JP2017059095A - Alarming device which issues alarm about object around own vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To configure an alarming device, at a low cost, which can effectively report presence of a plurality of objects without troubling a driver, with no use of a display device.SOLUTION: An alarming device includes a process device (106) which generates sound alarm and emits it from a speaker (108). The process device detects an object present around an own vehicle based on a sensor signal from a sensor (102). Among the detected objects, a group of objects present close to each other by at least an interval of a first specified distance (L2) or less is discriminated as a continuous object group. Relating to the continuous object group, without repeatedly issuing a sound alarm for individual object constituting the object group, a sound alarm for the continuous object group is issued.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an alarm device that detects an object present in the vicinity of a host vehicle and issues a warning to a driver. Particularly, even when a plurality of objects are detected, the plurality of objects can be detected without bothering the driver. The present invention relates to an alarm device capable of emitting a sound alarm that effectively notifies the presence.

  Conventionally, when a plurality of objects exist around the host vehicle, a display that displays a camera image around the host vehicle as an alarm device that notifies the driver that the presence of the plurality of objects can be recognized in a shorter time. A vehicle surrounding monitoring system that includes a device and displays a warning display that emphasizes an object on the image differs depending on whether the number of detected objects is equal to or less than a predetermined number. "Apparatus" is known (Patent Document 1). In this apparatus, when the number of detected objects is equal to or less than a predetermined number, each object is highlighted on the display screen, and when the number of detected objects is larger than the predetermined number, individual objects are displayed. Without highlighting, one highlight display (for example, display of one alarm icon) is performed on the entire screen display.

  The above conventional monitoring device solves the presence of the plurality of objects on the display screen by one alarm icon without displaying many highlights on the display screen even when a plurality of objects are detected. Since the display can be easily performed, the driver can easily recognize the presence of the plurality of objects only by looking at the display screen.

  However, in the above-described conventional device, a display device for giving a warning to the driver is indispensable. When an alarm device is to be configured at a lower cost, the presence of the display device becomes a bottleneck.

Japanese Patent No. 5706874

  From the above background, it is desirable to configure an alarm device that can effectively issue an alarm without bothering the driver even when a plurality of objects are detected without using a display device. Yes.

One aspect of the present invention is an alarm device that issues an alarm about the presence of an object around a host vehicle, a speaker that issues a sound alarm, and a processing device that generates the sound alarm and emits the sound from the speaker. And the processing device receives a sensor signal from a sensor that detects the presence of an object around the host vehicle, detects an object present around the host vehicle based on the received sensor signal, and Among the detected objects, a group of objects existing close to each other at an interval equal to or less than a first predetermined distance is identified as a continuous object group, and for the continuous object group, the object It is configured to issue a sound alarm for the continuous object group without repeatedly issuing a sound alarm for each of the objects constituting the object group.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the processing apparatus is located close to each other at an interval equal to or less than the first predetermined distance among the detected objects, and the moving direction is within a predetermined angular difference range. A group of the objects that coincide with each other is identified as the continuous object group.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the processing apparatus identifies an object existing at a distance greater than at least the first predetermined distance as a single object, and the single object is individually detected. The sound alarm for the continuous object group is a sound alarm in a mode different from the sound alarm for the single object.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in the processing apparatus, the group of objects are further distributed in a distance range equal to or less than a second predetermined distance along the traveling direction of the host vehicle. Or when the number of the objects constituting the group of objects is less than a predetermined number, the group of objects is identified as a group of objects instead of the continuous group of objects, and the group The object group is configured to issue a sound alarm in the same manner as the sound alarm for the single object.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the processing apparatus further outputs at least one traveling direction of the objects constituting the lump object group after issuing the sound alarm for the lump object group. When there is a change, the possibility of a collision between the object whose traveling method has changed and the host vehicle is judged, and when there is a possibility of a collision, a sound alarm is issued to warn of the possibility of the collision. It is configured as follows.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the processing device further outputs at least one traveling direction of the objects constituting the continuous object group after issuing the sound alarm for the continuous object group. When there is a change, the possibility of a collision between the object whose traveling method has changed and the host vehicle is judged, and when there is a possibility of a collision, a sound alarm is issued to warn of the possibility of the collision. To be configured,
Another aspect of the present invention is a vehicle including any one of the above alarm devices.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the alarm device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the object classification | category process in the alarm device shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the alarm production | generation process in the alarm device shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the alarm device shown in FIG. 1 in the 1st example of a traffic scene. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the alarm device shown in FIG. 1 in the 2nd example of a traffic scene. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the alarm device shown in FIG. 1 in the 3rd example of a traffic scene. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the alarm device shown in FIG. 1 in the 4th example of a traffic scene.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an alarm device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The alarm device 100 generates an audible alarm signal by receiving an input interface (INF) 104 that receives a sensor signal from a sensor 102 that detects an object, and a detection signal of the sensor 102 that is input via the input INF 104. And an output interface (INF) 110 that outputs a sound alarm signal generated by the processing device 106 to the speaker 108 and causes the speaker 108 to issue a sound alarm.

  The sensor 102 is provided, for example, on the front surface of the host vehicle, and outputs information (including image information) related to the position of an object existing ahead in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. The sensor 102 may be, for example, a radar (Radar), a laser radar or a lidar (LIDAR, Light Detection and Ranging), or a camera (for example, an infrared camera).

  The processing device 106 is a computer having a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which a program is written, a RAM (Random Access Memory) for temporary storage of data, and the like. Based on the received sensor signal, an object detection unit 112 that detects an object such as a pedestrian existing around the host vehicle (that is, a vehicle on which the alarm device 100 is mounted), and each object detected by the object detection unit 112 An object classification unit 114 that classifies an object based on its position and movement mode, and an alarm generation unit 116 that emits a sound alarm corresponding to the classification from the speaker 108 based on the classification result by the object classification unit 114 .

  Each unit included in the processing device 106 is realized by the processing device 106 being a computer executing a program, and the computer program can be stored in any computer-readable storage medium. Alternatively, all or part of each of the above units can be configured by hardware including one or more electronic circuit components.

  The object detection unit 112 configures image information around the host vehicle based on a sensor signal from the sensor 102, and detects a predetermined object by analyzing and processing the image information. When the sensor 102 is a radar or a lidar, the image information is a three-dimensional image configured based on the arrival direction and the round trip time of the radiated radio wave or the reflected wave of the radiated light, and when the sensor 102 is an infrared camera. It is an infrared image (for example, a gray scale image) output by the camera. A method for detecting a predetermined type of object based on such image information is described in Patent Document 1, for example.

  The object detection unit 112 detects a predetermined object (in this embodiment, a pedestrian) at a predetermined time interval, and generates object detection information including information on the position and moving direction of each object at a predetermined time interval. To the object classification unit 114.

  The object classification unit 114 classifies each target detected by the object detection unit 112 based on their position and moving direction. Specifically, the object classification unit 114 is an object whose moving direction is within a predetermined angle range toward the direction of approaching the host vehicle and within a predetermined distance L1 along the traveling direction of the host vehicle. Are classified as “collision hazard objects”. Here, the “predetermined distance L1” can be, for example, a distance at which a TTC (Time-To-Collision) is a predetermined time (for example, 2 seconds) with respect to the current speed of the host vehicle. Note that the current speed of the host vehicle can be acquired by a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) provided in the host vehicle.

  In addition, the object classification unit 114 is a group that is close to each other within a predetermined distance L2 (for example, 5 m) along the traveling direction of the host vehicle, and that the moving directions coincide with each other within a predetermined angular difference θ1. Are classified as “continuous object groups”. Thereby, for example, a row of children who walk to school in the same direction is classified as a “continuous object group”.

  However, when the number of objects constituting the group of objects is less than a predetermined number N (for example, 3), or the group of objects is a predetermined distance L3 (for example, 2 m) along the traveling direction of the host vehicle. When it is distributed within the following distance range, the group of objects is classified as “a group of objects”. Whether or not the distribution is within the distance range of the predetermined distance L3 or less is, for example, in a position farthest from the object closest to the host vehicle along the traveling direction of the host vehicle among the group of objects. It can be determined whether or not the distance along the traveling direction of the host vehicle with a certain object is equal to or less than the predetermined distance L3. As a result, for example, a group of several children who move together while talking together is classified as “a group of objects”.

  Further, the object classification unit 114 classifies the objects that are not classified into the above “collision dangerous object”, “continuous object group”, and “collective object group” as “single object”. .

  The object classification unit 114 receives object detection information from the object detection unit 112 at a predetermined time interval, performs the classification based on the received object detection information, and indicates the result of the classification at a predetermined time interval. Information is generated and output to the alarm generation unit 116. The object classification unit 114 outputs object classification information indicating that there is no classified object when the received object detection information indicates that no object is detected. To do.

  The alarm generation unit 116 receives the object classification information output from the object classification unit 114 at a predetermined time interval, and based on the received object classification information, a sound alarm corresponding to the object classification (in the present embodiment, a sound alarm). Warning message) is output from the speaker 108. More specifically, for example, when the object classification information includes an object classified as “collision danger object”, the alarm generation unit 116 outputs an audio warning message “Warning about collision”. To do. In addition, when the object classification information includes an object classified as “single object”, the alarm generation unit 116 moves the object to a predetermined distance L4 (for example, along the traveling direction of the host vehicle). When 5 m or TTC is within a range of 5 seconds, a voice warning message of “note pedestrian” is output.

  Further, when the object classification information includes an object group classified as “a group of object groups”, the alarm generation unit 116 regards the object group as a single object, and When one of the objects that make up the group enters a range within a predetermined distance L4 along the traveling direction of the host vehicle, the same “Warning for pedestrians” audio warning as in the case of a “single object” A message is output and an alarm for each object included in the object group is not repeatedly issued.

  Furthermore, when the object classification information includes a target group classified as “continuous target group”, the alarm generation unit 116 is closest to the target group along the traveling direction of the host vehicle. When an object at a distance enters the range of the predetermined distance L4 along the traveling direction of the host vehicle, a warning message “the pedestrian will continue” is generated once, for example, and the object group The alarms for individual objects contained in are not repeatedly issued.

  Further, the alarm generation unit 116 moves when the object group classified as the “continuous object group” leaves behind the own vehicle, and no object is detected in front of the own vehicle (that is, classified). When the object classification information indicating that there is no object is received), a warning message “No more pedestrians in the direction of travel” is generated.

  The alarm device 100 having the above configuration detects a pedestrian existing in front of the host vehicle as a predetermined type of object, moves close to a predetermined distance L2 and moves along the traveling direction of the host vehicle. A group of pedestrians whose directions coincide with each other within a predetermined angle difference θ1 are classified as “continuous object groups”. Then, when a group of pedestrians classified as “continuous objects” approaches the vehicle, a voice warning message “the pedestrian will continue” is sent to the driver, for example, once. Issue.

  Further, the alarm device 100 is configured such that when a group of pedestrians satisfying the above conditions is distributed within a distance range of a predetermined distance L3 or less along the traveling direction of the host vehicle, or the number of the pedestrians of the group is predetermined. When the number of pedestrians is less than a few N, the group of pedestrians is classified into a group of objects, and the group of pedestrians is regarded as a single object (ie, a single pedestrian). For example, the voice warning message “Attention to the person” is generated once.

  Thus, in this alarm device 100, for a pedestrian group that satisfies a certain condition that can be regarded as continuous or a lump, for example, the driver's attention is directed to the pedestrian group by a single voice warning message. Compared to the case where a voice warning message is individually generated for each of a plurality of pedestrians, an effective voice warning can be given to the driver without bothering the driver (and thus not reducing attention). Can be given.

  Next, as an operation procedure of the alarm device 100, an object classification process performed by the object classification unit 114 and an alarm generation process performed by the alarm generation unit 116 will be described. In parallel with the object classification process in the object classification unit 114 and the alarm generation process in the alarm generation unit 116 described below, the object detection unit 112 uses the conventional technique described in Patent Document 1, for example, as described above. And detecting a predetermined target object (pedestrian in the present embodiment) at a predetermined time interval, and generating object detection information including information on the position and moving direction of each target object at a predetermined time interval. Assume that the data is output to the classification unit 114.

(Object classification processing)
First, the procedure of the object classification process executed by the object classification unit 114 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals. Further, this process starts when the alarm device 100 is turned on.

  When the process is started, the object classification unit 114 first refers to the object detection information received from the object detection unit 112 (S100), determines whether at least one target is detected (S102), When no object is detected (S102, No), the object classification information is output (S104), and the process is terminated. Note that the object classification information output in this case is object classification information indicating that there is no classified object.

On the other hand, when at least one object is detected in S102 (S102, Yes), it is determined whether or not there is an object that satisfies the following collision condition with an object that has not been classified as a processing object. Judgment is made (S106).
Collision conditions:
The moving direction is within a predetermined angle range toward the host vehicle, and the vehicle exists within the predetermined distance L1 along the traveling direction of the host vehicle. As described above, the predetermined distance L1 is, for example, the current speed of the host vehicle. The distance at which TTC is 2 seconds can be used. Note that the current speed of the host vehicle can be obtained using a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) provided in the host vehicle.

  If there is an object that satisfies the collision condition (S106, Yes), the object is classified as a “collision danger object” (S108), and the unclassified object among the detected objects is detected. It is determined whether or not it exists (S110). And when it does not exist (S110, No), the object classification information which shows the classification result of a target object is output (S104), and a process is complete | finished, On the other hand, when the target object which is not classified exists (S110) , Yes), the process returns to step S106 and is repeated.

On the other hand, when there is no target that satisfies the collision condition in Step S106 (S106, No), it is determined whether there is a target group that satisfies the following continuous condition (S112).
Continuous condition:
-Along the traveling direction of the host vehicle, they are close to each other at a predetermined distance L2 (5 m in the present embodiment); and-The movement direction of each other is a predetermined angle difference θ1 (-10 to +10 in the present embodiment) Within a range of degrees).

  And when the target object group which satisfy | fills the said continuous condition exists (S112, Yes), it is judged whether the number of the target objects which comprise the said target object group is more than predetermined number N (this embodiment 3). (S114).

  If it is not equal to or greater than the predetermined number N (S114, No), the target object group is classified as a “collective target object group” (S116), and the process proceeds to step S110.

  On the other hand, when the number of objects constituting the object group is greater than or equal to the predetermined number N in step S114 (S114, Yes), the object constituting the object group is along the traveling direction of the host vehicle. It is determined whether or not the distribution spread is equal to or less than a predetermined distance L3 (2 m in the present embodiment) (S118). Specifically, among the objects constituting the object group, the distance along the traveling direction between the object closest to the own vehicle and the farthest object along the traveling direction of the own vehicle is It is determined whether or not the distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance L3.

  When the distribution spread of the target object group is equal to or smaller than the predetermined distance L3 (S118, Yes), the target object group is classified into “a group of target object groups” (S116), and the process proceeds to step S110.

  On the other hand, when the distribution spread of the object group is larger than the predetermined distance L3 in S118 (S118, No), the object group is classified as a “continuous object group” (S120), and the process is performed in step S110. Move.

  On the other hand, when there is no object group that satisfies the above-described continuous condition in step S112 (S112, No), all unclassified objects are classified as “single objects” (S120). Then, the process proceeds to step S110.

[Alarm generation processing]
Next, the procedure of alarm generation processing executed by the alarm generation unit 116 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This process starts when the alarm device 100 is turned on and is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals.

  When the processing is started, first, the alarm generation unit 116 refers to the object classification information received from the object classification unit 114 (S200), and determines whether there is an object classified as “collision risk object”. (S202) If there is (S202, Yes), a voice warning message “Caution on collision” is issued from the speaker 108 (S204), and the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when there is no object classified as “collision danger object” in step S202 (S202, No), it is determined whether or not at least one classified object exists (S206). When at least one classified object exists (S206, Yes), whether or not the object exists within a predetermined distance L4 (5 m in the present embodiment) along the traveling direction of the host vehicle. (S208), and if it does not exist (S208, No), the process is terminated. The predetermined distance L4 is 5 m in the present embodiment, but instead of this, for example, it may be set as a distance at which the TTC is 5 seconds at the speed of the host vehicle.

  On the other hand, when an object is present within the predetermined distance L4 along the traveling direction of the host vehicle in step S208 (S208, Yes), whether or not the object is classified into a “continuous object group”. (S210), and when the object is classified into the “continuous object group” (S210, Yes), it is determined whether or not the continuous warning flag is set (S212). If it is not set (S212, No), after issuing a voice warning message from the speaker 108 that "the time during which the pedestrian is present" (S214), the continuous warning flag is set and If the warning flag is set, it is reset (S216), and the process is terminated. Here, the continuous warning flag is a flag indicating whether or not the voice warning message “the time when the pedestrian is present” for the “continuous object group” has been issued is set. If so, it can be determined that the warning message for the “continuous object group” has been issued. The group warning flag will be described later.

  On the other hand, when the continuous warning flag is set in step S212 (S212, Yes), the voice warning message “The time when there is a pedestrian continues” for the “continuous object group” has already been issued. Since it is determined that the message has been issued, the process is terminated without issuing a further audio warning message. As a result, the alarm device 100 issues a voice warning message only once at the start position of the object group for a series of object groups that satisfy the predetermined continuous condition described above, and thus the driver overlaps many times. Thus, it is possible to effectively recognize the presence of a group of consecutive objects without bothering the warning message issued and thus without reducing the attention.

  On the other hand, when there is no target classified in step S206 (S206, No), it is determined whether or not the continuous warning flag is set (S218), and when it is set (S218, Yes), because it is judged that the voice warning message “Pedestrian time will continue” for “continuous object group” is issued, it is determined that there is no continuous object group. After issuing a voice warning message “No more pedestrians in the direction of travel” from the speaker 108 (S220), the continuous warning flag is reset and the group warning flag is set. If this is the case, this is reset (S222), and the process is terminated. On the other hand, when the continuous warning flag is reset in step S218 (No in S208), the voice warning message “Pedestrian time continues” is issued for “continuous object group”. Therefore, the process is terminated without issuing a voice warning message.

  On the other hand, when the object is not classified into the “continuous object group” in step S210 (S210, No), it is determined whether or not the object is classified into the “collective object group”. (S224) When the target object is classified into “a group of target objects” (S224, Yes), it is determined whether the group warning flag is set (S226). And when the group warning flag is not set (S226, No), after issuing a voice warning message from the speaker 108 "Warning the pedestrian" (S228), the group warning flag is set, If the continuous warning flag is set, it is reset (S230), and the process is terminated. Here, the group warning flag is a flag indicating whether or not a voice warning message “Caution to pedestrians” has been issued for “a group of objects” and if the flag is set. It can be determined that the warning message has been issued for the “group of objects”.

  On the other hand, when the group warning flag is set in step S226 (S226, Yes), the voice warning message “Warning the pedestrian” for the “group of objects” has already been issued. Since the determination is made, the process is terminated without issuing a further audio warning message. As a result, the alarm device 100 issues a “warning pedestrian” voice warning message only once for the object group classified as “a group of object groups”. In other words, issuing a voice warning message of “caution to pedestrians” only once for a target group that is classified as “a group of target groups” in this way is “a group of target groups” This is equivalent to considering a group of objects classified as "a single object."

  On the other hand, when the target object is not classified into “a group of target objects” in step S224, the target object should be classified as a “single target object”. ”Is issued (S232), and if the group warning flag and the continuous warning flag are set, they are reset (S234), and the process is terminated.

  It should be noted that these flags are reset in step S234 after issuing a voice warning message about “a group of consecutive objects” or “a group of objects” (that is, after any flag is set). When one of the objects constituting the object group does not satisfy the continuous condition and is classified as a “single object”, the “single object” If the above flag is not reset by issuing a voice warning message “Attention”, there will be a new target group that is classified as a “continuous target group” or “a group of target groups”. If this happens, there will be a situation where a voice warning message such as “the pedestrian time will continue” will not be issued again for that target group, so avoid such a situation. It is an order.

  Next, the operation of the alarm device 100 will be described by taking several traffic scenes that can be encountered when the host vehicle travels in an urban area as an example.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the alarm device 100 in the first example of a traffic scene. In FIG. 4, the host vehicle 400 travels along a travel line indicated by a dotted arrow in the figure, and three pedestrians 402, 404, and 406 are walking on the right side of the travel line in the figure. For the sake of explanation, in FIG. 4, the vehicle 400 that has reached the positions A 1, A 2, A 3, A 4 shown in the figure is shown in order to show changes in the time position of the vehicle A traveling along the dotted arrows in the figure. Each figure is shown. In addition, the pedestrians 402 to 406 are depicted as those whose moving speed can be ignored with respect to the speed of the own vehicle.

  In the illustrated example, the distance between the pedestrian 402 and the pedestrian 404 along the traveling direction of the host vehicle 400 is 7 m, the distance between the pedestrian 404 and the pedestrian 406 is 8 m, and the predetermined distance L2 used for the continuous condition Is 5 m.

  When the host vehicle 400 is at the illustrated position A1 (that is, the position at which the sensor 102 can detect the pedestrians 402 to 406), the processing device 106 of the alarm device 100 mounted on the host vehicle 400 is moved by the object detection unit 112. The pedestrians 402, 404, and 406 are detected as objects, and the object classification unit 114 classifies these pedestrians 402 to 406. Since the distance between the pedestrians 402, 404, and 406 is all greater than L2 and does not satisfy the continuity condition (No in step S112 of the object classification process in FIG. 2), the object classification unit 114 determines that the pedestrians 402, 404, Each of 406 is classified as a “single object” (step S120 in FIG. 2).

  For this reason, the alarm generation unit 116 travels along the dotted arrow shown in the figure, and the positions A2, A3, and A4 at which the distances from the pedestrians 402, 404, and 406 are the predetermined distances L4 along the traveling direction, respectively. 3, a voice warning message “Warning pedestrian” is issued from the speaker 108 (step S232 in FIG. 3).

  In this way, the alarm device 100 individually issues a voice warning message with an object that does not satisfy the continuous condition as a “single object”. In the present embodiment, objects existing at intervals wider than the predetermined distance L2 or objects whose movement directions are different from each other with an angle difference larger than the predetermined angle difference θ1 do not satisfy the above-described continuous condition, Classified as “objects”.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the alarm device 100 in the second example of the traffic scene. In the illustrated example, the host vehicle 500 is traveling along a traveling line indicated by a dotted arrow in the figure, and ten pedestrians 502 to 520 more than a predetermined number N (for example, 3) walk on the right side of the traveling line in the drawing. ing. Here, it is assumed that the pedestrians 502 to 520 satisfy the continuous condition. That is, the pedestrians 502 to 520 are walking at an interval of a predetermined distance L2 (for example, 5 m) or less, and the movement direction of each pedestrian is a direction indicated by a bold arrow in the figure, and a predetermined angular difference θ1 (for example, Within the range of −10 to +10 degrees). Further, the distance along the traveling direction between the nearest pedestrian 502 and the farthest pedestrian 520 along the traveling direction of the own vehicle 500 with respect to the own vehicle 500 is a predetermined distance L3 (for example, 2 m). It is assumed that the pedestrians 502 to 520 are distributed in a distance range larger than the distance L3.

  When the host vehicle 500 is in the illustrated position B1 (that is, the position where the sensor 102 can detect the pedestrians 502 to 520), the processing device 106 of the alarm device 100 mounted on the host vehicle 500 is moved by the object detection unit 112. The pedestrians 502 to 520 are detected as objects, and the object classification unit 114 satisfies the continuity condition as described above and has more than a predetermined number N of pedestrians 502 to 520 distributed in a distance range larger than the predetermined distance L3 (FIG. 2). Are classified into “continuous object group” (step S120 in FIG. 2).

  For this reason, the alarm generation unit 116 travels along the arrow shown in the figure, and the pedestrian 502 closest to the traveling direction among the pedestrians 502 to 520 classified as the “continuous object group” 3 reaches a predetermined position L2 (Yes in step S208 in FIG. 3, Yes in S210, No in S212), the speaker warns the voice warning message that “the pedestrian time will continue”. 108 is issued (step S214 in FIG. 3). At the same time, a continuous warning flag is set (step S216 in FIG. 3).

  After the flag is set, even if any of the pedestrians 504 to 520 classified into the “continuous object group” enters the range of the predetermined distance L3 from the own vehicle 500, these individual An audio warning message is not issued for the pedestrian (Yes in step S212 in FIG. 3).

  When the host vehicle 500 reaches the position B3, the alarm device 100 detects that there is no object ahead by the object detection unit 112 (No in step S206 in FIG. 3, Yes in S218), and generates an alarm. The unit 116 issues a voice warning message “No pedestrians in the direction of travel” from the speaker 108 (step S220 in FIG. 3).

  As described above, the alarm device 100 classifies the target group that is a predetermined number N or more of the target conditions satisfying the continuous condition and is distributed in the distance range larger than the distance L3 into the “continuous target group”, and For the group, a voice warning message “Pedestrian time will continue” is issued from the speaker 108 when approaching to the predetermined distance L3, and thereafter, regarding the individual objects belonging to the target group Do not issue warning messages repeatedly. For this reason, the driver can effectively recognize the presence of objects that are continuously present without being bothered by overlapping warning messages and thus without lowering his attention.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the alarm device 100 in the third example of the traffic scene. In the illustrated example, the host vehicle 600 is traveling along the traveling line indicated by the dotted arrow in the figure, and five pedestrians 602 to 610 that are more than a predetermined number N (for example, 3) walk on the right side of the traveling line in the drawing. ing. Here, the pedestrians 602 to 610 are gathered in a distance range of a predetermined distance L3 (for example, 2 m) or less (that is, distributed within a distance range of the predetermined distance L3 or less), and the movement of each pedestrian It is assumed that the directions are the directions indicated by the bold arrows in the figure and coincide with each other within a predetermined angle difference θ1 (for example, −10 to +10 degrees).

  When the host vehicle 600 is at the illustrated position C1 (that is, a position where the pedestrians 602 to 610 can be detected by the sensor 102), the processing device 106 of the alarm device 100 placed on the host vehicle 600 is moved by the object detection unit 112. The pedestrians 602 to 610 are detected as objects, and the object classification unit 114 satisfies the continuity condition as described above and is distributed over the distance range of the predetermined distance L3 or less, and the pedestrians 602 to 610 more than the predetermined number N (in FIG. 2). “Yes in step S112, Yes in S114, Yes in S118” are classified into “a group of objects” (step S116 in FIG. 2).

  For this reason, the alarm generation unit 116 travels along the dotted arrow shown in the figure, and the pedestrian 602 that is closest in the traveling direction among the pedestrians 602 to 610 classified as “a group of objects”. 3 reaches a predetermined distance L4 (Yes in step S208, No in S210, Yes in S224, No in S226), a voice warning message “Warning pedestrian” is issued. The sound is emitted from the speaker 108 (step S228 in FIG. 3). At the same time, a group warning flag is set (step S230 in FIG. 3).

  After the flag is set, no voice warning message is issued for the individual pedestrians 602 to 610 classified as “a group of objects” (Yes in step S226 in FIG. 3).

  In this manner, the alarm device 100 classifies the target group that is a predetermined number N or more of the target conditions that satisfy the continuity condition and is distributed in the distance range of the distance L3 or less into the “collective target group”, and For a group, a sound warning message “Warning pedestrian” is issued from the speaker 108 when approaching the object group up to a predetermined distance L4, and thereafter, individual objects belonging to the object group Does not repeatedly issue a warning message regarding (ie, treats a group of objects as equivalent to a single object and issues a single audio warning message “note pedestrian”) . For this reason, the driver can effectively recognize the presence of a group of target objects without being bothered by overlapping warning messages and without lowering his / her attention.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the alarm device 100 in the fourth example of a traffic scene. 7 (a) and 7 (b) show scenes at different times, and FIG. 7 (b) is a scene later in time than the scene of FIG. 7 (a).

  The scene in FIG. 7A is the same as the traffic scene shown in FIG. 5, and the host vehicle 700 travels along the travel line indicated by the dotted arrow in the figure, and a predetermined number N is shown on the right side of the travel line in the figure. (For example, 3) More pedestrians 702 to 720 are walking. Here, it is assumed that the pedestrians 702 to 720 satisfy the continuous condition. That is, the pedestrians 702 to 720 are walking at an interval equal to or less than the predetermined distance L2, and the moving directions of the pedestrians are the directions indicated by the bold arrows in the figure and are equal to each other within a predetermined angular difference θ1. Suppose you are doing it. In addition, it is assumed that the pedestrians 702 to 720 are distributed in a distance range that is larger than the predetermined distance L3.

  When the host vehicle 700 is at the illustrated position D1 (that is, a position where the pedestrians 702 to 720 can be detected by the sensor 102), the processing device 106 of the alarm device 100 placed on the host vehicle 700 is moved by the object detection unit 112. The pedestrians 702 to 720 are detected as objects, and the object classification unit 114 satisfies the continuity condition as described above and has more than a predetermined number N of pedestrians 702 to 720 (in FIG. 2) distributed in a distance range larger than the predetermined distance L3. “Yes in step S112, Yes in S114, No in S118” is classified into “continuous object group” (step S120 in FIG. 2).

  For this reason, the alarm generation unit 116 travels along the dotted arrow in the figure and the pedestrian 702 at the nearest position among the pedestrians 702 to 720 classified as the “continuous object group”. When the distance reaches the illustrated position D2 where the distance is the predetermined distance L4 (Yes in step S208 in FIG. 3, Yes in S210, No in S212), an audio warning message “the pedestrian will continue” is displayed on the speaker 108. (Step S214 in FIG. 3). At the same time, a continuous warning flag is set (step S216 in FIG. 3).

  Thereafter, when a certain period of time has elapsed (FIG. 7B) and the host vehicle 700 has traveled a certain distance along the dotted line in the figure (for example, when it reaches the position D3 in the figure), the “continuous object” It is assumed that one of the pedestrians 712 among the pedestrians 702 to 720 classified into the “group of objects” has changed the movement direction to the direction approaching the own vehicle 700 (the changed movement direction is changed to the pedestrian 712). (Indicated by the bold arrow in the figure)

  At this time, the object detection unit 112 of the alarm device 100 detects a change in the moving direction of the pedestrian 712. Then, since the moving direction of the pedestrian 712 after the change is the direction in which the object classification unit 114 approaches the host vehicle 600, the position D4 at which the distance from the host vehicle 700 to the pedestrian 712 is the predetermined distance L1. When the own vehicle 700 reaches (that is, when the pedestrian 712 satisfies the collision condition) (Yes in step S106 in FIG. 2), the pedestrian 712 is classified as a “collision risk object” (FIG. 2). Step S108).

  As a result, when the own vehicle 700 reaches the position D4 (Yes in step S202 of FIG. 3), the alarm generation unit 116 issues a voice warning message “Warning about collision” to the speaker 108 (FIG. 3). Step S204).

  In this way, the alarm device 100 classifies the detected objects into “continuous object groups” and issues a voice warning message that “the time during which a pedestrian is present” is issued. For objects that continue to detect the direction of movement and change the direction of movement toward the vehicle, determine the possibility of collision based on the distance between the direction of movement of the object and the vehicle. When it is determined that there is a possibility (that is, when the moving direction and distance satisfy the collision condition), the driver can be warned by a voice warning message that there is a possibility of a collision. Thereby, on the one hand, the warning device 100 effectively warns the driver of the existence of the object group without issuing a duplicate warning for the series of object groups, and on the other hand, changes in traffic conditions ( Specifically, when a dangerous situation is likely to occur due to a change in the moving direction of the target object), the driver can be effectively warned of the possibility of the dangerous situation.

  As described above, in the alarm device 100 according to the present embodiment, the object classification unit 114 classifies the objects detected by the object detection unit 112 into a “continuous object group” or a “collective object group”. . Then, the alarm generation unit 116 issues, for example, one audio warning message for the object group without repeatedly issuing overlapping audio warning messages for the individual objects classified into these object groups. As a result, the driver can effectively recognize the presence of the object in the vicinity of the host vehicle without being troubled by the duplicate voice warning message and reducing the attention. In other words, according to the present invention, an alarm device that can effectively issue an alarm without bothering the driver even when a plurality of objects are detected can be realized at low cost without using a display device. it can.

  In the above-described embodiment, the target object is a pedestrian. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Any object that is a movable object and should warn the driver of its existence (for example, an animal, a bicycle, etc.) ).

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although predetermined distance L1, L2, L3, L4 was made into the distance along the advancing direction of the own vehicle, when not only this but the own vehicle drive | works a curved road The distance along the traveling track that the host vehicle is about to travel can be set. Furthermore, the predetermined distances L1, L2, L3, and L4 can be directly defined by distance numerical values such as the number of meters, or may be indirectly defined as a TTC value.

  The sound alarm is a voice message in the above embodiment, but is not limited to this. The sound alarm for the “collision danger object”, the “single object”, and the “collection” The sound alarm for the “subject object group” and the sound alarm for the “continuous object group” need only be different from each other so that they can be distinguished from each other. For example, an alarm sound can be used as a sound alarm. In this case, an alarm sound for a “collision hazard object”, an alarm sound for a “single object” and a “collective object group” The alarm sound for the “continuous object group” may be an alarm sound of a different mode (for example, an alarm sound having a different sound level). Further, the alarm sound and the warning message can be combined and used as the sound alarm of the different mode.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Alarm apparatus, 102 ... Sensor, 104 ... Input interface, 106 ... Processing apparatus, 108 ... Speaker, 110 ... Output interface, 112 ... Object detection unit, 114. ..Object classification unit 116 ... alarm generating unit

Claims (7)

An alarm device that issues an alarm about the presence of an object around the vehicle,
A speaker that emits a sound alarm;
A processing device for generating the sound alarm and emitting it from the speaker;
With
The processor is
Receive sensor signals from sensors that detect the presence of objects around the vehicle,
Based on the received sensor signal, an object existing around the host vehicle is detected,
Among the detected objects, a group of objects existing close to each other at an interval of at least a first predetermined distance is identified as a continuous object group,
With respect to the continuous object group, a sound alarm is issued for the continuous object group without repeatedly issuing a sound alarm for each of the objects constituting the object group.
Configured as
Alarm device. The processor is
Among the detected objects, a group of the objects that are close to each other at an interval equal to or less than the first predetermined distance and whose movement directions coincide with each other within a predetermined angle difference range are the continuous objects. Identify as a group of objects to
The alarm device according to claim 1. The processing device identifies an object existing at a distance greater than at least the first predetermined distance as a single object, and individually issues a sound alarm for the single object,
The sound alarm for the continuous object group is a sound alarm in a mode different from the sound alarm for the single object.
The alarm device according to claim 1 or 2. The processing apparatus further includes:
When the group of objects are distributed and exist within a distance range equal to or less than a second predetermined distance along the traveling direction of the host vehicle, or the number of the objects constituting the group of objects is predetermined. When the number is less than a number, the group of objects is identified as a group of objects instead of the continuous group of objects,
For the group of objects, issue a sound alarm in the same manner as the sound alarm for the single object.
Configured as
The alarm device according to claim 3. The processing apparatus further includes:
After issuing the sound alarm for the lump object group, when at least one traveling direction of the object constituting the lump object group has changed,
Judging the possibility of a collision between the target object and the own vehicle whose traveling method has changed, and issuing a sound warning that warns the existence of the possibility of the collision when there is a possibility of a collision,
Configured as
The alarm device according to claim 4. The processing apparatus further includes:
When at least one traveling direction of the objects constituting the continuous object group has changed after issuing the sound alarm for the continuous object group,
Judging the possibility of a collision between the target object and the own vehicle whose traveling method has changed, and issuing a sound warning that warns the existence of the possibility of the collision when there is a possibility of a collision,
Configured as
The alarm device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.   A vehicle comprising the alarm device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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