JP2010277384A - Device and method for supporting traveling - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a traveling support device which can appropriately calculate a probability of an object jumping in a road where a vehicle travels. <P>SOLUTION: The traveling support device includes an imaging means 10 that images of a front side of the vehicle, an extracting means that extracts edge components of the object moving in the image based on information of the imaged image, a lowest point position detecting means that detects a position of a pixel positioned at the lowest side in a height direction as a lowest point position among pixels configuring a pixel line which are formed with a plurality of continuing pixels corresponding to the edge component extracted by the extracting means in a predetermined area in the image, a boundary detecting means that detects a straight line that connects the lowest point positions along a traveling direction of the vehicle as a boundary of the road where the vehicle travels, an intersection space detecting means that detects intersection space which is a space that intersects with a space in the traveling direction of the vehicle based on the lowest point position, and a calculating means that calculates the probability of the object jumping in the road where the vehicle travels based on the detected intersection space. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support device and a driving support method.

  A technique is known in which a roadside band area is identified from image data obtained by imaging the front of the vehicle, and the possibility of an object popping out is calculated based on the edge strength detected in the roadside band area (Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-233470 A

  However, it is detected from the object depending on the condition of the road surface, the object whose edge intensity is detected or the brightness of the background of the object, and whether the time period for detecting the edge intensity is daytime or nighttime. Since the edge strength changes, the prior art may not be able to properly determine the possibility of the object popping out.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a travel support device that can appropriately calculate the possibility of an object jumping out on a travel path on which the host vehicle travels.

  The present invention detects a crossing space that intersects the space in the traveling direction of the host vehicle based on the feature points of the structures present in the roadside zone region, and based on this crossing space, on the road on which the host vehicle runs, The above problem is solved by calculating the possibility of the object popping out.

  According to the present invention, it is not affected by the condition of the road surface, the brightness of the object whose edge intensity is detected or the background of the object, and whether the time zone for detecting the edge intensity is daytime or nighttime. The possibility of the object popping out can be determined appropriately.

It is a lineblock diagram of a run support system concerning this embodiment. It is the side view and top view which show the example of installation of a camera. It is a figure which shows an example of the image ahead of the vehicle displayed on the screen of a display. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of a method which calculates the movement information of an edge. It is a figure for demonstrating the pixel which has lateral speed information. It is a figure for demonstrating the pixel which has vertical speed information. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of a method of detecting the lowest point position. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of a method of extracting a boundary line area | region. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of a method which detects a boundary line. It is a figure for demonstrating the lane mark detected based on a boundary line, and a runway boundary line. It is a figure for demonstrating a 1st pixel column. It is a figure for demonstrating a 2nd pixel column. It is a figure for demonstrating a target area | region. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between the width w of an object area | region, and the width W of an intersection space. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between the width w of an object area | region, and the width W of an intersection space. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between the 2nd pixel row | line which touches an object area | region, and the height H of intersection space. It is a figure for demonstrating attribute information, and is an example of the image displayed on the screen of a display. It is a figure for demonstrating attribute information, and is an example of the image displayed on the screen of a display. It is FIG. (1) which shows the flowchart of the driving assistance process which concerns on this embodiment. It is FIG. (2) which shows the flowchart of the driving assistance process which concerns on this embodiment. It is FIG. (1) which shows the flowchart of the intersection space detection process of this embodiment. It is FIG. (2) which shows the flowchart of the intersection space detection process of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the popping out possibility calculation process of this embodiment.

  The driving support system according to the present embodiment is a system that is mounted on a vehicle, calculates the possibility of an object jumping out on the road on which the vehicle runs, and performs driving support for the user according to the calculated jumping out possibility. is there. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration diagram of a driving support system.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the driving support system includes a camera 10, a control device 20, a vehicle controller 30, a speaker 40, and a display 50. These components are connected by an in-vehicle LAN such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) and can exchange data with each other.

  Each configuration will be described below.

  The camera 10 includes a plurality of pixels on an image pickup device and picks up a luminance image. Examples of the camera 10 include a charge coupled device (CCD) and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The camera 10 continuously captures road conditions ahead of the vehicle, and the captured image data is transmitted to the control device 20. Note that the camera 10 may capture a color image or a monochrome image.

  FIG. 2 shows an installation example of the camera 10. 2A is a view of a vehicle on which the camera 10 is mounted as viewed from the side, and FIG. 2B is a view of the vehicle on which the camera 10 is mounted as viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the camera 10 is installed on the upper part of the front window in the vehicle compartment toward the front of the vehicle.

  In the vehicle coordinate system including the X, Y, and Z axes, the optical axis LS of the camera 10 is adjusted so as to face the Z-axis direction that is the vehicle traveling direction (driver front direction), as shown in FIG. The X-axis direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the vehicle is adjusted to be parallel to the road surface, and further the Y-axis direction is adjusted to be perpendicular to the road surface.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image in front of the vehicle displayed on the screen of the display 50. As shown in FIG. 3, the captured image captured by the camera 10 is represented by an xy coordinate system (camera coordinate system) with the upper left vertex of the image as an origin O, and an axis extending rightward from the origin O is represented by x. Let the axis be the axis, and the axis extending downward from the origin be the y-axis. As shown in FIG. 3, the captured image includes a structure such as an outer wall that is a three-dimensional stationary object, a lane mark that is a stationary object, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 20 of the driving support system includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 21 storing a program for executing the driving support processing according to the present embodiment, and a program stored in the ROM 21. A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 22 to be executed and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 23 functioning as an accessible storage device are provided. As an operation circuit, instead of or together with the CPU (Central Processing Unit) 22, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). Etc. can be used.

  Next, the processing function with which the control apparatus 20 of a driving assistance system is provided is demonstrated. The control device 20 has an image acquisition function, an edge extraction function, a movement information calculation function, a lowest point position detection function, a boundary line detection function, an intersection space detection function, a pop-out possibility calculation function, an attribute information addition function, and an output function. Have.

  Hereinafter, functions realized by the control device 20 described above will be described.

  The image acquisition function receives image data ahead of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 3 from the camera 10 and stores it in the RAM 23 of the control device 20. As described above, since the camera 10 continuously captures road conditions in front of the vehicle, the image acquisition function stores image data in front of the vehicle continuously captured by the camera 10 in the RAM 23 for each frame. To do.

  The edge extraction function extracts an edge that is an extension (contour) of an object from the image data acquired by the image acquisition function. The method for extracting the edge is not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a Sobel operator that detects edge components continuous in the y-axis direction from the left and right ends of the structure, and the vehicle Of the object existing in the image data by using the Sobel operator that detects the edge component continuous in the x-axis direction from the lower end of the structure (boundary between the structure and the road surface) in the direction intersecting the traveling direction of Edges (an edge component continuous in the y-axis direction and an edge component continuous in the x-axis direction) are extracted.

  The movement information calculation function calculates the movement speed and movement direction of the edge component extracted by the edge extraction function. Further, the movement information calculation function detects a pixel corresponding to an edge component moving in the x-axis direction as a pixel having lateral velocity information, and detects a pixel corresponding to the edge component moving in the y-axis direction as vertical velocity information. It detects as a pixel which has.

  Here, based on FIG. 4, an example of a technique for calculating the movement information of the edge component by the movement information calculation function will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for calculating movement information of edge components. As shown in FIG. 4, the right direction in the figure is the positive direction of the x-axis, and the upward direction in the figure is the positive direction of the y-axis. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 4 will be described with an example in which the edge component moves in the positive direction (right direction) of the x axis. The basic processing method is common even when the edge component moves in the negative x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, or two-dimensionally (obliquely). Further, when calculating the movement speed of the edge component moving in the x-axis direction, the edge component continuous in the y-axis direction is used, and when calculating the movement speed of the edge component moving in the y-axis direction, It is preferable to use edge components that are continuous in the x-axis direction.

  First, the movement information calculation function performs binarization processing on the edge image. The binarization process is a process in which a pixel at a position where an edge is detected is set to 1 and a pixel at a position where no edge is detected is set to 0. FIG. 4A shows an example of an image obtained by binarizing the extracted edge components continuous in the y-axis direction. Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, thinning processing is performed on the generated binarized image, and the edge width of the detected edge component is reduced to a predetermined pixel width. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, the edge width of the edge is thinned until the predetermined pixel width becomes one pixel. Thus, by thinning the edge until it reaches a predetermined pixel width, the center position that is the center of the edge is set. In the present embodiment, an example of thinning one pixel is shown, but the number of pixels to be thinned is not particularly limited.

  Next, the edge is expanded in the x-axis direction so that the edge width of the thinned edge becomes a constant width. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4C, one pixel is expanded from the edge center position x0 in the edge movement direction (the positive direction of the x axis), and the edge movement direction from the edge center position x0 is The edge width is expanded to 3 pixels by expanding one pixel in the opposite direction (the negative direction of the x-axis). As a result, the extracted edges can be normalized, and an edge image in which the width of each edge is uniform can be obtained.

  Next, the movement information calculation function performs a count-up process. Here, the count-up process is a process for counting up the value of the memory address corresponding to the position of the pixel where the edge is detected and initializing the value of the memory address corresponding to the position of the pixel where the edge is not detected. It is. Hereinafter, the edge count-up processing by the movement information calculation function will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 4C, the edge has a center position of the edge at a position x0 in a certain frame. Then, it is expanded from the center position to the position x0 + 1 of one pixel in the edge moving direction, and similarly expanded from the center position to the position x0-1 of one pixel in the direction opposite to the edge moving direction. The count value of the memory address corresponding to the position “x0-1”, “x0”, “x0 + 1” where such an edge is detected is incremented by “+1”. On the other hand, the count value of the memory address corresponding to the position where the edge is not detected is reset.

  For example, in FIG. 4D, edges are detected at positions “x0-1”, “x0”, and “x0 + 1” at time t. Therefore, the count value of the memory address corresponding to each position is incremented by “1”. As a result, the count value at the position “x0 + 1” is “1”, the count value at the position “x0” is “3”, and the count value at the position “x0-1” is “5”.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4E, since the edge does not move even at time t + 1, the edge is detected at each of the positions “x0-1”, “x0”, and “x0 + 1”. . Therefore, the count values at the positions “x0-1”, “x0”, and “x0 + 1” are further incremented by one. As a result, the count value at position “x0 + 1” is 2, the count value at position “x0” is 4, and the count value at position “x0-1” is 6.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4F, at time t + 2, the edge is shifted by one pixel in the positive direction of the x-axis, and the edge is detected at positions “x0”, “x0 + 1”, and “x0 + 2”. Therefore, the count value of the memory address corresponding to the positions “x0”, “x0 + 1”, and “x0 + 2” where the edge is detected is counted up. On the other hand, the count value at the position “x0-1” where no edge is detected is reset to “zero”. As a result, the count value at position “x0 + 2” is 1, the count value at position “x0 + 1” is 3, and the count value at position “x0” is 5, as shown in FIG. Further, the count value of the position “x0-1” where no edge is detected is reset to “0”.

  As described above, the movement information calculation function counts up the count value of the memory address corresponding to the position where the edge is detected, and resets the count value of the memory address corresponding to the position where the edge is not detected.

  When the object approaches the host vehicle at a certain angle, the edge may be detected a plurality of times at the same position between successive frames. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the edge is detected twice at the position x0 in the continuous frame at time t and frame at time t + 1. Therefore, when the count value of the memory address corresponding to the position where the edge is detected is counted up, the count value correlates with the time (number of frames, dwell time) at which the edge is detected at that position.

  Next, the movement information calculation function calculates the inclination of the count value counted in each pixel, and calculates the movement speed and movement direction of the edge based on this inclination.

  For example, in the case of FIG. 4E, the count values at the positions “x0-1”, “x0”, and “x0 + 1” are “6”, “4”, and “2”, respectively. When the count value “2” of “x0 + 1” is subtracted from the count value “6” of the position “x0-1”, the slope H of the count value is calculated as H = (6-2) / 2 = 2.

  This means H = {(time from the edge moving to the position x0-1 to the present) − (time after the edge moves to the position x0 + 1)} / (2 pixels). It is possible to calculate the time (number of frames) required to pass one pixel at position x0.

  Therefore, the slope H of the count value corresponds to how many frames are required for the edge to move by one pixel, and the edge moving speed 1 / H can be calculated based on the slope H of the count value. For example, in FIG. 4E, two frames are required to move one pixel, so the edge moving speed is calculated as 1/2 (pixel / frame).

  Subsequently, the movement information calculation function determines the edge movement direction based on the count value. Since the edge moves to a position where there is no edge and the count value at the position where the edge is newly detected is 1, the count value at each position is the smallest value. Therefore, the count value in the direction in which the edge moves is small, and the count value in the direction opposite to the direction in which the edge moves is large. By using this tendency, the moving direction of the edge can be determined.

  As described above, by counting up the count value of the memory address corresponding to the position where the edge is detected, the moving speed and moving direction of the edge can be calculated based on the slope of the counted up value. .

  Furthermore, the movement information calculation function detects a pixel corresponding to the edge moved in the x-axis direction with the passage of time as a pixel having lateral speed information based on the calculated movement speed and movement direction of the edge. Pixels corresponding to edges that have moved in the y-axis direction over time are detected as pixels having longitudinal speed information.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a pixel having lateral velocity information. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a pixel having vertical speed information. In FIG. 5, when viewed from the center position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle, the pixel corresponding to the edge moving in the negative direction (left direction) of the x axis in the image data is a white circle, and the center position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. , Pixels corresponding to edges that move in the positive direction (right direction) of the x axis in the image data are represented by black circles. In FIG. 6, pixels corresponding to edges that move in the image data in the positive direction in the y-axis direction (from the far side to the front in the traveling direction of the host vehicle) are represented by white circles, and edges that move in the negative direction in the y-axis direction. Description of pixels corresponding to is omitted.

  The pixels having the lateral velocity information shown in FIG. 5 are pixels corresponding to edges that move in the x-axis direction, and the second pixel column is a pixel row in which the pixels having the lateral velocity information are continuous along the y-axis direction. Detected. For example, in the scene example shown in FIG. 5, the second pixel columns VL1 and VL2 in which pixels having lateral velocity information are continuous in the y-axis direction are detected. On the other hand, the pixels having the vertical velocity information shown in FIG. 6 are pixels corresponding to the edges moving in the y-axis direction, and the first pixels are pixels in which the pixels having the vertical velocity information are continuous along the x-axis direction. A column is detected. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, first pixel rows HL1 and HL2 in which pixels having longitudinal speed information are continuous in the y-axis direction are detected. In addition, the lane mark extending in the traveling direction of the host vehicle and the edge detected from the road boundary line between the structure extending in the traveling direction of the host vehicle and the road surface are edges that move in an oblique direction. The pixel corresponding to the edge has horizontal speed information and vertical speed information. Therefore, the pixel corresponding to the edge detected from the lane mark or the road boundary line between the road structure and the structure extending in the traveling direction of the host vehicle has FIG. 5 showing the pixel having the lateral speed information and the longitudinal speed information. Detected in both FIG. 6 showing the pixels. In this way, it is possible to detect the second pixel row that is continuous in the y-axis direction from the pixels having the lateral velocity information, and the first pixel row that is continuous in the x-axis direction from the pixels having the vertical velocity information.

  The lowest point position detection function is a function for detecting the pixel located at the lowest side in the y-axis direction among the pixels constituting a pixel row in which a plurality of pixels having lateral velocity information are continuously arranged in a predetermined region in the image data. The position is detected as the lowest point position. The method for detecting the lowest point position is not particularly limited, but in the present embodiment, the lowest point position is detected by the method described below. In addition, the pixel column in which the lowest point position is detected is not limited to a pixel column that is continuous along the y-axis direction like the second pixel column, and includes a pixel column that is continuous in an oblique direction (two-dimensional direction). .

  FIG. 7 shows pixels having lateral velocity information as in FIG. 5, and is a diagram for explaining an example of a technique for detecting the lowest point position. In FIG. 7, among pixels having lateral velocity information, a pixel located at the lowest point position is indicated by a solid black circle, and pixels other than the pixels located at the lowest point position are indicated by broken white circles. . First, as shown in FIG. 7, the lowest point position detection function sets strip regions 1 to 12, which are a plurality of strip-shaped regions, on image data.

  The lowest point position detection function scans each strip region from the lower side to the upper side of the image, and y among the pixels constituting the pixel row in which a predetermined number or more of pixels having the lateral velocity information are continuous. The position of the lowest pixel in the axial direction is detected as the lowest point position. Further, out of a plurality of pixels having lateral velocity information detected in each strip region, each pixel constituting a pixel row in which a plurality of pixels corresponding to an edge that moves at a moving speed within a predetermined threshold value and / or Group the pixels that make up a pixel column consisting of a series of pixels that correspond to edges that move in a direction within a predetermined threshold, and select the lowest pixel in the grouped pixel column Detect as position. In addition, for example, from the pixel information having the horizontal velocity information shown in FIG. 5 and the pixel information having the vertical velocity information shown in FIG. A column is detected, and the pixel located at the lowest side in the second pixel column is detected as the lowest point position. By detecting the lowest point position in this manner, the lowest point positions BP1-1 to BP12-2 are detected in the example shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, the lowest point position detected in each of the strip regions 1 to 12 is represented as BPi-j. Here, i indicates the number of the strip area where the lowest point position is detected, and j indicates the number obtained by counting the number of the lowest point positions detected in one strip area from the lower side. . For example, the lowest point position detected from the bottom side of the strip area 1 is displayed as the lowest point position BP1-3, and the bottom point position detected from the bottom side of the strip area 2 is the fourth point. The position is displayed as the lowest point position BP2-4. In FIG. 7, BP1-3, BP2-3, BP2-4, BP3-3, BP4-3, BP4-4, and BP4-4, which are the lowest point positions detected at the boundary line between the structure and the road surface, are shown. Numbers are described only for BP5-3, and numbers are omitted for the lowest point position other than that.

  Next, the boundary line detection function will be described. The boundary line detection function connects the lowest point positions detected by the lowest point position detection function and connects the lowest point positions along the traveling direction of the vehicle (Z-axis direction in real space). The detected straight line is detected as a boundary line on the runway on which the vehicle travels. Examples of detected boundary lines include lane marks, guardrails, curbs, straight lines that connect the setting of the outer wall and the road surface, straight lines that connect the contact points between the three-dimensional object and the road surface, and straight lines between the road surface and other areas. included.

  Hereinafter, an example of a boundary line detection method using the boundary line detection function will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of a technique for extracting a boundary line region.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the boundary line detection function is less than −5.25 m, −5.25 or more and less than −3.5 m, −3.5 m or more and less than −1.75 m, −1. Eight regions of 75 m or more and less than 0 m, 0 m or more and less than 1.75 m, 1.75 m or more and less than 3.5 m, 3.5 m or more and less than 5.25 m, and 5.25 m or more are set. Moreover, five areas of 0 m to 10 m, 10 m to 20 m, 20 m to 30 m, 30 m to 40 m, and 40 m to 50 m are set in the Z-axis direction. Then, an 8 × 5 two-dimensional area divided by the areas set in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction is set.

  The set 8 × 5 two-dimensional region is given a name for identifying each region, and each region is like a region ij using a column (Z-axis region) i and a row (X-axis region) j. It is expressed in For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the region existing in the first row of the first column is represented as region 11, and the region present in the second row of the first column is represented as region 12, and the first row in the second column. A region existing in is represented as a region 21. In addition, a region constituted by each column is represented as a region i0, and a region represented by each row is represented as a region 0j. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 8, a region constituted by the entire first column of the fourth column is represented as a region 40.

  Subsequently, the boundary line detection function converts the position coordinate of the lowest point position extracted on the xy plane into a three-dimensional position coordinate on the ZX plane. For example, the boundary detection function converts the lowest point position BP1-1 shown in FIG. 7 into a three-dimensional coordinate value RB1-1 shown in FIG. Similarly, the lowest point positions BP1-2 to BP12-2 are converted into three-dimensional coordinate values RB1-2 to RB12-2, respectively. When the detected lowest point position does not exist on the road surface, the position coordinates of the lowest point position extracted on the xy plane are projected outside the ZX coordinate area, and the ZX shown in FIG. It is not converted to a three-dimensional position coordinate on the plane.

  In the boundary detection function, which region of the two-dimensional region in which the converted three-dimensional coordinate values RB1-1 to RB12-2 define the X-axis range and the Z-axis range as shown in FIG. Determine. That is, when the three-dimensional coordinate of the lowest point position is included in any of the 8 × 5 areas, the boundary detection function adds 1 to the count value of the area including the lowest point position, and A three-dimensional position distribution of the lower point position is calculated. For example, since the coordinate value RB1-1 is included in the area 35, 1 is added to the count value of the area 35.

  Then, the boundary line detection function extracts an area where the boundary line is highly likely to exist as the boundary line area based on the three-dimensional position distribution of the lowest point position. That is, in the three-dimensional position distribution, a column having count values in a plurality of Z-axis areas in the same X-axis area is extracted as a boundary line area in which a boundary line exists. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 8, since the count value exists in a plurality of Z-axis regions of region 10, region 20, region 30, region 50, region 60, region 70, and region 80, the boundary line detection function is These region 10, region 20, region 30, region 50, region 60, region 70, and region 80 are extracted as boundary line regions.

  Next, the boundary line detection function obtains a straight line indicating the boundary line by linear approximation in each extracted boundary line region. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of a technique for detecting a boundary line. As shown in FIG. 9, the boundary line L1 is detected from the area 10 shown in FIG. 8 by the boundary line detection function. Similarly, the boundary line L2 from the region 20, the boundary line L3 from the region 30, the boundary line L4 from the region 50, the boundary line L5 from the region 60, the boundary line L6 from the region 70, and the boundary line L7 from the region 80. Is detected. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the boundary line L1 is sequentially detected from the lowest point position of the structure, and the boundary lines L2, L3, L4, L5, L6, and L7 are sequentially detected from both ends of the lane mark.

  Further, the boundary line detection function determines whether the detected boundary line is a boundary line indicating a road boundary line that is a boundary line between the structure and the road, or a boundary line indicating a lane mark. For example, in the boundary line detection function, two boundary lines that are closer to the center position of the traveling path on which the host vehicle travels (in addition to the two boundary lines) If there are two boundary lines at a far position, it is determined that the two boundary lines (including the two boundary lines) are straight lines indicating both ends of the lane mark, and these pair of boundary lines are detected as lane marks. For example, in the scene example shown in FIG. 9, in the region on the left side of the center position of the runway on which the host vehicle travels, the boundary line L2 that is the first closest to the center position of the runway and the boundary line L3 that is the second closest to the center position are lane marks. It is determined that On the other hand, the boundary line L1 that is the third closest from the center position of the runway is not a lane mark but a runway boundary line that indicates the boundary between the structure and the runway because there is no boundary line that is paired with the boundary line L1. Determined. Further, in the region on the right side of the center position of the runway on which the host vehicle travels, the boundary line L4 that is the first closest to the center position of the runway, the boundary line L5 that is the second closest to the center position, and the boundary that is the third closest to the center position of the runway The boundary line L7 closest to the line L6 is determined to be a lane mark.

  Then, the boundary line detection function integrates the boundary lines determined to be lane marks, and detects the lane mark and the road boundary line. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the lane mark and the road boundary line detected based on the boundary line. In the scene example shown in FIG. 10, the boundary line detection function performs the boundary lines L2 and L3 as lane marks LL1, the boundary lines L4 and L5 as lane marks RL1, and the boundary lines L6 and L7. Are integrated as a lane mark RL2. On the other hand, the boundary line L1 that is not integrated as a lane mark is defined as a road boundary line LB1 that represents the boundary line between the structure and the road. The boundary line detection function sets the position of the integrated lane mark as the center position of the boundary lines at both ends.

  Next, the intersection space detection function will be described. The intersection space detection function detects an intersection space that is a space that intersects the space in the traveling direction of the host vehicle based on the lowest point position.

  Hereinafter, a method for detecting the intersection space will be described.

  The intersecting space detection function detects a first pixel row in which a plurality of pixels having longitudinal velocity information are continuous along the x-axis direction. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the first pixel column. In FIG. 11, among a plurality of pixels having longitudinal speed information, pixels constituting the first pixel column are indicated by a solid line, and pixels not constituting the first pixel column are indicated by a broken line. For example, in the scene example shown in FIG. 11, a first pixel row HL1 in which a plurality of pixels having vertical speed information is continuous along the x-axis direction is detected, and similarly, a plurality of pixels having vertical speed information are detected on the x-axis. A first pixel row HL2 continuous along the direction is detected.

  The intersecting space detection function detects a second pixel row that is a pixel row in which a plurality of pixels having lateral velocity information are continuous along the y-axis direction and includes the lowest point position. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the second pixel column. In FIG. 12, among a plurality of pixels having lateral velocity information, pixels constituting the second pixel column are indicated by solid white circles, and pixels not constituting the second pixel column are indicated by broken white circles. Further, in FIG. 12, the pixel located at the lowest point position is indicated by a solid black circle. For example, in the example of the scene shown in FIG. 12, a second pixel row VL1 in which a plurality of pixels having lateral velocity information from the lowest point position BP1 is continuous along the y-axis direction is detected, and similarly, the lowest point position BP2 , A second pixel row VL2 in which a plurality of pixels having lateral velocity information are continuous along the y-axis direction is detected.

  The intersecting space detection function is a target region that is a rectangular region in which the first pixel column and the second pixel column intersect with each other are two sides, and the intersection P between the first pixel column and the second pixel column is one corner. Set as. In addition, the length of the target area in the x-axis direction is set as the width w of the target area, and the length of the target area in the y-axis direction is set as the height h of the target area. Here, FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a target region set by the first pixel column and the second pixel column. In FIG. 13, the intersection P between the first pixel column and the second pixel column is indicated by a black circle.

  For example, in the scene example shown in FIG. 13, the intersection space detection function has two sides of the first pixel column HL1 and the second pixel column VL1, and sets the intersection point P between the first pixel column HL1 and the second pixel column VL1 to 1 A target area 1 and a target area 2 which are areas to be used as one corner are set. The target region 1 is set as a target region in which the length from the lowest point position of the second pixel column VL1 to the intersection P is a height h and the length of the first pixel column HL1 is a width w. On the other hand, the target region 2 is a target region in which the length from the intersection P to the position of the pixel located on the uppermost side of the second pixel column VL1 is the height h, and the length of the first pixel column HL1 is the width w. Is set.

  In the example shown in FIG. 13, the target region 2 is a region corresponding to the wall of the structure, while the target region 1 is a region corresponding to the intersection space between the structure and the structure. As shown in FIG. 13, the target area 2 corresponding to the structure is surrounded on three sides by a pixel row having vertical speed information or horizontal speed information, and the vertical speed information or horizontal speed among the pixels corresponding to the target area. The ratio of pixels having speed information increases. On the other hand, the target area 1 corresponding to the intersection space is surrounded by only two sides with a pixel row having vertical speed information or horizontal speed information, and has vertical speed information or horizontal speed information among the pixels corresponding to the target area. The pixel ratio is reduced. Therefore, the intersection space detection function determines whether the ratio of pixels having vertical speed information or horizontal speed information is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio among the pixels corresponding to the target area. It is determined whether the object corresponds to a structure such as a wall or an intersection space. Specifically, in the intersection space detection function, a target area in which a ratio of pixels having vertical speed information or lateral speed information is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio among pixels corresponding to the target area is a target area corresponding to the cross space. On the other hand, the target area in which the ratio of the pixels having the vertical speed information or the horizontal speed information among the pixels corresponding to the target area is larger than a predetermined ratio is a target area corresponding to a structure such as a wall. judge.

  A method for determining whether the proportion of pixels having vertical velocity information or lateral velocity information among the pixels corresponding to the target region is not more than a predetermined proportion is not particularly limited, but in the present embodiment, the intersection space detection function is The number of pixels n, which is the number of pixels having speed information or lateral speed information, is detected from among the pixels corresponding to the target region, and the number of pixels n is determined by the number of pixels n ≦ (the height of the target region h × the width w of the target region. ) × predetermined ratio is determined to determine whether the ratio of the pixels having the vertical speed information or the horizontal speed information among the pixels corresponding to the target area is equal to or lower than the predetermined ratio. If the number of pixels n ≦ (height h of the target area × width w of the target area) × predetermined ratio, the target area is determined to be a target area corresponding to the intersection space.

  Then, the intersection space detection function detects the intersection space on the assumption that there is a space that intersects the space in the traveling direction of the host vehicle at the position of the target region corresponding to the intersection space. Then, the intersection space detection function determines the width W and height H of the detected intersection space. Hereinafter, an example of a method for determining the width W and the height H of the intersection space will be described.

  First, the intersection space detection function determines the width W of the intersection space based on the width w of the target region. Here, the relationship between the width w of the target region corresponding to the intersection space and the width W of the intersection space will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the width w of the target area corresponding to the intersection space and the width W of the intersection space when the width w of the target area corresponding to the intersection space is w1. FIG. 15 shows the relationship between the width w of the target area corresponding to the cross space and the width W of the cross space when the width w of the target area corresponding to the cross space is smaller than w1 in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating. As shown in FIG. 14 (a), when the width w of the target area is detected as w1, the width W of the intersection space between the structure A and the structure B is as shown in FIG. 14 (b). It is detected as SW1. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15 (a), when the width w of the target area is detected as w2, the intersection space between the structure C and the structure D is shown in FIG. 15 (b). The width W is detected as SW2.

  14 is compared with FIG. 15, the width w1 of the target area in FIG. 14A is larger than w2 which is the width w of the target area in FIG. SW1 which is the width W of the intersection space in FIG. 15B is larger than SW2 which is the width W of the intersection space in FIG. Thus, the width W of the intersection space increases as the width w of the target region increases. That is, the width w of the target area correlates with the width W of the intersecting space, and the width W of the intersecting space can be determined according to the size of the width w of the target area. Therefore, the intersection space detection function determines the width W of the intersection space based on the width w of the target region.

  Further, the intersecting space detection function determines the height H of the intersecting space from the length of the second pixel row in contact with the target region. Here, the height H of the intersection space means the height of the structure adjacent to the intersection space. FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the second pixel column in contact with the target region and the height H of the intersection space. As shown in FIG. 16, the second pixel column VL2 in contact with the target region is based on the edge detected from the right end of the structure B adjacent to the intersection space corresponding to the target region 1, and the second pixel column The length of VL2 corresponds to the height of the structure B adjacent to the intersection space, that is, the height H of the intersection space. Therefore, the intersecting space detection function can determine the height H of the intersecting space from the length of the second pixel row VL2 in contact with the target region 1. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, when there are a plurality of second pixel columns VL1 and VL2 in contact with the intersection space, the second pixel column VL1 before the traveling direction may be used, or the traveling direction A distant second pixel row VL2 may be used. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the height H of the intersection space is determined using the second pixel column VL2 far in the traveling direction.

  As described above, the intersection space detection function detects the intersection space based on the target region, and determines the width W and the height H of the detected intersection space. For example, in the example illustrated in FIG. 13, the intersection space detection function detects the intersection space at the position of the target region 1, determines the width W of the intersection space from the width w of the target region 1, and The height H of the intersection space is determined from the length of the pixel column VL2.

  Next, the pop-out possibility calculation function will be described. The pop-out possibility calculation function calculates the possibility that an object will pop out on the runway on which the host vehicle travels based on the cross space detected by the cross space detection function.

  The pop-out possibility calculation function calculates the possibility that an object will jump out on the runway based on the height H and width W of the cross space detected by the cross space detection function. For example, when the width W of the intersection space is large, there is a high possibility that an automobile traveling at a high speed will jump out of the intersection space. In addition, when the height H of the intersection space is low, there is a high possibility that a person or an animal jumps over a structure adjacent to the intersection space, and therefore the possibility that an object will jump out on the runway is calculated. The weighting may be set for the width W of the intersection space and the height H of the intersection space. For example, the width W of the intersection space for which weighting is set is W ′ and the height H of the intersection space for which weighting is set. Is set as H ′, the pop-out possibility P may be calculated as pop-out possibility P = W ′ × H ′.

  Furthermore, the pop-out possibility calculation function calculates the pop-out possibility of an object based on vehicle information such as the vehicle speed of the host vehicle, a headlight lighting signal, and a wiper operation signal. In a situation where it is difficult to deal with the jumping out of the object onto the running path, driving assistance based on the possibility of jumping out of the object can be appropriately performed by calculating the jumping out possibility. For example, when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is high, it is difficult to cope with the object jumping out on the road compared to the case where the vehicle speed is low. Further, when the headlight is turned on, it can be determined that the user's field of view is poor at night or the like, so the possibility of popping out is calculated to be high. Furthermore, even when the wiper is operating, it can be determined that the user's field of view is deteriorated due to rain or the like, and therefore, the possibility of popping out is calculated to be high.

  Next, the attribute information addition function will be described. The attribute information addition function adds attribute information indicating the attribute of the boundary line to the boundary line detected by the boundary line detection function. The attribute information added to the boundary line includes, for example, the type of the detected lane mark (for example, whether it is a solid line or a broken line), the pop-out possibility calculated by the pop-out possibility calculation function, and the like. It is done.

  17 and 18 are diagrams for explaining attribute information added by the attribute information addition function, and are examples of images displayed on the screen of the display 50. FIG. For example, the attribute information addition function adds information on the possibility of jumping out to a road boundary that is a boundary between a road and a structure. Thereby, the display 50 displays on the screen the road boundary line between the road on which the host vehicle travels and the structure, as shown in FIG. 17, based on the information on the boundary line to which the attribute information is added. . In particular, in the example of the scene shown in FIG. 17, since the possibility of jumping in the intersection space is added to the road boundary line, the road boundary line displayed on the screen of the display 50 is at the position where the intersection space is detected. Depending on the possibility of popping out, the position is displayed so that the position is closer to the vehicle track than the position of the normal track boundary. As a result, a position where the object is likely to jump out can be transmitted to the user. FIG. 18 is an example of an image displayed on the screen of the display 50 when the possibility of popping out in the intersection space is higher than in the scene example shown in FIG. For example, in the example of the scene shown in FIG. 18, the width w of the target area corresponding to the intersection space is larger than that in the example of the scene shown in FIG. The possibility of jumping out in the intersection space is calculated highly. As described above, the scene example shown in FIG. 18 has a higher possibility of popping out in the intersection space than the scene example shown in FIG. 17, and therefore, in the position of the intersection space, compared to the scene example shown in FIG. The road boundary line is displayed so that is at the position on the vehicle road side.

  The output function is used to display a control signal for controlling the vehicle, a warning signal for warning the driver, and a position where the possibility of popping out is high, based on the popping possibility calculated by the popping possibility calculation function. Various signals such as image signals are generated. Then, the output function transmits the generated signal to the vehicle controller 30, the speaker 40, and the display 50.

  The vehicle controller 30 is connected to various devices such as a steering, an accelerator, and a brake (not shown), and controls these devices based on a control signal transmitted from the control device 20. The vehicle controller 30 is connected to a vehicle speed sensor, a headlight, and a wiper (not shown), and acquires vehicle speed from the vehicle speed sensor, headlight lighting information from the headlight, and wiper operation information from the wiper.

  Based on the alarm signal transmitted from the control device 20, the speaker 40 outputs a pop-out alarm of a pedestrian, a car or the like to the runway on which the host vehicle travels. Moreover, the display 50 is based on the image signal transmitted from the control apparatus 20, and as shown in FIG. 17 or FIG. 18, the position of the area | region where possibility that a pedestrian, a vehicle, etc. will jump out on the runway where the own vehicle runs is high. Is displayed on a screen provided in the display 50.

  Next, the driving support process according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20. 19 and 20 are flowcharts showing the driving support process according to the present embodiment. The driving support process described below is executed by the control device 20.

  First, in step S1, parameters necessary for the driving support process are initially set.

  Next, in step S2, image data ahead of the traveling direction of the host vehicle captured by the camera 10 is acquired by the image acquisition function.

  In step S3, an edge is extracted from the image data acquired in step S2 by the edge extraction function. In the present embodiment, an edge component continuous in the y-axis direction and an edge component continuous in the x-axis direction are extracted using the Sobel operator.

  In step S4, edge speed information is calculated by the movement information calculation function. In step S4, using the edge component continuous in the y-axis direction extracted in step S3, the movement information of the edge moving in the x-axis direction is converted into the edge component continuous in the x-axis direction extracted in step S3. Is used to calculate the movement information of the edge moving in the y-axis direction.

  In step S5, based on the movement speed and movement direction of the edge calculated by the movement information calculation function, as shown in FIG. 5, the pixel corresponding to the edge moved in the x-axis direction is a pixel having lateral speed information. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a pixel corresponding to an edge moved in the y-axis direction is detected as a pixel having longitudinal speed information.

  Next, in step S6, the lowest point position is detected by the lowest point position detection function. That is, the image data is divided into a plurality of strip-shaped regions, and a pixel row in which a plurality of pixels having the lateral velocity information calculated in step S5 is continuously detected in each region. Then, the position of the pixel located on the lowermost side in the y-axis direction among the pixels constituting the pixel column is detected as the lowest point position. For example, in the scene example shown in FIG. 7, BP1-1 to BP12-2 are calculated as the lowest point positions. The detected lowest point position is stored in the RAM of the control device 20.

  In step S7, the position coordinate of the lowest point position extracted on the xy plane of the camera coordinate system is converted into a three-dimensional position coordinate as a point on the ZX plane of the vehicle coordinate system by the boundary line detection function. For example, the lowest point positions BP1-1 to BP12-2 shown in FIG. 7 are converted into the three-dimensional coordinate values RB1-1 to RB12-2 shown in FIG.

  In step S8, it is determined whether the three-dimensional coordinates converted in step S7 are the same X-axis region and there are boundary line regions existing in a plurality of Z-axis regions. If the boundary line area exists, the process proceeds to step S9. On the other hand, if the boundary line area does not exist, the process proceeds to step S13.

  In step S9, the lowest point position existing in the boundary line region is connected by linear approximation, and the detected straight line is detected as the boundary line. For example, the boundary lines L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L6, and L7 shown in FIG. 9 are detected from the three-dimensional coordinate values RB1-1 to RB12-2 shown in FIG.

  Next, in step S10, it is determined whether the boundary line detection process in step S9 has been performed for all boundary line regions. If boundary detection processing has been performed for all boundary regions, the process proceeds to step S11. On the other hand, if boundary detection processing has not been performed for all boundary regions, the process returns to step S9 and the boundary is detected. A boundary line is detected for a boundary region that has not been subjected to line detection processing.

  In step S11, it is determined by the boundary line detection function whether the detected boundary line is based on the lane mark or based on the road boundary line between the road and the structure. For example, in the scene example shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, in the region on the left side of the center position of the travel path on which the host vehicle travels, the boundary line L2 that is the first closest to the center position of the travel path and the boundary line L3 that is the second closest to the center position Is detected as a lane mark LL1, while a boundary line L1 that is the third closest to the center position of the road is detected as a road boundary LB1 indicating the boundary between the structure and the road. Further, in the region on the right side of the center position of the runway on which the host vehicle travels, the boundary line L4 that is the first closest to the center position of the runway and the boundary line L5 that is the second closest to the center position are 3 from the lane mark RL1 The fourth closest boundary line L6 and the fourth closest boundary line L7 are detected as the lane mark RL2.

  Next, in step S12, it is determined whether or not it is determined in step S11 whether the boundary line is a lane mark or a road boundary line. When it is determined whether all the boundary lines are lane marks or road boundary lines, the process proceeds to step S14 in FIG. On the other hand, if it is not determined whether the boundary line is a lane mark or a road boundary line for all the boundary lines, the process of step S11 is performed for the boundary lines that are not determined.

  If the boundary line cannot be detected in step S8, the process proceeds to step S13. In step S13, it is determined that there is no boundary line in the image data, and the process proceeds to step S19 in FIG.

  Next, the driving support process shown in FIG. 20 will be described.

  First, in step S14, an intersection space that is a space that intersects the traveling direction of the host vehicle is detected by the intersection space detection process based on the lowest point position detected in step S6. 21 and 22 are flowcharts showing the intersection space detection process of step S14. Hereinafter, the intersection space detection process will be described with reference to FIGS. 21 and 22.

  First, in step S1401, a processing area for detecting an intersection space is set. Specifically, the lane mark detected in step S11 as viewed from the center position of the road on which the host vehicle travels (the lane located on the outermost side from the road center position when a plurality of lane marks are detected). An area outside the mark) is set as a processing area. For example, in the example of the scene shown in FIG. 10, for the left region of the host vehicle, the region on the left side of the lane mark LL1 detected in step S11 is set as the processing region. Of the two lane marks RL1 and RL2 on the right side of the host vehicle detected in S11, a region on the right side of the lane mark RL2 located far from the host vehicle is set as a processing region.

  Next, in step S1402, in the processing region set in step S1401, the pixels having the lateral velocity information are the second pixel row that is continuous along the y-axis direction from the lowest point position, and the pixels having the longitudinal velocity information. However, the first pixel row that is continuous along the x-axis direction is detected. For example, in the scene example shown in FIG. 11, the first pixel column HL1 and the first pixel column HL2 are detected. Further, in the example of the scene in FIG. 12, the second pixel row VL1 in which a plurality of pixels having the lateral velocity information is continuously detected from the lowest point position BP1, and similarly, a plurality of pixels having the lateral velocity information from the lowest point position BP2 is detected. The second pixel row VL2 in which the pixels are continuous is detected.

  In step S1403, it is determined whether the first pixel column and the second pixel column have been detected. If the first pixel column or the second pixel column cannot be detected, the process advances to step S1409 to determine that no intersection space exists, and the intersection space detection process in step S14 ends. On the other hand, if the first pixel column and the second pixel column can be detected, the process proceeds to step S1404.

  In step S1404, the length of the first pixel column that is continuous along the x-axis direction and the length of the second pixel column that is continuous along the y-axis direction are calculated.

  In subsequent step S1405, in order to determine whether or not the first pixel column obtained in step S1404 is noise based on an erroneously detected edge component, the length of the first pixel column is a predetermined value TW0, for example, 0 in the vehicle coordinate system. It is judged whether it is more than 3m. Here, a plurality of first pixel columns may be detected in one image data due to a structure imaged by the camera 10 or a background other than the structure. Therefore, in step S1405, when there are a plurality of first pixel columns in one image data, it is determined whether the length of each first pixel column is equal to or greater than a predetermined value TWO.

  If there is a first pixel column whose length is equal to or greater than the predetermined value TW0, the process proceeds to step S1406. On the other hand, if there is no first pixel column whose length is equal to or greater than the predetermined value TW0, the detected first pixel column is detected. One pixel column is determined to be noise based on the erroneously detected edge component, and the process proceeds to step S1409, where it is determined that there is no cross space in the image data, and the cross space detection process in step S14 is terminated.

  In step S1406, the length of the second pixel column is a predetermined value TH0, for example, 0.15 m or more in the vehicle coordinate system, in order to determine whether the second pixel column is noise based on an erroneously detected edge component. Is judged. In step S1406, as in step S1405, if there are a plurality of second pixel columns in one image data, it is determined whether the length of each second pixel column is equal to or greater than a predetermined value THO. Is done.

  If there is a second pixel column whose length is equal to or greater than the predetermined value TH0, the process proceeds to step S1407. On the other hand, if there is no second pixel column whose length is equal to or greater than the predetermined value TH0, the detected second pixel column is detected. The two pixel columns are determined to be noise based on the erroneously detected edge component, and the process proceeds to step S1409, where it is determined that there is no intersection space in the image data, and the intersection space detection process in step S14 is terminated.

  Next, in step S1407, a rectangular region having the first pixel column and the second pixel column intersecting each other as two sides and the intersection of the first pixel column and the second pixel column as one corner is set as a target region. To do. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the target region 1 having the first pixel column HL1 and the second pixel column VL1 as two sides and the intersection P between the first pixel column HL1 and the second pixel column VL1 as one corner. Similarly, the target region 2 is set with the first pixel column HL1 and the second pixel column VL1 as two sides and the intersection P between the first pixel column HL1 and the second pixel column VL1 as one corner. The

  In step S1408, it is determined whether the target area is set in step S1407. If the target area is set, the process proceeds to step S1410. On the other hand, if no target area has been set, the process advances to step S1409 to determine that there is no cross space in the image data, and the cross space detection process in step S14 ends.

  Next, in step S1410, the number n of pixels having vertical speed information or horizontal speed information among the pixels corresponding to the target region set in step S1407 is detected.

  In step S1411, it is determined whether the ratio of the pixels having the vertical speed information or the horizontal speed information detected in step S1410 among the pixels corresponding to the target region is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio. In the present embodiment, it is determined whether the number n of pixels having the vertical speed information or the horizontal speed information has a relationship of the number of pixels n ≦ (the height of the target area h × the width w of the target area) × a predetermined ratio. Thus, it is determined whether or not the ratio of the pixels having the vertical speed information or the horizontal speed information among the pixels corresponding to the target region is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio. When the ratio of the pixels having the vertical speed information or the horizontal speed information among the pixels corresponding to the target area is equal to or less than the predetermined ratio, the process proceeds to step S1412 and it is determined that the detected target area corresponds to the intersection space. The On the other hand, if the proportion of pixels having vertical velocity information or lateral velocity information among the pixels corresponding to the target region is larger than a predetermined proportion, it is determined that the target region corresponds to a structure such as a wall, and step The process proceeds to S1424.

  In step S1413 and subsequent steps, the width W of the intersection space is obtained based on the width w of the target region corresponding to the intersection space (steps S1413 to S1417), and the second pixel column in contact with the target region corresponding to the intersection space is determined. Based on the length, the height H of the intersection space is obtained (steps S1418 to S1422). In this embodiment, the width W of the intersection space is determined by three parameters of “large”, “medium”, and “small”, and the height H of the intersection space is “high”, “medium”, “ It is determined by three parameters “low”. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, when there are a plurality of second pixel columns in contact with the target region corresponding to the intersection space, the intersection space is determined based on the length of the second pixel column far from the traveling direction. Determine the height.

  First, in step S1413, it is determined whether the width w of the target area is a predetermined value TW1, for example, 1 m or more in the vehicle coordinate system. If the width w of the target area is less than the predetermined value TW1, the process proceeds to step S1414. If the width w of the target area is equal to or greater than the predetermined value TW1, the process proceeds to step S1415.

  In step S1414, since it is determined that the width w of the target area is less than the predetermined value TW1, the width W of the intersection space is set to “small”. After the width W of the intersection space is set to “small” in step S1414, the process proceeds to step S1418.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1413 that the width w of the target area is equal to or greater than the predetermined value TW1, the process proceeds to step S1415, and whether the width w of the target area is equal to or greater than the predetermined value TW2, for example, 3 m in the vehicle coordinate system. To be judged. If the width w of the target area is less than the predetermined value TW2, the process proceeds to step S1416. If the width w of the target area is greater than or equal to the predetermined value TW2, the process proceeds to step S1417.

  In step S1416, since it is determined that the width w of the target area is equal to or larger than the predetermined value TW1 and smaller than the predetermined value TW2, the width W of the intersection space is set to “medium”. After the width W of the intersection space is set to “medium” in step S1416, the process proceeds to step S1418.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1415 that the width w of the target area is equal to or greater than the predetermined value TW2, the process proceeds to step S1417, and the width W of the intersection space is set to “large”. After the width W of the intersection space is set to “large” in step S1417, the process proceeds to step S1418.

  Next, in step S1418 to step S1422, the width H of the intersection space is obtained with the width parameters of “high”, “medium”, and “low” based on the length of the second pixel column in contact with the target region.

  First, in step S1418, it is determined whether the length of the second pixel row in contact with the target region is a predetermined value TH1, for example, 0.5 m or more in the vehicle coordinate system. If the length of the second pixel column in contact with the target region is less than the predetermined value TH1, the process proceeds to the next step S1419. On the other hand, if the length of the second pixel column in contact with the target region is equal to or greater than the predetermined value TH1, step S1420 is performed. Proceed to

  In step S1419, since it is determined that the length of the second pixel row in contact with the target region is less than the predetermined value TH1, the height H of the intersection space is set to “low”. After the height H of the intersection space is set to “low” in step S1419, the process proceeds to step S1423.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1418 that the length of the second pixel column in contact with the target region is equal to or greater than the predetermined value TH1, the process proceeds to step S1420, and the length of the second pixel column in contact with the target region is the predetermined value TH2. For example, it is determined whether it is 1.5 m or more in the vehicle coordinate system. If the length of the second pixel column in contact with the target region is less than the predetermined value TH2, the process proceeds to step S1421, while if the length of the second pixel column in contact with the target region is equal to or greater than the predetermined value TH2, step S1422 is performed. Proceed to

  In step S1421, since it is determined that the length of the second pixel row in contact with the target region is equal to or greater than the predetermined value TH1 and less than the predetermined value TH2, the height H of the intersection space is set to “medium”. The After the height H of the intersection space is set to “medium” in step S1421, the process proceeds to step S1423.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1420 that the length of the second pixel row in contact with the target region is equal to or greater than the predetermined value TH2, the process proceeds to step S1422, and the height H of the intersection space is set to “high”. After the height H of the intersection space is set to “high” in step S1422, the process proceeds to step S1423.

  In step S1423, it is determined whether the width W and the height H are set for all the intersection spaces corresponding to the target region. When the width W and the height H are set for all the intersection spaces, the intersection space processing in step S14 is terminated. On the other hand, if the width W and the height H are not set for all the intersection spaces, the process returns to step S1410, and the width W and the height H are set for the intersection spaces where the width W and the height H are not set. The

  If it is determined in step S1411 that the proportion of pixels having vertical velocity information or horizontal velocity information among the pixels corresponding to the target region is greater than a predetermined proportion, the process proceeds to step S1424. In step S1424, it is determined that the target region configured by the first pixel column and the second pixel column does not correspond to the intersection space, and the process proceeds to step S1423.

  Subsequently, in step S15 shown in FIG. 20, it is determined whether an intersection space is detected. If an intersection space is detected, the process proceeds to step S16, whereas if it is determined that no intersection space exists, the process proceeds to step S18.

  In step S <b> 16, the possibility of an object jumping out on the road on which the host vehicle travels is calculated by the pop-out possibility calculation function. In the following, the pop-out possibility calculation process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing pop-out possibility calculation processing.

  First, in step S1601, the width W and height H of the intersection space detected by the intersection space detection process in step S14 are acquired.

  Next, in step S1602, the possibility P of the object jumping out on the running path on which the host vehicle travels is calculated using the acquired width W and height H of the intersection space. In the present embodiment, as described below, the intersection space width W and the intersection space height H are pointed, and based on the pointed intersection space width W and intersection space height H, popping out The possibility P is calculated.

  For example, in the intersection space detection process in step S14, the intersection space width W is set to “large”, “medium”, or “small”. It is assumed that the wider the intersection space, the higher the possibility that an object that moves at high speed, such as an automobile, will jump out onto the runway. Therefore, in this embodiment, if the width W of the intersection space is “large”, 3 points, 2 points if the width W of the intersection space is “medium”, and if the width W of the intersection space is “small”. The width W of the intersection space is made into a point according to one point and the possibility of popping out.

  Similarly, in the intersection space detection process in step S14, the height H of the intersection space is set to “high”, “medium”, or “low”. The height of the intersection space is estimated to be the height of the structure adjacent to the intersection space, and the lower the height of the intersection space, the more likely the object will jump out of the structure adjacent to the intersection space. is assumed. Therefore, in this embodiment, if the height H of the intersection space is “high”, it is 1 point, if the height H of the intersection space is “medium”, it is 2 points, and the height H of the intersection space is “low”. If there is 3 points, the height H of the intersection space is made into a point according to the possibility of popping out.

  Then, the pop-out possibility P is calculated based on the width W of the intersection space and the height H of the intersection space. For example, it can be calculated as pop-out possibility P = point of height H of intersection space × point of width W of intersection space. If the width W of the intersection space is “Large” and the height H of the intersection space is “Low”, the width W is 3 points and the height H is also 3 points. Is calculated as On the other hand, when the width W of the intersection space is “small” and the height H of the intersection space is “high”, the width W is 1 point and the height H is also 1 point. Calculated as 1 point. In calculating the pop-out possibility P, the points of the width W of the intersection space or the height H of the intersection space may be weighted.

  Next, in step S1603, vehicle information is acquired from the vehicle controller 30. In the present embodiment, for example, a vehicle speed, a headlight lighting signal, or a wiper operation signal is acquired.

  In step S1604, it is determined whether the acquired vehicle speed is a predetermined value TV0, for example, 40 Km / h or more. If the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined value TVO, the process proceeds to step S1605. If the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined value TV0, the process proceeds to step S1606.

  In step S1605, since it is determined in step S1604 that the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined value TVO, the pop-out possibility P calculated in step S1602 is corrected by one step. As a method for increasing the popping possibility, a predetermined number of points may be added to the popping possibility calculated in step S1602, or the popping possibility calculated in step S1602 is multiplied by a predetermined number of points. Also good.

  Next, in step S1606, based on the headlight lighting signal acquired in step S1603, it is determined whether the headlight is on or the headlight is off. If the headlight is on, the process proceeds to step S1607. If the headlight is off, the process proceeds to step S1608.

  In step S1607, since it is determined that the headlight is turned on in step S1606, it is determined that the surroundings of the host vehicle are in a dark state, and the possibility of popping out is compared to the popping possibility calculated in step S1602. Is corrected by one step. Note that the method for increasing the possibility of popping out may be performed in the same manner as in step S1605.

  In step S1608, it is determined whether the wiper is operating based on the wiper operation signal acquired in step S1603. If the wiper is operating, the process proceeds to step S1609. On the other hand, if the wiper is not operating, the popping possibility calculating process in step S16 is terminated.

  Next, in step S1609, since it is determined that the wiper is operating in step S1608, it is determined that the traveling environment of the host vehicle is rain, and the possibility of popping out calculated in step S1602 is determined. Correction is performed to increase the pop-out possibility by one step. Note that the method for increasing the possibility of popping out may be performed in the same manner as in step S1605.

  After step S1609 ends, the pop-out possibility calculation process in step S16 ends.

  Next, in step S17, it is determined whether the pop-out possibility calculation processing in step S16 has been performed for all detected intersection spaces. If the pop-out possibility calculation process has been performed for all the intersection spaces, the process proceeds to step S18. On the other hand, if the pop-out possibility calculation process has not been performed for all the cross spaces, the process returns to step S16. For the intersection space for which the pop-out possibility is not calculated, the pop-out possibility calculation process in step S16 is performed.

  In step S18, attribute information such as the type of lane mark and the possibility of popping out is added to the detected boundary line by the attribute information addition function. For example, position information corresponding to the possibility of popping is added to a road boundary that is a boundary between a road on which a vehicle travels and a structure. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, on the screen of the display 50, the road boundary line is displayed at the position of the vehicle road at the position of the intersection space, and there is a possibility that the object may jump out to the user. The position of the intersection space can be transmitted. Note that step S18 may be performed immediately after the pop-out possibility calculation process in step S16.

  In the subsequent step S19, for example, a control signal for controlling the vehicle controller 30, a warning signal for sending a warning from the speaker 40, and a possibility of popping out are high based on the popping possibility or attribute information by the output function. An image signal for displaying the area on the screen of the display 50 is generated. Then, the generated signal is output to the vehicle controller 30, the speaker 40, and the display 50.

  As a result, the vehicle controller 30 controls various devices such as a steering, an accelerator, and a brake (not shown) according to the possibility of jumping out, and the speaker 40 controls a pedestrian, a car, etc. according to the possibility of jumping out. As shown in FIG. 17 or FIG. 18, the pop-out warning is transmitted by voice, and the display 50 can display the position of a region where there is a high possibility of popping out such as a pedestrian or a car on the screen provided in the display 50. it can.

  In step S20, it is determined whether the ignition is OFF. If the ignition is OFF, the driving support process is terminated. On the other hand, when the ignition is ON, the process returns to step S2 and the driving support process is performed again.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, an intersection space that is a space that intersects the space in the traveling direction of the host vehicle based on the edge component extracted from the structure existing in the outer region of the traveling path on which the host vehicle travels. And the possibility of a vehicle or a person jumping out on the runway is calculated based on the detected intersection space. Thus, by calculating the possibility of popping out based on the feature points of the structure, the object can be detected without being affected by the road surface condition, the brightness of the structure and the background of the structure, the difference between daytime or nighttime. The possibility of jumping to the runway can be calculated appropriately. As a result, the user's driving can be appropriately supported based on the calculated pop-out possibility. For example, when the possibility of popping out is high, the user's driving can be supported by controlling the brake, accelerator, and steering of the vehicle or issuing a warning by the speaker 40.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the position where the possibility of jumping is high is displayed on the display 50, so that the user can be alerted to the jumping of the object on the runway. In particular, the higher the possibility of jumping out, the more the position information of the road boundary line in the intersection space is corrected so that it becomes the position on the road side where the host vehicle travels, so that the user can be alerted to the object jumping out. In addition, for example, it is possible to determine a safe avoidance route against the jumping out of the object using the corrected travel route boundary line, and thus it is possible to appropriately support the user's driving.

  In the present embodiment, when the intersection space is detected based on the target area, the ratio of the pixels having the vertical speed information or the horizontal speed information among the pixels corresponding to the target area is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio. By determining, it is determined whether the target region corresponds to a structure such as a wall or an intersection space. Thereby, the erroneous detection of the intersection space can be suppressed and the calculation accuracy of the pop-out possibility can be improved.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the greater the width W of the intersection space, the higher the possibility of popping out. When the width W of the intersection space is wide, it is assumed that there is a higher possibility that an object that moves at a high speed, such as an automobile, will jump out on the runway, compared to the case where the width W of the intersection space is narrow. Therefore, by calculating the possibility of popping out according to the width W of the intersection space, it is possible to appropriately perform driving support according to the scene in which a car or the like jumps out of the intersection space.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the possibility of popping out is calculated higher as the height H of the intersection space is lower. The height H of the intersection space is the height of the structure adjacent to the intersection space. The lower the height H of the intersection space, the more pedestrians and animals can jump over the structure adjacent to the intersection space and jump out to the runway. Is expected to increase. Therefore, by calculating the possibility of jumping out according to the height H of the intersection space, it is possible to appropriately perform driving support according to the scene where the pedestrian or animal jumps over the structure and jumps out to the runway.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when detecting the intersection space, an area outside the lane mark on the road as seen from the center position of the road on which the host vehicle travels is used as a processing area for detecting the intersection space. Set. The intersection space is a space that intersects the space in the traveling direction of the host vehicle, and is detected in an outer region of the runway on which the host vehicle travels. Therefore, by setting an area outside the lane mark as a processing area for detecting the intersection space, the intersection space detection process can be performed efficiently.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, in a situation where it is difficult to cope with the jumping out of the object to the running path, the driving support corresponding to the jumping out of the object is appropriately performed by calculating the possibility of jumping out. For example, when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is high, the possibility of popping out is calculated high. As a result, even when the host vehicle is traveling at high speed, it is possible to appropriately perform driving support for an object jumping out. Further, when the headlight is turned on, by calculating the possibility of popping out, driving assistance for popping out an object can be appropriately performed even during night driving. In addition, by calculating the possibility of jumping out when the wiper is operating, driving assistance for jumping out of an object can be appropriately performed even in a driving environment such as rain or snow.

  The embodiment described above is described for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and is not described for limiting the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above embodiment is intended to include all design changes and equivalents belonging to the technical scope of the present invention.

  Note that the camera 10 of the above-described embodiment is the imaging means of the present invention, the edge extraction function is the extraction means of the present invention, the lowest point position detection function is the lowest point position detection means of the present invention, and the boundary line detection function. Corresponds to the boundary detection means of the present invention, the intersection space detection function corresponds to the intersection space detection means of the present invention, the pop-out possibility calculation function corresponds to the calculation means of the present invention, and the attribute information addition function corresponds to the addition means of the present invention. To do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Camera 20 ... Control apparatus 30 ... Vehicle controller 40 ... Speaker 50 ... Display

Claims (12)

Imaging means for imaging the front of the vehicle;
Extraction means for extracting an edge component of an object moved in the image based on information of the image captured by the imaging means;
Of the pixels constituting the pixel row in which a plurality of pixels corresponding to the edge component extracted by the extraction means are continuously arranged in the predetermined region in the image, the pixel located at the lowest side in the height direction Lowest point position detection means for detecting the position as the lowest point position;
Boundary line detection means for detecting a straight line connecting the lowest point positions detected by the lowest point position detection means along the traveling direction of the vehicle as a boundary line of a travel path on which the host vehicle travels. In the driving support device provided,
An intersecting space detecting means for detecting an intersecting space that is a space intersecting with the space in the traveling direction of the host vehicle based on the lowest point position;
A driving support device, comprising: a calculating unit that calculates a possibility of an object jumping out on a running path on which the host vehicle travels based on the intersecting space detected by the intersecting space detecting unit. The driving support device according to claim 1,
The boundary detection means detects a lane mark from the boundary,
The crossing space detecting means detects the crossing space in a region outside the lane mark when viewed from the center of the running road. The driving support device according to claim 1 or 2,
The intersecting space detecting means includes a first pixel row composed of a plurality of pixels continuous in a direction perpendicular to a height direction among a plurality of pixels corresponding to the edge component, and a height direction from the lowest point position. A space corresponding to a rectangular region having an intersection at which a second pixel column composed of a plurality of continuous pixels intersects as one corner and two sides of the first pixel column and the second pixel column intersecting each other Is detected as the intersection space. It is a driving assistance device according to claim 3,
The intersecting space detecting means detects a space corresponding to the rectangular region as the intersecting space based on a ratio of pixels corresponding to the edge component to all pixels corresponding to the rectangular region. A featured travel support device. It is a driving assistance device according to claim 3 or 4,
The intersection space detecting means detects the width of the intersection space corresponding to the rectangular area based on the length of the first pixel row forming one side of the rectangular area. Support device. The driving support device according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
The intersecting space detecting means detects the height of the intersecting space corresponding to the rectangular area based on the length of the second pixel row forming one side of the rectangular area. Driving support device. The driving support device according to claim 5,
The driving means according to claim 1, wherein the calculating means calculates a possibility that an object will pop out as the width of the intersection space increases. The driving support device according to claim 6,
The said calculating means calculates the possibility that an object will jump out so that the height of the said intersection space is low, The driving assistance apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. It is a driving assistance device in any one of Claims 1-8,
The driving means is characterized in that the calculating means calculates the possibility of an object jumping out based on at least one of vehicle speed information, headlight operation information, and wiper operation information. A driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The driving support apparatus further comprising an adding unit that adds attribute information indicating an attribute of the boundary line to the boundary line detected by the boundary line detection unit. The driving support device according to claim 10,
The said support means determines the said attribute information according to the possibility that the said object jumps out, The driving assistance apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.   A pixel in which an edge component of an object moving in the image is extracted based on information of an image captured in front of the vehicle, and a plurality of pixels corresponding to the extracted edge component are consecutive in a predetermined region in the image Among the pixels constituting the column, the position of the pixel located at the lowest side in the height direction is detected as the lowest point position, and intersects with the space in the traveling direction of the host vehicle based on the lowest point position. A driving support method, wherein a crossing space that is a space is detected, and a possibility that an object jumps out on a road on which the host vehicle runs is calculated based on the crossing space.

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