles θ3 and θ4 between the vehicle position P and the left and right illuminations. To do.

  Next, the microcontroller 112 receives the detection result from the image processing unit 110, and calculates the left and right positions in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction in the tunnel (step S103). The microcontroller 112 compares the left angle θ3 and the right angle θ4 detected by the image processing unit 110, and determines that the host vehicle is located in the lane on the side with the larger angle. For example, when the tunnel is in the two lanes 210 and 220, if the relationship between the left angle θ3 and the right angle θ4 is θ3> θ4, the microcontroller 112 has the imaging camera 102 that detects the left angle θ3. It is determined that the vehicle position P is in the left lane 210. On the other hand, if θ3 <θ4, it is determined that the host vehicle is located in the right lane 220. Here, an example of a two-lane road is shown, but a road with two or more lanes may be used. In that case, it is possible to determine which lane the vehicle is traveling by setting a plurality of threshold values corresponding to the number of lanes between the differences between the two angles θ3 and θ4. Further, the number of road lanes in the tunnel may refer to link information included in the navigation device.

  Next, the microcontroller 112 calculates the front-rear position of the host vehicle in the traveling direction in the tunnel (step S104). FIG. 6 shows a state in which the image processing unit 110 has converted the viewpoint of the image data from the side surface direction of the own vehicle, that is, a state where the image data is projected from the side surface direction of the own vehicle. The image processing unit 110 analyzes the image data captured by the imaging camera 102 installed on the left door mirror based on the calculation result of the left and right positions of the microcontroller 112, and is installed on the inner wall of the left lane in which the host vehicle is traveling. The illuminated lights 200a to 200d are detected. Here, the angle formed by the imaging camera 102 and the illumination 200a is the rear angle θ5, the angle formed by the imaging camera 102 and the illumination 202a is the forward angle θ6, and the height from the imaging camera 102 to the illumination 200a or 202a is H. To do. The image processing unit 110 analyzes the image data at a constant period, and detects the front or rear angles θ5 and θ6 and the height H.

The microcontroller 112 receives the detection result from the image processing unit 110 and calculates the front-rear position. That is, the distance A or the distance B is obtained based on the height H of the position of the illumination detected by the image processing unit 110 and the rear angle θ5 or the front angle θ6, and the front-rear position is calculated. For example, assuming that the coordinates of the illumination 202a are (X2, H) and the coordinates of 200a are (X1, H), the distance A can be obtained by H × tan ⁻¹ θ5. Xtan ^-1 It can be obtained by θ6. Therefore, the front-rear position is (X1 + A, 0) or (X2-B, 0).

  The microcontroller 112 combines the left and right positions on the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction calculated by the first position calculating method and the front and rear positions on the traveling direction calculated by the second position calculating method. The vehicle position P in the tunnel is specified (step S105). The microcontroller 112 monitors the output of the optical sensor 106 and determines whether or not the own vehicle is outside the tunnel (step S106). If it is inside a tunnel, a series of operations are repeated. If it is outside the tunnel, the tunnel position detection operation is terminated. In the above embodiment, whether or not the vehicle is in a tunnel is determined using an optical sensor. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other detection methods may be used. Further, image data obtained by projecting image data from the back side of the vehicle may be projected from the front side of the vehicle for detecting the left and right positions of the vehicle.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration when the in-tunnel position detecting device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is applied to the navigation device 200. As shown in the figure, the navigation device 200 receives the radio waves from the imaging cameras 102 and 104, the image processing unit 110, the bus interface 210 connected to the internal bus, and GPS satellites, and determines the current position and current direction of the vehicle. GPS receiver 212 for positioning, VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) / FM multiplex receiver 216 for receiving current road traffic information outside the vehicle via antenna 214, operation panel 222, voice input unit 224, and remote control operation unit 226 Including a user input interface 220 including a storage device 230 having a large-capacity hard disk, a data communication control unit 232 that enables wireless or wired data communication, an audio output unit 240 that outputs audio from the speaker 242, and an image on the display 252. Display control unit 250 to display Program memory 260 for storing a program includes a data memory 270 and the control unit 280 temporarily stores the data.

  The storage device 230 stores a program and a database for executing various navigation functions. The database includes map data, facility data, and the like, and the map data includes road (link) data and intersection data related to roads. Link data is data related to the road connecting the intersections, node data indicating the longitude and latitude of the start and end points of the road, data indicating the type of road (national road, general road, prefectural road, etc.), width, regulation ( For example, it includes data such as one-way traffic), the number of lanes, and whether or not the vehicle is in a tunnel.

  The program memory 260 loads a program stored in the storage device 230. For example, an own vehicle position calculation program 262 that calculates the own vehicle position based on the positioning result of the GPS receiver 212, a program 264 that maps the own vehicle position on a road (link) of map data, and an optimum route to the destination A route search program 266 for searching for (optimum route), a position detection program 268 for detecting a position in the tunnel, and the like are stored. The data memory 270 includes route data 272 to the destination, positioning data 274 measured by the GPS receiver 212, map data 276 corresponding to the vehicle position read from the storage device 230, lighting position 278 in the tunnel, and the like. Remember. The control unit 280 controls the operation of each unit according to these programs.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation when the in-tunnel position detection device 100 is adapted to the navigation device 200. For example, when the control unit 280 determines that the own vehicle has entered the tunnel from the own vehicle position detected by the GPS receiver 212 (step S201), the control unit 280 activates the in-tunnel position detection program 268 (step S202). The own vehicle position is detected (step S203). The detected position is map-matched on the map data 276 by the control unit 280 (step S204), and then displayed on the display unit 252 via the display control unit 250 (step S205). Then, it is determined whether or not it is inside the tunnel (step S206). If it is inside the tunnel, a series of operations are repeated. If it is outside the tunnel, the tunnel position detection program is terminated (step S207).

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a guide guidance display example in the tunnel by the navigation device 200. For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, when turning right at a branch point in a tunnel, the conventional navigation apparatus cannot accurately identify the vehicle position P in the tunnel and may perform an incorrect guidance guidance 302. However, the navigation apparatus 200 can activate the in-tunnel position specifying program, accurately specify the vehicle position P, and perform the accurate guidance 300. Also, as shown in FIG. 9B, when turning left at a branch point immediately after exiting the tunnel T, it is necessary to change the lane in the tunnel, and the navigation device 200 changes the lane from the lane 220 to the lane 210. Guide guidance 304 is performed. Further, as shown in FIG. 9C, when the emergency vehicle E approaches from behind while the host vehicle is traveling on the lane 220, the navigation device 200 changes the lane from the lane 220 to the lane 210 with respect to the user. Then, guidance guidance 306 is performed. In this case, the emergency vehicle E may be detected by the imaging cameras 102 and 104.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments according to the present invention, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. Deformation / change is possible.

  The in-tunnel position detection apparatus according to the present invention can be used in an electronic apparatus such as a navigation apparatus, a navigation system, or a computer including a navigation function mounted on a vehicle or the like.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the position detection apparatus in a tunnel concerning a present Example. FIG. 2A is a top view showing the arrangement of the imaging cameras attached to the vehicle. FIG. 2B is a rear view showing the arrangement of the imaging cameras attached to the vehicle. It is a figure which shows the example of a tunnel structure. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the position detection in a tunnel of a present Example. It is the figure which converted the viewpoint as seen from the back direction of the own vehicle. It is the figure which changed the viewpoint as seen the own vehicle from the side. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a navigation apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement when a position detection apparatus is applied to a navigation apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of a guidance guidance display in the tunnel by the navigation apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

100: Position detection device in tunnel 102, 104: Imaging camera 106: Sensor 110: Image processing unit 112: Microcontroller 114: Memory 116: Output unit 200a to 206a: Lighting 200b to 206b: Lighting 200: Navigation device 230: Storage device

Claims (7)

A tunnel position detection device for detecting the position of a vehicle in a tunnel,
A determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle has entered the tunnel;
When it is determined by the determination means that the host vehicle has entered the tunnel, the imaging means for imaging the inside of the tunnel with the imaging cameras attached to the left and right of the host vehicle;
Image processing means for analyzing the position of the illumination in the tunnel from the image data captured by the imaging means, and detecting the relative positional relationship between the illumination and the vehicle;
An in-tunnel position detecting device comprising: a position calculating means for calculating the position of the vehicle in the tunnel based on the relative positional relationship calculated by the image processing means. The position calculating means includes first position calculating means for calculating left and right positions perpendicular to the traveling direction in the tunnel based on the relative positional relationship detected by the image processing means, and the traveling direction in the tunnel. The position detection apparatus in a tunnel of Claim 1 including the 2nd position calculation means which calculates the position of this. The image processing means detects the left side angle and the right side angle between the lighting and the own vehicle from the image data captured by the left and right imaging cameras of the own vehicle, and the first position calculating unit comprises: The in-tunnel position detection device according to claim 2, wherein the left-side angle and the right-side angle are compared, and the left-right position of the host vehicle is calculated based on the comparison result. The image processing means detects a front angle or a rear angle between an illumination existing in front of or behind the host vehicle and the host vehicle from image data captured by at least one of the left and right imaging cameras of the host vehicle. The in-tunnel position detection device according to claim 3, wherein the position calculation means calculates the position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle based on at least one of a front angle and a rear angle. The in-tunnel position detection device according to claim 4, wherein the image processing means detects a forward angle or a backward angle using image data from the imaging camera on the side detected by the first position calculation means. The in-tunnel position detection device according to claim 1, wherein when the determination means determines that the own vehicle has entered the tunnel, the image processing means starts analysis of image data. The in-tunnel position detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and a display unit that displays the position of the vehicle detected by the in-tunnel position detection device on road map data. Navigation device.

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