JP2010225089A - Driver monitor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driver monitor monitoring a driver by use of an image even when an object blocks an imaging part. <P>SOLUTION: The driver monitor monitoring a driver by use of an image includes: an image sensor 31 capturing the image of the driver; and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 2 detecting a hidden area R<SB>H</SB>that includes a handle in the image based on movement of the handle interposed between the driver and the image sensor 31, and searching an image area excluding the hidden area R<SB>H</SB>in the image to track a characteristic point of the driver. The driver monitor searches the image area excluding the hidden area R<SB>H</SB>in the captured image to track the characteristic point of the driver, so that the driver can be monitored with high accuracy even when the handle or the like blocks the image sensor 31. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for monitoring a driver.

  Conventionally, what monitors using an image is known as a device which monitors a driver (for example, refer to patent documents 1). The device described in Patent Document 1 captures a driver's face image, searches the captured image area, and detects the position of the eyes. The imaging unit of this apparatus is disposed at a position offset from the handle.

JP 2006-209442 A

  However, the conventional apparatus may not be able to monitor the driver sufficiently. For example, when the driver's face image is captured from other than the front of the driver so that the driver's face is not blocked by an obstacle such as a handle, it may be difficult to extract an accurate feature amount depending on the angle There is. In other words, in order to sufficiently monitor the driver, it is preferable that the front of the driver be the imaging direction.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve such technical problems, and a driver who can monitor a driver using an image even in a state where there is a shielding object that blocks the imaging unit. An object is to provide a monitoring device.

  That is, the driver monitoring apparatus according to the present invention is a driver monitoring apparatus that monitors a driver using an image, and is interposed between an imaging unit that captures an image of the driver and the driver and the imaging unit. Based on the movement of the shielding object, the shielding area detection means for detecting the shielding area where the shielding object is imaged among the images captured by the imaging means, and the image area excluding the shielding area from the image captured by the imaging means And monitoring means for searching for the inside and tracking the feature point of the driver.

  According to the present invention, in an image obtained by imaging a driver, a shielded area that is interposed between the driver and the imaging means is tracked to detect a shielded area that is blocked by the shield, and the shielded area of the captured image is detected. The driver's feature points can be tracked by searching in the image area excluding. For this reason, it is possible to avoid occurrence of an error in the tracking result of the feature point by searching in the area including the shielding area. Therefore, even when the captured image includes a shielding area, that is, in a state where there is a shielding object that blocks the imaging unit, the driver can be accurately monitored using the image. The feature points of the driver here include not only a relatively small part of the body (for example, eyes, nose, mouth, etc.) but also a relatively large part of the body (for example, face and hand).

  Here, it is preferable that the shielding area detecting unit is a handle operated by the driver or a hand operating the handle as the shielding object. By configuring in this way, for example, the imaging means can be arranged behind the steering wheel and the driver can be imaged from the front. Therefore, it is possible to monitor the driver with high accuracy using the image.

  Further, it is preferable that the shielding area detecting means obtains a relationship between the shielding area and the operation angle of the handle in advance and detects the shielding area based on the operation angle of the handle during monitoring. By comprising in this way, a driver | operator can be monitored accurately by tracking a shielding area exactly.

  In addition, the monitoring unit performs a matching process on the pixel information of the cut-out area obtained by cutting out a part of the image captured by the imaging unit and the tracking template that reflects the driver's feature point, thereby determining the driver's feature point. In the case where the occlusion area is included in the cut-out area, it is preferable that the image area excluding the occlusion area in the cut-out area is the target of the matching process. By configuring in this way, only the region excluding the region that overlaps the shielding region can be the target of the matching process, so that highly accurate template matching can be performed.

  In addition, it is preferable that the monitoring unit uses the pixel information of the cutout area where the matching process is successful as a tracking template used in the next process. With this configuration, the tracking template including the shielding area can be updated, so that the feature point of the driver can be accurately tracked even when the shielding object exists. .

  Furthermore, when the tracking template includes a shielded area, the monitoring unit preferably performs the matching process using pixel information excluding the shielded area in the tracking template. With this configuration, it is possible to perform highly accurate template matching.

  In addition, the driver monitoring device according to the present invention searches for a feature point of the driver from an image area in which there is no obstruction in the image area in accordance with the movement of the occlusion that blocks the image of the driver in the image area in which the driver is imaged. It is configured as a feature. According to the present invention, it is possible to monitor a driver with high accuracy using an image even if the captured image includes a shielding area by a shielding object.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure outline | summary of a vehicle provided with the driver | operator monitoring apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the learning operation | movement of the driver | operator monitoring apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic diagram explaining the shielding area | region detection operation | movement of the driver | operator monitoring apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the monitoring operation | movement of the driver | operator monitoring apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows execution operation | movement of the initial discovery mode of the driver | operator monitoring apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows execution operation of the tracking mode of the driver | operator monitoring apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the execution operation | movement of the re-search mode of the driver | operator monitoring apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic diagram explaining the edge process of the driver | operator monitoring apparatus which concerns on embodiment, and a smoothing process. It is a schematic diagram explaining the template creation process of the driver | operator monitoring apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic diagram explaining the template matching process of the driver | operator monitoring apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic diagram explaining the template matching process of the driver | operator monitoring apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic diagram explaining the template matching process of the driver | operator monitoring apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the update template of the driver | operator monitoring apparatus which concerns on embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same or an equivalent part, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The driver monitoring apparatus according to the present embodiment is suitably employed for a vehicle having a driving support function and a driving support function, for example.

  First, an outline of a vehicle including the driver monitoring device according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle including a driver monitoring apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. A vehicle 3 shown in FIG. 1 includes a handle angle detection sensor 30, an image sensor (imaging means) 31, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 2. The ECU is a computer of an electronic device that is electronically controlled, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an input / output interface.

  The handle angle detection sensor 30 is a sensor that detects the handle angle θ of the handle operated by the driver. The handle angle θ is, for example, a handle rotation angle based on a state where the steering is not performed. As the handle angle detection sensor 30, for example, a position detection sensor such as a Hall element or a photo interrupter is used. The handle angle detection sensor 30 has a function of outputting the detected handle angle θ to the ECU 2.

  The image sensor 31 is a sensor that captures an image of the driver. For example, a CCD camera or the like is used as the image sensor 31. The image sensor 31 has a function of outputting captured image information to the ECU 2.

  The ECU 2 includes a shielding area detection unit 20, a shielding area recording unit 21, a search range setting unit 22, a face initial template generation unit 23, a feature point initial template generation unit 24, a face tracking processing unit 25, and a feature point tracking processing unit 26. is doing.

  The shielding area detection unit 20 has a function of detecting an area (shielding area) where a handle is captured in an image captured by the image sensor 31. The shielding area detection unit 20 has a function of detecting a shielding area by matching a handle detection template with an image captured by the image sensor 31, for example. The shielding area detection unit 20 has a function of outputting information about the detected shielding area to the shielding area recording unit 21.

  The shielding area recording unit 21 is a unit that records the relationship between the steering wheel angle θ and the shielding area based on the steering wheel angle θ output by the steering wheel angle detection sensor 30 and the information regarding the shielding area output by the shielding area detection unit 20. For example, the memory provided in the ECU 2 is recorded.

  The search range setting unit 22 has a function of setting a search range of an image captured by the image sensor 31. The search range setting unit 22 has a function of setting, as a search range, an area excluding the shielding area from the image captured by the image sensor 31. For example, the search range setting unit 22 has a predetermined handle angle θ based on the relationship between the predetermined handle angle θ output from the handle angle detection sensor 30 and the handle angle θ recorded by the shielding region recording unit 21 and the shielding region. This function has a function of setting a search range by specifying a shielding area. In addition, it has a function of outputting the set search range to the face initial template generation unit 23, the feature point initial template generation unit 24, the face tracking processing unit 25, and the feature point tracking processing unit 26 as necessary.

  The face initial template generation unit 23 has a function of generating a template used for searching for the driver's face in the image. The face initial template generation unit 23 has a function of finding a driver's face position from an image using a statistical method such as a neural network and creating an initial template of the driver's face. The face initial template is a template that is not updated.

  The feature point initial template generation unit 24 has a function of creating a template used for searching for a feature point of the driver in the image. The feature point initial template generation unit 24 has a function of finding a feature point of the driver's face from the image by using a neural network, for example, and creating an initial template of the face feature point. For example, eyes, nose, mouth and the like are used as facial feature points. The feature point initial template is a template that is not updated.

  The face tracking processing unit 25 has a function of tracking the driver's face in the image output from the image sensor 31. The face tracking processing unit 25 has a function of detecting and tracking a driver's face by matching a face tracking template with an image captured by the image sensor 31, for example. The face tracking template is a template that is updated each time the template matching process is successful, with the same initial value as the face initial template generated by the face initial template generation unit 23 being used as an initial value.

  The feature point tracking processing unit 26 has a function of tracking the feature points of the driver's face in the image output from the image sensor 31. The feature point tracking processing unit 26 has a function of detecting and tracking feature points of the driver's face by matching a feature point tracking template with an image captured by the image sensor 31, for example. The feature point tracking template is a template that is updated each time the template matching process is successful, with the same feature point initial template generated by the feature point initial template generation unit 24 as an initial value.

  The driver monitoring apparatus 1 includes the image sensor 31 and the ECU 2 described above. The image sensor 31 functions as an imaging unit, and the ECU 2 functions as a shielding area detection unit and a monitoring unit. Further, the driver monitoring device 1 may be configured to be able to provide a monitoring result to, for example, an alarm system.

  Next, operation | movement of the driver | operator monitoring apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. First, the learning operation that is the pre-processing of the monitoring operation will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a learning operation of the driver monitoring apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The control process shown in FIG. 2 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined timing before performing the monitoring operation. The monitoring operation is an operation shown in FIG. 4 to be described later. In this embodiment, a case where the process shown in FIG. 2 is executed before vehicle shipment will be described as an example. In consideration of ease of understanding, an example in which the image sensor 31 is arranged behind the handle will be described.

  When the control process shown in FIG. 2 is started, the process is executed from the handle angle detection process and the recording process (S10). The process of S10 is a process executed by the handle angle detection sensor 30 to detect the handle angle θ of the handle operated by the driver and record it in the memory of the ECU 2. When the process of S10 ends, the process proceeds to the shielding area extraction process and the recording process (S12).

The process of S12 is a process executed by the shielding area detection unit 20 and the shielding area recording unit 21 to extract and record the shielding area. The shielding area detection unit 20 detects a shielding area from the image captured by the image sensor 31 at the handle angle θ detected in the process of S10. For example, a template (handle detection template) reflecting a handle pattern or the like is created in advance, and template matching processing is performed using the entire image captured by the image sensor 31 as a search range. Details of the template matching process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining a template matching process for detecting a shielding area. FIG. 3A is an image in which the image sensor 31 images the driver from the front, and is an image that is a target for detecting the shielding area. In the image shown in FIG. 3A, a region where the handle is imaged is defined as a shielding region _RH . Further, FIG. 3 (b) shows a cut region R _K cut a part of the image shown in FIG. 3 (a). Further, FIG. 3 (c) image is a handle detection template T _H for detecting the shielding region R _H from the image shown in FIG. 3 (a), was created by pre reflecting the handle image information to It is. Shielding area detecting section 20, the image shown in FIG. 3 (a), is cut out cut-out region R _K of the handle detection template T _H and the same size, a template handle detecting T _H and segment region R _K Match. As a template matching method, for example, a method based on a similarity (SSD: Sum of Square Difference), a method based on a difference (SAD: Sum of Absolute Difference), a method based on a normalized correlation, or the like is used. For example, when using a method based on SAD, the occluding area detecting unit 20, when the degree of difference as a result of the SAD is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, the cut region R _K used in the matching process is shielded area R _H Is determined. Alternatively, dividing the cut region R _K into a plurality of regions, and calculates the similarity between the luminance histogram of the luminance histogram and the handle detection template T _H of the respective regions, if the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value , cut region R _K used in the matching process may be determined that the shielding region R _H. Shielding area detecting unit 20 performs each template matching processing is sequentially cut along the cut region R _K in the direction H shown in FIG. 3 (a). And the shielding area recording part 21 records the result of a template matching process in the memory of ECU2, for example. The shielding area recording unit 21 records the shielding area _RH as a two-dimensional array H (x, y) in correspondence with the handle angle θ detected in the process of S10 on the xy plane. That is, the relationship between the handle angle θ and the shielding area _RH is recorded. For example, in the two-dimensional array H (x, y), the shielding area recording unit 21 records 1 as the shielding area _RH and records 0 as the other area. When the process of S12 ends, the control process shown in FIG. 3 ends.

By repeatedly executing the control process shown in FIG. 3 for all the handle angles θ, the shielding region R _H (two-dimensional array H (x, y)) depending on the handle angle θ can be recorded.

  Next, the monitoring operation of the driver monitoring apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. 4-7 is a flowchart which shows the monitoring operation | movement of the driver | operator monitoring apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment. The control process shown in FIG. 4 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined timing from when the ignition is turned on, for example. In consideration of ease of understanding, an example in which the image sensor 31 is arranged behind the handle will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the driver monitoring device 1 starts from a processing mode branch determination process (S20). The process of S20 is a process of selecting a control mode from the three modes of the initial discovery mode, the tracking mode, and the re-search mode. The initial discovery mode is a control mode in which a driver in an image is discovered and a template is initially created. The tracking mode is a control mode for tracking and monitoring the driver in the image. The re-search mode is a control mode in which the driver in the image is found again. Details of each mode will be described later. As the process of S20, the ECU 2 determines the values of the initial discovery mode flag, the tracking mode flag, and the re-search mode flag created in the memory of the ECU 2, for example, and selects the mode. For example, a mode in which the flag is 1 is executed. In the following, in consideration of ease of explanation, it is assumed that 1 is set as the initial value of the initial discovery mode flag, and 0 is set as the initial values of the tracking mode flag and the re-search mode flag, and the control shown in FIG. A case where the process is first executed after the ignition is turned on will be described. In this case, the initial discovery mode is selected, and the process proceeds to the initial discovery control mode execution process (S22).

  The process of S22 is a process for executing the initial discovery mode. Details of the process of S22 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the execution operation of the initial discovery mode. As shown in FIG. 5, first, the steering angle detection process and the recording process are started (S30).

  The process of S30 is a process executed by the handle angle detection sensor 30 to detect the handle angle θ of the handle operated by the driver and record it in the memory of the ECU 2. When the process of S30 ends, the process proceeds to a process range limiting process (S32).

The process of S32 is a process executed by the search range setting unit 22 to limit the processing range. The search range setting unit 22 inputs an image picked up by the image sensor 31 and sets a region in which the driver's face is found (searched) in the input image. For example, the search range setting unit 22 inputs the two-dimensional array H (x, y) corresponding to the handle angle θ detected in the process of S30 from the memory recorded by the control process shown in FIG. In the dimensional array H (x, y), an area having a value of 0 is set as a search range. That is, a region other than the shielding region _RH is set as the search range. When the process of S32 is completed, the process proceeds to a face initial discovery process (S34).

The process of S34 is a process that is executed by the face initial template generation unit 23 and performs an initial discovery of a face. The face initial template generation unit 23 detects the center position of the face and the existence range R _S using a neural network or the like for the search range limited by the process of S32. When the process of S34 is completed, the process proceeds to a feature point initial discovery process (S36).

The process of S36 is a process executed by the feature point initial template generation unit 24 to perform initial discovery of feature points. The feature point initial template generation unit 24 detects the position of the feature point of the face using a neural network or the like for the face existence range R _S detected by the process of S34. As feature points, for example, right eye, right eye corner, left eye head, left eye corner, nasal cavity center, left and right mouth edges, and the like are used. When the process of S36 ends, the process proceeds to a detection end determination process (S38).

  The process of S38 is a process executed by the feature point initial template generation unit 24 to determine whether or not the positions of all feature points have been detected. For example, the feature points to be detected are set in advance. If the positions of all the feature points have not been detected in the process of S38, the process proceeds to the handle angle detection process again (S30). In this way, the processes shown in S30 to S38 are repeatedly executed until the positions of all feature points are detected.

On the other hand, if the positions of all the feature points are detected in the process of S38, the process proceeds to the template creation process (S40). The process of S40 is executed by the face initial template generation unit 23 and the feature point initial template generation unit 24 to create a face initial template, a face tracking template, a feature point initial template, and a feature point tracking template. is there. First, an image input from the image sensor 31 is edited in order to create a template suitable for tracking. This process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8A is an explanatory diagram showing a process for emphasizing an edge, and FIG. 8B is an explanatory diagram showing a smoothing process. As shown in FIG. 8A, a horizontal Sobel filter image G ₂ is obtained by applying a horizontal Sobel filter F ₁ to the grayscale image G ₁ input from the image sensor 31 and enhancing the edge in the horizontal direction. Thereafter, the horizontal Sobel filtered image G ₂ horizontal Sobel filter smoothed image G ₃ smoothed over a 3 × 3 smoothing filter F ₂ against. Horizontal Sobel filter smoothed image G ₃ are, the higher robustness to changes in light environments because the edge is emphasized, there is a feature that noise by being smoothed little. Thus, by creating a template from the side Sobel filter smoothed image G _3, it is possible to achieve optimal tracking.

Next, details of template creation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram illustrating creation of a face initial template and a face tracking template, and FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram illustrating creation of a feature point initial template and a feature point tracking template. As shown in FIG. 9A, the face initial template generation unit 23 cuts out the face existence range R _S detected in the process of S34 and records it as a face initial template T _IK . Similarly, a face tracking template T _TK identical to the face initial template T _IK is created and recorded. Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, the feature point initial template generation unit 24 cuts out a region having a certain vertical and horizontal width on the basis of the position of each feature point detected in the process of S36, and the feature point initial template T _IT. Record as. The size of the region to be cut out is changed according to the target feature point. Similarly, to create a feature point initial template T same feature point tracking template T _TT and _IT is recorded. The face initial template T _IK and the feature point initial template T _IT described above are not updated after being recorded once. In contrast, the face tracking template T _TK and the feature point tracking template T _TT are updated each time tracking is successful. When each template is created, the process proceeds to flag update processing (S42).

  The process of S42 is a process executed by the ECU 2 to update the flag. The ECU 2 changes the tracking mode flag from 0 to 1 after resetting the initial discovery mode flag, tracking mode flag, and re-search mode flag to 0. Thereby, it is possible to shift from the initial discovery mode to the tracking mode. When the process of S42 ends, the control process shown in FIG. 5 ends.

  Returning to the process of S22 of FIG. 4, the control process shown in FIG. Next, the flag state set in the processing of S42, that is, the case where the initial discovery mode flag and the re-search mode flag are 0 and the tracking mode flag is 1 will be described. In this case, the tracking mode is selected in the process of S20 of FIG. 4, and the process proceeds to the tracking mode execution process (S24).

  The process of S24 is a process for executing the tracking mode. Details of the processing of S24 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the tracking mode execution operation. As shown in FIG. 6, first, the process starts from the handle angle detection process and the recording process (S50).

  The process of S50 is a process executed by the handle angle detection sensor 30 to detect and record the handle angle θ of the handle. The process of S50 is the same as the process of S30 of FIG. When the process of S50 ends, the process proceeds to a process range limiting process (S52).

  The process of S52 is a process executed by the search range setting unit 22 to limit the processing range. The process of S52 is the same as the process of S32 of FIG. When the processing of S52 is completed, the process proceeds to face position tracking processing (S54).

The process of S54 is a process executed by the search range setting unit 22 and the face tracking processing unit 25 to detect a face. First, the search range setting unit 22 performs processing for further limiting the search range. For example, the search range setting unit 22 sets a search range (search region) around the face position found by the face initial template generation unit 23 in the process of S34 of FIG. This setting will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams for explaining the face search process. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the search range setting unit 22 sets a search area U ₁ having a constant vertical and horizontal width in an image Z ₁ input from the image sensor 31. If the tracking mode has already been executed and the tracking process described later has been successful, a search range with a constant width and width is set for the subsequent frames centering on the face position in the previous frame. To do.

Here, as shown in FIG. 11, when a search area having a certain vertical and horizontal width is set in an image Z ₂ input from the image sensor 31, the shielding area _RH may overlap with the search area. In this case, the search range setting unit 22 sets the search area U ₂ excluding the shielded area R _H contained in the search region of vertical and horizontal constant width. With this setting, the processing load can be reduced.

Next, the face tracking processing unit 25 searches for a face within the set search area. Face tracking processing unit 25, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, in the case of searching the search region U in ₁ aspect constant width, the face tracking templates T _TK generated in the process of S40 in FIG. 5 from the image Z ₁ cut out cut-out region _{R K1} of the same size, to match the face tracking templates _{T TK} and segment region _{R K1.} As a template matching method, a method based on similarity, a method based on dissimilarity, a method based on normalized correlation, and the like are used as in the process of S20 of FIG. The face tracking processing unit 25 performs each template matching processing is sequentially cut along the cut region R _K1 in the direction H ₁ shown in the image Z _1. On the other hand, even when searching through the search area U ₂ shown in FIG. 11, the same. Here, in FIG. 11, depending on the position where the cutout region _RK2 is cut out, the cutout region _RK2 includes the shielding region _RH . In this case, the face tracking template _TTK and the matching process are performed using the pixels of the cutout region _RK2 other than the shielding region _RH . In this way, by limiting the regions to be matched, highly accurate matching processing can be performed. Furthermore, when the ratio of the shielding region _RH included in the cutout region _RK2 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the number of pixels that can be used for the matching processing is small, and thus the matching processing is not executed. Alternatively, when the number of pixels in the shielding region _RH is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the matching process is not executed. By operating in this way, it is possible to avoid performing a low-precision matching process. When the matching process is completed in all the search areas, the process proceeds to the tracking determination process (S56).

The process of S56 is a process executed by the face tracking processing unit 25 to determine whether or not the face tracking is successful. Face tracking processing unit 25 is, for example, the maximum correlation value of the template matching in the processing of S54 is larger than a predetermined value, and the cut region R _K at position where the maximum correlation value is obtained and the shielding region R _H When the number of pixels in the overlapping area satisfies the predetermined value or less, it is determined that the face tracking is successful. Alternatively, in the maximum correlation value of the template matching in the processing of S54 is larger than a predetermined value, and cutting-out region R _K of the shielding region R _H where the maximum correlation value is included in the cut region R _K at position obtained If the ratio to the value satisfies a certain value or less, it may be determined that the face tracking is successful. In the process of S56, when it is determined that the face tracking is successful, the process proceeds to the template update process (S58).

The process of S58 is a process executed by the face tracking processing unit 25 to update the face tracking template _TTK . The face tracking processing unit 25 cuts out an area having a constant vertical and horizontal width around the position of the face that has been successfully tracked, and uses it as a face tracking template _TTK . When tracking the face position in the next frame, the updated face tracking template _TTK is used. As a result, robustness to changes in facial expressions, changes in light environment, and the like can be improved. Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 13A, when the face tracking template _TTK includes the shielding region _RH , when performing the processing of S54 (processing for tracking the face position) in the next frame, A matching process is performed using the area | region except the said shielding area | region _RH among the face tracking template _TTK . Thereby, the precision of matching can be improved. When the process of S58 ends, the process proceeds to the feature point position tracking process (S60).

The process of S60 is a process executed by the search range setting unit 22 and the feature point tracking processing unit 26 to track the position of the feature point. The feature point tracking processing unit 26 tracks each feature point by template matching. Details of the processing will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram for explaining feature point tracking. First, the search range setting unit 22 calculates the difference between the face position of the previous frame (existence range R _S-1) and the face position of the current frame (present range R _S). Then, as shown by the arrow Y, the search center of each previous feature point _Pn is shifted according to the calculated difference. Next, a search range having a constant vertical and horizontal width is set based on the shifted search center of each feature point. The size of the search range is changed according to each feature point. Then, in this search range, the template matching process is performed similarly to the process of S54. When the matching process is completed in all the search areas, the process proceeds to the tracking determination process (S62).

The process of S62 is a process executed by the feature point tracking processing unit 26 to determine whether or not the feature point tracking is successful. Feature point tracking processing unit 26 is, for example, the maximum correlation value of the template matching in the processing of S60 is larger than a predetermined value, and shielding the cut region R _K at position where the maximum correlation value is obtained region R _H If it satisfies that the number of pixels in the overlapping region with the number is equal to or less than a predetermined value, it is determined that the feature point tracking is successful. Alternatively, in the maximum correlation value of the template matching in the processing of S60 is larger than a predetermined value, and cutting-out region R _K of the shielding region R _H where the maximum correlation value is included in the cut region R _K at position obtained If the ratio to the value satisfies a certain value or less, it may be determined that the feature point tracking is successful. In the process of S62, when it is determined that the feature point tracking is successful, the process proceeds to the template update process (S64).

The process of S64 is a process executed by the feature point tracking processing unit 26 to update the feature point tracking template _TTT . The face tracking processing unit 25 cuts out a region having a certain width and width around the position of the face that has been successfully tracked, and uses it as a feature point tracking template _TTT . When the face position is tracked in the next frame, the updated feature point tracking template _TTT is used. As a result, robustness to changes in facial expressions, changes in light environment, and the like can be improved. Similarly to the process of S58, as shown in FIG. 13B, when the feature point tracking template _TTT includes the occluded region _RH , the process of S60 (the process of tracking the face position) is performed in the next frame. ), Matching processing is performed using a region excluding the shielding region _RH from the feature point tracking template _TTT . Thereby, the precision of matching can be improved. When the processing of S64 is completed, the routine proceeds to flag update processing (S66).

  The process of S66 is a process executed by the ECU 2 to update the flag. The ECU 2 changes the tracking mode flag from 0 to 1 after resetting the initial discovery mode flag, tracking mode flag, and re-search mode flag to 0. Thereby, tracking mode can be continued. When the process of S66 ends, the control process shown in FIG. 6 ends.

  On the other hand, if the face tracking is not successful in the process of S56, or if the feature point tracking is not successful in the process of S62, the process proceeds to a flag update process (S68). The process of S68 is a process executed by the ECU 2 to update the flag. The ECU 2 changes the re-search mode flag from 0 to 1 after resetting the initial discovery mode flag, tracking mode flag, and re-search mode flag to 0. As a result, the tracking mode can be changed to the re-search mode. When the process of S68 ends, the control process shown in FIG. 6 ends.

  Thus, the control process shown in FIG. 6 is finished. When the control process shown in FIG. 6 ends, the process returns to the process of S24 of FIG. 4 and the control process shown in FIG. 4 ends. Next, the flag state set in the process of S68, that is, the case where the initial discovery mode flag and tracking mode flag are 0, and the re-search mode flag is 1, will be described. In this case, the re-search mode is selected in the process of S20 of FIG. 4, and the process proceeds to the re-search mode execution process (S26).

  The process of S26 is a process for executing the re-search mode. Details of the processing of S26 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the execution operation of the re-search mode. As shown in FIG. 7, first, the process starts from the handle angle detection process and the recording process (S70).

  The process of S70 is a process executed by the handle angle detection sensor 30 to detect and record the handle angle θ of the handle. The process of S70 is the same as the process of S30 of FIG. When the process of S50 ends, the process proceeds to a process range limiting process (S72).

  The process of S72 is a process executed by the search range setting unit 22 to limit the process range. The process of S72 is the same as the process of S32 of FIG. When the processing of S72 is completed, the routine proceeds to face position tracking processing (S74).

The process of S74 is a process executed by the search range setting unit 22 and the face tracking processing unit 25 to detect a face. The process of S74 is substantially the same as the process of S54 of FIG. Comparing the process of S74 and the process of S54, the process of S74 is different in that the face initial template T _IK is used when executing the search process. The other points are the same as the process of S54 of FIG. When the process of S74 ends, the process proceeds to a tracking determination process (S76).

  The process of S76 is a process executed by the face tracking processing unit 25 to determine whether or not the face tracking is successful. The process of S76 is the same as the process of S56 of FIG. In the process of S76, when it is determined that the face tracking is successful, the process proceeds to the template update process (S78).

The process of S78 is a process executed by the face tracking processing unit 25 to update the face tracking template _TTK . The process of S78 is the same as the process of S58 of FIG. When the process of S78 ends, the process proceeds to the feature point position tracking process (S80).

The process of S80 is a process executed by the search range setting unit 22 and the feature point tracking processing unit 26 to track the position of the feature point. The process of S80 is substantially the same as the process of S60 of FIG. When the process of S80 is compared with the process of S60, the process of S80 is different in that the feature point initial template _TIT is used. The other points are the same as the process of S60 of FIG. When the processing of S80 ends, the process proceeds to tracking determination processing (S82).

  The process of S82 is a process executed by the feature point tracking processing unit 26 to determine whether or not the feature point tracking is successful. The process of S82 is the same as the process of S62 of FIG. In the process of S82, when it is determined that the feature point tracking is successful, the process proceeds to the template update process (S84).

The process of S84 is a process executed by the feature point tracking processing unit 26 to update the feature point tracking template _TTT . The process of S84 is the same as the process of S64 of FIG. When the processing of S84 is completed, the routine proceeds to flag update processing (S86).

  The process of S86 is a process executed by the ECU 2 to update the flag. The process of S86 is the same as the process of S66 of FIG. When the process of S86 ends, the control process shown in FIG. 7 ends.

  On the other hand, if the face tracking is not successful in the process of S76, or the feature point tracking is not successful in the process of S82, the process proceeds to the flag update process (S88). The process of S88 is a process executed by the ECU 2 to update the flag. The ECU 2 changes the re-search mode flag from 0 to 1 after resetting the initial discovery mode flag, tracking mode flag, and re-search mode flag to 0. Thereby, the re-search mode can be continued. When the process of S88 ends, the control process shown in FIG. 7 ends.

  The control process shown in FIG. When the control process shown in FIG. 7 ends, the process returns to S26 in FIG. 4 and the control process shown in FIG. 4 ends.

  Thus, the control process shown in FIG. 4 is completed. By executing the control process shown in FIG. 4, an initial discovery mode in which an initial template and a tracking template are registered, tracking the position of facial feature points following the driver's face movement, and tracking if tracking is successful The tracking mode for updating the template and the re-search mode for re-searching using the initial template when the tracking of the face position or the facial feature point fails can be executed by changing according to the conditions. Here, since a statistical method such as a neural network is used in the initial discovery mode, the detection accuracy is high but the processing load is large. For this reason, for example, when the driver's face has moved greatly and tracking has failed, transition to the re-search mode for re-searching using the registered initial template, and transition to the tracking mode when rediscovered The processing load can be reduced.

As described above, according to the driver monitoring apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, in the image obtained by imaging the driver, the shielding that the movable handle intervenes between the driver and the image sensor 31 is tracked and blocked. The region _RH is detected, and the driver's face and facial feature points can be tracked by searching the image region excluding the shielding region _RH among the captured images. For this reason, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of an error in the tracking result of the face and the facial feature point by searching in the region including the shielding region _RH . Therefore, even when the captured image includes the shielding region _RH , that is, in a state where a handle that blocks the image sensor 31 exists, the driver can be monitored with high accuracy using the image. In addition, since the driver can be monitored with high accuracy, the accuracy of a system using the monitoring result, for example, calculation of a face orientation angle or an alarm system can be improved.

Further, according to the driver monitoring apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the relationship between the shielding area _RH and the steering wheel angle θ is acquired in advance, and the shielding area _RH is detected based on the steering wheel angle θ during monitoring. The driver can be accurately monitored by accurately tracking the shielding region _RH .

Further, according to the driver monitoring apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the cutout areas R _K1 and R _{K2 obtained} by cutting out a part of the image captured by the image sensor 31 in the image area excluding the shielding area _RH. If the pixel information and the tracking template reflecting the driver's feature points are matched to track the driver's feature points, and the cutout regions R _K1 and R _K2 include the shielding region R _H , It is possible to perform highly accurate template matching by setting an image region excluding the shielding region _RH out of the cutout regions R _K1 and R _K2 .

In addition, according to the driver monitoring device 1 according to the present embodiment, the pixel information of the cutout regions R _K1 and R _K2 that have been successfully matched is used as the tracking template used in the next processing, so that the shielding region R _{H is obtained.} Since the tracking template including can be updated, the feature point of the driver can be accurately tracked even when there is an obstacle.

Furthermore, according to the driver monitoring apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, when the shielding template includes the shielding region _RH , the matching processing is performed using pixel information excluding the shielding region _RH in the tracking template. Is preferred. With this configuration, it is possible to perform highly accurate template matching.

  In addition, embodiment mentioned above shows an example of the driver | operator monitoring apparatus which concerns on this invention. The driver monitoring device according to the present invention is not limited to the driver monitoring device 1 according to the embodiment, and the driver monitoring device according to the embodiment is modified without changing the gist described in each claim. Or, it may be applied to other things.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the shielding object is described as a handle, but is not limited to the handle. For example, as a shield, a column portion (steering column) of a handle, a light operation lever, a wiper operation lever, a winker operation lever, a gear shift lever, etc. provided in the column portion, an inserted ignition key and accessories, etc. The hand which operates the said lever may be sufficient. In this case, the search range is determined by learning the shielded area based on the movement of the hand according to the operation direction for the operation of the various levers, and the movement of the hand according to the steering speed and the rotation angle of the handle for the operation of the handle. Can also be excluded. Further, as the shielding object, when the driver is wearing glasses, a hand for correcting the glasses or a can of drinking water that the driver drinks may be used. When the above-described shielding object is to be processed, similar to the handle example shown in the embodiment, the template pattern of the shielding object is learned in advance, and S32 in FIG. 5, S52 in FIG. 6, and S72 in FIG. In this process, the area of the shielding object may be detected using a template and excluded from the search range. In this case, a color histogram or the like may be used instead of the template. On the other hand, it may be difficult to learn the shielding object in advance. For example, in a can of drinking water or the like, not all patterns may be learned. In such a case, in the processing of S32 in FIG. 5, S52 in FIG. 6, and S72 in FIG. 7, the initial template generated by learning (adaptation) of the neural network and the average of several frames of the tracking pattern are obtained. When matching is performed and the similarity is less than a predetermined value, that is, when it can be determined that it has changed suddenly, high-precision monitoring processing is executed by excluding those regions from the arithmetic processing and the search range. Can do.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the operation of the handle is detected by the rotation angle has been described. However, the operation of the shielding object is not limited to the rotation operation, and the angle in the front-rear direction is also acquired when moving in the front-rear direction. Thus, the monitoring process with high accuracy can be executed in the same manner as the driver monitoring apparatus 1 shown in the present embodiment.

  Moreover, although embodiment mentioned above demonstrated the example which performs the process of FIG. 2 before vehicle shipment, you may learn during a driving | operation.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the monitoring accuracy is improved by detecting the steering wheel angle and excluding the shielding region _RH from the search range has been described. However, the tracking is interrupted when the steering wheel angle is equal to or larger than a predetermined angle. You may comprise. By configuring in this way, it is possible to avoid losing sight of the monitored object by tracking while including the error of the feature point, and thus it is possible to prevent malfunctions such as an alarm system using the face orientation. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Driver monitoring apparatus, 2 ... ECU, 30 ... Handle angle detection sensor, 31 ... Image sensor (imaging means), 20 ... Shielding area detection part (shielding area detection means), 21 ... Shielding area recording part (shielding area detection) Means), 22 ... search range setting section (shielding area detection means), 23 ... face initial template generation section, 24 ... feature point initial template generation section, 25 ... face tracking processing section (monitoring means), 26 ... feature point tracking processing Department (monitoring means).

Claims (7)

A driver monitoring device for monitoring a driver using an image,
Imaging means for capturing an image of the driver;
A shielding area detecting means for detecting a shielding area where the shielding object is imaged out of images captured by the imaging means based on a movement of the shielding object interposed between the driver and the imaging means;
Monitoring means for searching a feature area of the driver by searching in an image area excluding the shielding area among images taken by the imaging means;
A driver monitoring device comprising:   The driver monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shielding area detection unit targets a handle operated by a driver or a hand operating the handle as the shielding object.   3. The driver monitoring according to claim 2, wherein the shielding area detecting unit acquires a relationship between the shielding area and the operation angle of the handle in advance and detects the shielding area based on the operation angle of the handle during monitoring. apparatus.   The monitoring unit performs a matching process on pixel information of a cut-out region obtained by cutting out a part of an image captured by the imaging unit and a tracking template that reflects the driver's feature points, thereby performing the driver characteristics. The point is tracked, and when the occlusion area is included in the cutout area, an image area excluding the occlusion area in the cutout area is the target of the matching process. The driver monitoring device according to one item.   The driver monitoring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the monitoring unit uses, as the tracking template used in the next process, pixel information of the cut-out area where the matching process is successful.   The operation according to claim 4 or 5, wherein when the tracking template includes a shielding area, the monitoring unit performs the matching process using pixel information excluding the shielding area in the tracking template. Monitoring device.   The driver is searched for a feature point of the driver from an area of the image area where the obstacle is not present in accordance with a movement of an obstacle that blocks the photographing of the driver among the image area where the driver is photographed. Monitoring device.