JP2019078688A - Feature data structure, storage device, controller, method for control, program, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a feature data structure preferable for adjustment processing that has to be done when the detection range of an outside world sensor is varied due to an accident, for example, and a storage device with the feature data structure for storing feature data.SOLUTION: A storage unit 2 stores feature information having a data structure including calibration adequacy information Ic showing that a lidar unit 7 arranged in a vehicle approves of or does not approve of calibration of the detection range of the lidar unit 7, based on the feature information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for adjusting an irradiation unit for object detection.

  Conventionally, when an error occurs in the measurement unit due to misalignment or the like, a technique is known which uses the measurement result in consideration of the error. For example, in Patent Document 1, a sensor that measures the position of an object with a region where an object requiring measurement on the vehicle is present is taken as a measurement region, and an error due to a mounting angle deviation of the sensor is corrected. A mobile unit is disclosed that includes a controller that controls movement.

JP, 2011-221957, A

  In automatic driving, it is necessary to recognize the surrounding environment of the vehicle by an external sensor such as a rider, but when misalignment of the external sensor occurs due to an accident or the like, an error is recognized in the recognition result of the peripheral environment by the external sensor As a result, the reliability of the external sensor decreases.

  The present invention has been made to solve the problems as described above, and feature data structure and feature data suitable for adjustment processing when the detection range of the external sensor is changed due to an accident or the like. A main object is to provide a storage device for storing feature data having a structure.

  The invention recited in the claims is a feature data structure of feature information indicating a feature, wherein a detection device for recognizing a feature around the moving body disposed in the moving body is the feature The information includes permission information for permitting adjustment of the detection range of the detection device, or non-permission information for not permitting the adjustment.

  The invention described in the claims is a storage device for storing feature data indicating a feature, and the feature data is for recognizing features around the moving body disposed in the moving body. The detection device of the second aspect of the present invention includes adjustment availability information indicating that the detection range of the detection device is permitted to be adjusted or not based on the feature information.

It is a schematic structure of a measurement system. It is a block diagram which represented processing of a control device roughly. The block configuration of the rider unit is shown. The example of arrangement of a scanner is shown. The schematic structural example of an optical transmission / reception part is shown. The three-axis coordinate system which the three-axis sensor installed in the scanner accommodating part detects is shown. The positional relationship between the scannable range and the actual scan range is shown. It is a flow chart which shows the procedure of alignment processing. It is a flow chart which shows the processing procedure at the time of automatic operation. An example of the data structure of map DB which concerns on 2nd Example is shown. It is the figure which showed the relationship between a feature and the inclination angle which inclination information on the feature information shows. It is a figure which shows the correspondence of the actual scanning range of a certain scanner, and the scenery which overlaps with the said actual scanning range. It is a flowchart which shows the process procedure of the calibration on the basis of the terrestrial feature which concerns on 2nd Example. The data structure of map DB which concerns on 3rd Example is shown. It is a system configuration example concerning a modification.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the feature data structure of feature information indicating a feature, a detection device for recognizing a feature around the moving body disposed in the moving body is the ground. It includes permission information that permits adjustment of the detection range of the detection device based on object information, or non-permission information that does not permit the adjustment. The detection device suitably selects a feature suitable for adjustment of the detection range of the detection device when adjusting the detection range of the detection device by referring to feature information having such a feature data structure Adjustment accuracy can be improved.

  In one aspect of the feature data structure, the feature information indicating a feature whose variation in inclination of the feature with respect to the road surface is small with respect to the external environment includes the permission information, and the feature information is for the external environment. The non-permission information is included in the feature information indicating the feature having a large variation in the degree of inclination of the feature with respect to the road surface. In this aspect, the feature corresponding to the feature information including the permission information has less variation in the degree of inclination with respect to the road surface than the feature corresponding to the feature information including the non-permission information. As a result, the detection device can accurately adjust the detection range of the detection device on the basis of a feature with less variation in the degree of inclination with respect to the road surface.

  According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a storage device for storing feature data indicative of a feature, wherein the feature data comprises a feature around the movable body disposed in the movable body. The detection device for recognition includes adjustment possibility information indicating that the adjustment of the detection range of the detection device is permitted or not based on the feature information. According to this aspect, the storage device can store feature information that preferably indicates a feature suitable for adjustment of the detection range of the detection device, and can appropriately execute adjustment processing of the detection range.

  In one aspect of the storage device, the storage device further includes a transmitter configured to transmit the adjustment availability information to a mobile including the detection device or a communication device disposed in the mobile. Here, the storage device may be a server device that distributes the adjustability information to the communication device, and is a storage unit in the communication device that supplies the adjustability information to the communication device via a bus or the like. May be According to this aspect, the storage device can suitably transmit the adjustability information to the mobile unit or the communication device that performs the adjustment process of the detection device.

  According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control device is configured to acquire the adjustment availability information from the storage device described above, and the detection device based on the acquired adjustment availability information. And a control unit that adjusts the detection range. According to this aspect, the control device can select a feature suitable for adjustment of the detection range of the detection device based on the adjustment availability information, and can appropriately adjust the detection range of the detection device.

  According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a control method to be executed by a control device, which is an acquisition step of acquiring the adjustment availability information from the storage device described in any of the above, and the acquired adjustment availability information And a control step of adjusting the detection range of the detection device based on By executing this control method, the control device can select a feature suitable for adjustment of the detection range of the detection device based on the adjustment availability information, and can suitably adjust the detection range of the detection device.

  According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a program executed by a computer, which is an acquisition unit for acquiring the adjustment availability information from the storage device described in any of the above, and based on the acquired adjustment availability information. The computer functions as a control unit that adjusts the detection range of the detection device. By executing this program, the computer can select a feature suitable for adjustment of the detection range of the detection device based on the adjustment availability information, and can suitably adjust the detection range of the detection device. Preferably, the program is stored in a storage medium.

  Hereinafter, first to third preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment
[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration of a measurement system 100 according to a first embodiment. The measurement system 100 is a system for performing measurement for automatic driving of a vehicle (not shown), and mainly includes the input unit 1, the storage unit 2, the sensor unit 3, the notification unit 4, the communication unit 5, and control And an apparatus 6. The control device 6 and the other elements are configured to be capable of data communication based on a predetermined communication protocol.

  The input unit 1 is a button operated by a user, a touch panel, a remote controller, a voice input device, or the like, and receives various inputs such as switching between automatic operation and manual operation and necessity of execution of calibration described later.

  The storage unit 2 stores a program executed by the control device 6 and information necessary for the control device 6 to execute a predetermined process. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 2 stores the map DB 20. The map DB 20 may be used for navigation at the time of manual operation of the vehicle, or may be used for operation control of the vehicle at the time of automatic operation of the vehicle. The map DB 20 includes, in addition to road data and facility information, feature information on features to be detected by the rider unit 7 described later, and the like. Further, the storage unit 2 stores alignment information “IA” in which an arrangement angle or the like with respect to a vehicle after alignment of the rider unit 7 described later is recorded. “Alignment” refers to an adjustment made to the rider unit 7 at the time of manufacture of the rider unit 7 or attachment of the rider unit 7 to a vehicle.

  The sensor unit 3 includes an internal sensor that detects the state of the vehicle and an external sensor that recognizes the surrounding environment of the vehicle. The sensor unit 3 includes a lidar (Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Illuminated Detection And Ranging) unit 7, an attitude sensor 8, and an impact sensor 9.

  The lidar unit 7 has a plurality of scanning units (scanners) installed in different orientations, as described later. Examples of the configuration of the rider unit 7 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. The rider unit 7 functions as a detection device having a predetermined detection range. The posture sensor 8 is, for example, a sensor such as a three-axis acceleration sensor or a strain gauge, and is provided as a sensor for detecting the posture of the rider unit 7. In addition to being provided to the rider unit 7, the posture sensor 8 may be further provided to the vehicle as a sensor for detecting the posture of the vehicle. The impact sensor 9 is a sensor that detects an impact of the vehicle, may be an acceleration sensor, or may be a sensor that generates an open signal of the air bag based on the impact. The impact sensor 9 may be provided to the rider unit 7.

  The notification unit 4 is, for example, a display, a speaker, or the like that performs output based on control of the control device 6. The communication unit 5 performs data communication with an external device based on the control of the control device 6.

  The control device 6 includes a CPU that executes a program, and controls the entire measurement system 100. In the present embodiment, when it is determined that misalignment or the like of the rider unit 7 has occurred based on the output of the sensor unit 3 such as the posture sensor 8, the control device 6 switches the calibration of the rider unit 7 to manual operation. Etc. Here, “calibration” refers to adjustment performed on the rider unit 7 after the rider unit 7 is attached to the vehicle. The control device 6 may be an electronic control unit (ECU) that automatically controls the operation of the vehicle, and is a CPU of an on-vehicle device that transmits a control signal instructing the ECU to switch between automatic operation and manual operation. May be In another example, the controller 6 may be configured as part of the rider unit 7. In addition, the control device 6 may perform the vehicle position estimation with high accuracy based on the output of the sensor unit 3 and the map DB 20.

[Function block]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the process of the control device 6 in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 6 functionally includes a detection unit 61 and a control unit 62.

  The detection unit 61 acquires a detection signal of the posture sensor 8 provided in the rider unit 7 from the posture sensor 8 as measurement information indicating the current arrangement angle of each scanner of the rider unit 7. Then, the detection unit 61 detects the misalignment of the rider unit 7 by referring to the alignment information IA indicating the arrangement angle of each scanner at the time of alignment stored in the storage unit 2 and comparing it with the above-described measurement information. . Further, the detection unit 61 acquires a detection signal generated by the impact sensor 9 when a vibration of a predetermined degree or more occurs in the vehicle from the impact sensor 9 as impact information on the vehicle. The detecting unit 61 detects the misalignment of the lidar unit 7 based on the measurement information of the posture sensor 8, or when the impact information is received from the impact sensor 9, the lidar detected for the control unit 62, etc. Information on the direction and amount of deviation (angle) of the unit 7 is transmitted.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the controller 6 performs the calibration of the rider unit 7 when the misalignment is caused due to an accident and the rider unit 7 is adjusted by the alignment. The deviation of the measurement range is suppressed, and the state where automatic operation can be continued is suitably maintained.

[Configuration example of rider unit]
Next, a configuration example of the rider unit 7 will be described. FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the rider unit 7. The rider unit 7 is a TOF (Time Of Flight) rider, and performs ranging and detection of an object present around the vehicle. The rider unit 7 is used, for example, as a part of an advanced driving support system for the purpose of assisting the recognition of the surrounding environment of the vehicle. The rider unit 7 mainly includes a plurality of scanners (L1 to L4,...), A plurality of light transmitting / receiving units (TR1 to TR4,...), And a signal processing unit SP. In the following description, when each of the scanners (L1 to L4,...) Is not distinguished, it is simply written as “scanner L”, and when each of the light transmitting / receiving units (TR1 to TR4,...) Is not distinguished. It is simply referred to as "optical transceiver unit TR".

  The scanner L emits a laser pulse (hereinafter also referred to as “transmission light pulse”) in a range of predetermined horizontal angle and vertical angle. The scanner L emits transmission light pulses for each segment obtained by equally dividing the above-mentioned horizontal angle. Then, the light transmission / reception unit TR relates to the light reception intensity for each segment generated by receiving the reflected light of the transmission light pulse (hereinafter also referred to as “reception light pulse”) within a predetermined period after the transmission light pulse is emitted. A signal (also referred to as “segment signal Sseg”) is output to the signal processing unit SP. The signal processing unit SP is a point cloud information indicating a set of the distance and the angle of the object with respect to each point of the object to be irradiated with the transmission light pulse based on the segment signal Sseg for each segment received from the light transmitting / receiving unit TR. Output

  Further, in the present embodiment, the scanner L and the light transmitting / receiving unit TR are accommodated in the scanner accommodating unit 50 (50a to 50c,...). The scanner accommodation unit 50 accommodates one or more pairs of scanners L and light transmitting / receiving units TR. In the example of FIG. 3, the scanner accommodation unit 50a accommodates the scanner L1 and the light transmitting / receiving unit TR1, and the scanner accommodation unit 50b. The scanner accommodating unit 50 accommodates the scanners L2 and L3 and the light transmitting / receiving units TR2 and TR3, and the scanner accommodating unit 50c accommodates the scanner L4 and the light transmitting / receiving unit TR4. Each of the scanner housings 50 includes a posture sensor 8 (8a to 8c,...) For detecting the posture of the scanner housing 50, and an adjustment mechanism 10 (10a for adjusting the direction of the scanner housing 50). To 10c, ...) are provided.

  Posture sensors 8 (8 a to 8 c,...) Are sensors used for detecting misalignment of the respective scanner accommodating units 50, and transmit detection signals to the control device 6. The adjustment mechanism 10 includes, for example, an actuator, and adjusts the orientation of the scanner accommodation unit 50 based on a control signal received from the control device 6. The posture sensor 8 and the adjustment mechanism 10 shown in FIG. 3 may be provided for each scanner L instead of being provided for each scanner housing unit 50.

  FIG. 4 shows an arrangement example of the individual scanners L of the rider unit 7. In FIG. 4, the hatched fan-shaped area indicates the scanning range by the transmission light pulse emitted from the corresponding scanner L. In the example of FIG. 4, the vehicle is provided with twelve scanners L (L1 to L12), the scanners L1 to L4 are provided in a direction in which the front of the vehicle is a scanning range, and the scanners L5 and L6 are vehicles It is provided in the direction in which the left side of is the scanning range. Further, the scanners L7 and L8 are provided in the direction in which the right side of the vehicle is the scanning range, and the scanners L9 to L12 are provided in the direction in which the rear of the vehicle is the scanning range.

  FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration example of the light transmitting / receiving unit TR. As shown in FIG. 5, the light transmitting / receiving unit TR mainly includes the synchronization control unit 11, the LD driver 12, the laser diode 13, the motor control unit 15, the light receiving element 16, and a current / voltage conversion circuit (transimpedance And an A / D converter 18, a segmentor 19, and a crystal oscillator 20.

  The crystal oscillator 20 outputs a pulse-like clock signal “S1” to the synchronization control unit 11 and the A / D converter 18. The synchronization control unit 11 outputs a pulse-like trigger signal “S2” to the LD driver 12. The synchronization control unit 11 also outputs a segment extraction signal “S3”, which determines the timing at which the segmenter 19 described later extracts the output of the A / D converter 18, to the segmentator 19.

  The LD driver 12 supplies a pulse current to the laser diode 13 in synchronization with the trigger signal S2 input from the synchronization control unit 11. The laser diode 13 is, for example, an infrared pulse laser, and emits a light pulse based on the pulse current supplied from the LD driver 12.

  The scanner L is configured as a scanner including, for example, transmission and reception optical systems, and scans the transmission light pulse emitted by the laser diode 13, and at the same time the return light reflected by the object irradiated with the emitted transmission light pulse. A certain received light pulse is guided to the light receiving element 16. In the present embodiment, the scanner L includes a motor for rotating. Thus, the scanner L functions as an irradiation unit that irradiates an electromagnetic wave.

  The light receiving element 16 is, for example, an avalanche photodiode, and generates a weak current according to the reflected light from the object guided by the scanner L, that is, the light amount of the received light pulse. The light receiving element 16 supplies the generated weak current to the current-voltage conversion circuit 17. The current-voltage conversion circuit 17 amplifies the weak current supplied from the light receiving element 16 and converts it into a voltage signal, and inputs the converted voltage signal to the A / D converter 18.

  The A / D converter 18 converts the voltage signal supplied from the current-voltage conversion circuit 17 into a digital signal based on the clock signal S1 supplied from the crystal oscillator 20 and supplies the converted digital signal to the segmentor 19. The segmenter 19 generates, as a segment signal Sseg, a digital signal that is an output of the A / D converter 18 in a period in which the segment extraction signal S3 is asserted. The segmenter 19 supplies the generated segment signal Sseg to the signal processing unit SP.

  The signal processing unit SP generates point group information indicating the distance and angle of the object for each of the light transmitting and receiving units TR based on the segment signal Sseg transmitted from each of the light transmitting and receiving units TR. Specifically, the signal processing unit SP detects a peak from the waveform of the segment signal Sseg, and estimates an amplitude and a delay time corresponding to the detected peak. Then, the signal processing unit SP determines, among the peaks of the waveform indicated by the segment signal Sseg, the information of the distance corresponding to the delay time of the peak for which the estimated amplitude is a predetermined threshold or more and the information of the angle corresponding to the target segment. Is generated as information of each point constituting point cloud information.

[Alignment processing]
Next, an alignment process which is an adjustment process performed on the rider unit 7 at the time of manufacturing the rider unit 7 or attaching the rider unit 7 to a vehicle will be described.

  The point group information generated based on the received light pulse received by each light transmitting / receiving unit TR via each scanner L is information represented by a local coordinate system based on the direction and position of each scanner L, It depends on the relative position (specifically, the arrangement position and the arrangement angle) of each scanner L with respect to the vehicle. Therefore, after performing alignment of each scanner L to the vehicle, measurement system 100 generates alignment information IA indicating the arrangement position and arrangement angle of each scanner L after alignment to the vehicle, and stores the information in storage unit 2 deep.

  Thereby, for example, at the time of traveling of the vehicle, the control device 6 or the signal processing unit SP refers to the alignment information IA stored in the storage unit 2 and the coordinate system of the point cloud information obtained for each scanner L Can be converted to a common coordinate system based on the vehicle, and further converted to an absolute coordinate system based on the latitude, longitude, and elevation by using the position information and the direction information of the vehicle You can also Further, in the present embodiment, as described later, the control device 6 suitably detects the misalignment of the scanner storage unit 50 with reference to the alignment information IA.

Accident detection processing
The control device 6 determines that calibration of the rider unit 7 is necessary when occurrence of a vehicle accident is estimated. Here, vehicle accident detection processing will be described.

(1) The detection control device 6 based on the reference angle is an orientation angle (also referred to as a "reference angle") of the scanner housing unit 50 or the scanner L indicated by the alignment information IA stored in the storage unit 2; When the arrangement angle (also referred to as "latest measurement angle") of the current scanner storage unit 50 or scanner L to the vehicle measured by 8 is different, misalignment of the scanner storage unit 50 or scanner L due to an accident Is determined to have occurred.

  Here, when calculating the above-mentioned latest measurement angle, the control device 6 performs processing to cancel the inclination of the vehicle itself. Specifically, the control device 6 corrects the angle measured by the attitude sensor 8 installed in the scanner housing unit 50 by the inclination angle of the vehicle measured by the attitude sensor 8 or the like provided in the vehicle. The latest measurement angle is calculated excluding the influence of the inclination of the vehicle itself. The control device 6 may recognize the inclination angle of the vehicle itself based on the inclination information of the road data registered in the map DB 20 and calculate the latest measurement angle. In this case, the control device 6 acquires, from the map DB 20, inclination information of the road to which the current position belongs, based on the vehicle position information recognized by the output of the sensor unit 3.

  FIG. 6A shows a coordinate system of three axes (X, Y, Z) detected by the posture sensor 8 installed in the scanner storage unit 50 in which no misalignment occurs. In the example of FIG. 6A, the vehicle is placed on a horizontal place, and the posture sensor 8 detects the acceleration in each of the XYZ axes. Here, the “X axis” is the front direction of the scanner storage unit 50 (that is, the emission direction of the laser), the “Y axis” is the lateral direction of the scanner storage unit 50, and the “Z axis” is the scanner storage unit 50. Indicates the height direction of each. Then, in a state where no misalignment occurs, the X axis and the Y axis are substantially perpendicular to the gravitational acceleration, and the Z axis is substantially parallel to the gravitational acceleration.

  FIG. 6B is a view showing a change in the orientation of the scanner storage unit 50 when the misalignment of the scanner storage unit 50 of FIG. 6A occurs due to an impact caused by an accident or the like. In FIG. 6B, solid XYZ coordinate axes indicate coordinate axes of three axes detected by the posture sensor 8 installed in the inclined scanner storage unit 50, and XYZ coordinate axes of alternate long and short dash lines are illustrated in FIG. 3 shows coordinate axes of three axes before the scanner housing portion 50 is inclined.

  In the example of FIG. 6B, the measured values of the three axes of the posture sensor 8 are the X axis before and after the inclination of the scanner housing portion 50 by the scanner housing portion 50 being inclined from the state of FIG. (See arrow A1), Y axis (see arrow A2), and Z axis (see arrow A3). As described above, when an alignment deviation of the scanner housing unit 50 occurs due to an accident or the like, a deviation (rotational deviation) of the arrangement angle of the scanner housing unit 50 occurs, and the measurement value of the posture sensor 8 is an alignment deviation according to the deviation. It changes back and forth. In consideration of the above, in the present embodiment, the control device 6 rotates the reference angle indicated by the alignment information IA and the latest measurement angle based on the output of the posture sensor 8 for each Compare each rotation direction around the Y axis, pitch direction around the Y axis, yaw direction around the Z axis). It is estimated that misalignment of the unit 50 has occurred.

  In the case where an alignment deviation (ie, a positional deviation along the X axis, Y axis, or / and Z axis) that does not involve a change in the arrangement angle occurs, the measured value of the posture sensor 8 does not change before and after the deviation. . On the other hand, when a displacement occurs in the scanner housing unit 50 due to an impact such as an accident, it is assumed that a displacement of the arrangement angle inevitably occurs in addition to the displacement. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the control device 6 detects the deviation of the arrangement angle of the scanner accommodation unit 50 to determine the necessity of the calibration.

(2) The detection control device 6 according to another method detects an abnormality by any of the methods (second and third methods) described below, instead of the detection processing of the alignment deviation based on the alignment information IA described above. Also in this case, it may be similarly estimated that there is an alignment deviation of the scanner storage unit 50 due to an accident, and it may be determined that a calibration process to be described later should be performed.

  In the second method, when the control device 6 determines that an impact equal to or greater than a predetermined degree has occurred in the vehicle based on the output of the impact sensor 9 provided in the vehicle, alignment of the scanner accommodating portion 50 due to an accident It is highly likely that a deviation has occurred, and it is determined that the calibration process described later is necessary. For example, as described in FIG. 2, the control device 6 determines that an impact has occurred on the vehicle when the impact information indicating that there is an impact of a predetermined degree or more is received from the impact sensor 9. Also by this, the control device 6 can suitably detect the occurrence of the alignment deviation of the scanner accommodating unit 50.

  In the third method, when an error occurs in the recognition process of the object, the control device 6 is highly likely that the misalignment of the scanner housing unit 50 has occurred due to an accident, and the calibration process described later Determine that it is necessary. For example, when the road surface recognized by combining the point cloud information generated based on the received light pulse of each scanner L is distorted, that is, for each road surface indicated by the point cloud information for each scanner L If the inclination angle is different, it is determined that at least one of the scanners L is out of alignment.

  In another example based on the third method, the control device 6 compares point cloud information for the overlapping range with respect to the scanner L having overlapping scanning ranges, and a shift occurs in the position of the point group indicated by the point cloud information to be compared If it is determined that at least one of the scanners L whose scanning ranges overlap with each other is out of alignment.

  In still another example based on the third method, the control device 6 scans the position information of a specific feature registered in the map DB 20 and the feature when the accuracy of the position information of the vehicle is sufficiently high. The point group information included in the range is converted to the same coordinate system based on the position information of the vehicle and compared. Then, when a deviation occurs between the position indicated by the position information of the feature and the position of the feature indicated by the point group information, the control device 6 causes an alignment deviation in the scanner L that scans the feature. It is determined that

  In still another example based on the third method, the control device 6 recognizes based on the position of the object recognized based on the image output by the camera included in the sensor unit 3 and the point cloud information output by the rider unit 7 Check the position of the same object. Then, when there is a shift of a predetermined amount or more at the position of the collated object, the control device 6 has a high possibility that the misalignment of the scanner housing unit 50 has occurred due to an accident, and the calibration process is necessary. It is determined that In this case, the control device 6 measures the three-dimensional position of the object based on the outputs of the plurality of cameras, and compares the measured three-dimensional position with the three-dimensional position based on the point cloud information output by the rider unit 7 May be

[Calibration process]
Next, a calibration process performed when misalignment of the rider unit 7 occurs due to the occurrence of a vehicle accident will be described.

  The control device 6 performs at least one of electronic adjustment for changing an actual scanning range to be described later or physical adjustment by control of the adjustment mechanism 10 provided in each of the scanner accommodation units 50 as calibration processing. Note that the control device 6 measures the reference angle of each scanner housing unit 50 indicated by the alignment information IA stored in the storage unit 2 and the measurement information output by the attitude sensor 8 of each scanner housing unit 50 as a preprocess of the calibration process. By calculating the difference between the latest measurement angle indicated by the arrow and the latest measurement angle for each direction, the misalignment (that is, the direction and the amount of misalignment) of each scanner housing unit 50 is specified.

  Here, a specific example of the above-mentioned electronic adjustment will be described. FIG. 7A shows the scannable range “SR” of the scanner L and the actual scan range “FOV” on a virtual irradiation plane perpendicular to the emission direction of a certain scanner L before execution of the calibration process. Indicates the correspondence. Here, the scannable range SR refers to a range in which the scan with the transmission light pulse is possible, and the actual scan range FOV refers to the range in which the scan with the transmission light pulse is actually performed. The arrows in the actual scanning range FOV indicate an example of the scanning direction.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the actual scan range FOV moves the actual scan range FOV within the scannable range SR based on the direction of the scannability range shift and the shift amount.

  FIG. 7B is set to a range smaller than the scanning range range SR of the scanner L based on the electronic adjustment, and the control device 6 performs a scannable range SR after performing alignment adjustment as the electronic adjustment. And the actual scanning range FOV. In the example of FIG. 7B, the control device 6 changes the parameter of the internal signal of the light transmitting / receiving unit TR based on the direction and amount of misalignment of the alignment generated in the scanner accommodating unit 50 accommodating the scanner L. Send a control signal to instruct. Thus, the control device 6 moves the actual scanning range FOV in the upper left direction (see the arrow 55) by a predetermined distance. In this case, for example, the control device 6 stores in advance in the storage unit 2 a map or the like for each scanner L indicating the moving direction and moving width of the actual scanning range FOV according to the deviation of each scanner accommodation unit 50 The control signal described above is generated based on the movement direction and movement width of the actual scan range FOV determined by referring to the map. Thereby, the control device 6 suitably adjusts the current scan range of the lidar unit 7 to be equal to the scan range of the lidar unit 7 immediately after the alignment process (ie, before the occurrence of misalignment).

  As described above, the control device 6 moves the actual scanning range FOV based on the electronic adjustment, so that the target object using the lidar unit 7 is obtained even when misalignment occurs due to an accident or the like. It is possible to preferably suppress the decrease in the accuracy of the recognition process and to continue the automatic operation control.

  Further, the control device 6 may perform physical adjustment for moving the actual scanning range FOV by controlling the adjustment mechanism 10 of the scanner accommodation unit 50 instead of the above-described electronic adjustment. In this case, for example, each scanner accommodating unit 50 is rotatable in the roll direction, the pitch direction, and the yaw direction, and the adjustment mechanism 10 corresponds to the corresponding scanner accommodating unit 50 based on the control signal supplied from the control device 6. Adjust the angle in any rotation direction of.

  Therefore, when performing the above-described physical adjustment, the control device 6 makes the actual scanning range FOV substantially the same range before and after the alignment deviation based on the specified deviation direction and the deviation amount of the scanner housing unit 50. , Generate a control signal to be sent to the adjustment mechanism 10. In this case, for example, a map showing the relationship between the displacement direction and displacement amount of the scanner housing portion 50, the direction of movement of the scanner housing portion 50 (for example, the direction around the X, Y, and Z axes in FIG. 6) and the movement amount It is stored in the storage unit 2. And the control apparatus 6 produces | generates the control signal with respect to the adjustment mechanism 10 of the scanner accommodating part 50 which alignment shift produced by referring the above-mentioned map.

  Preferably, the control device 6 can not adjust the actual scanning range FOV so that the scanning range equivalent to the scanning range of the lidar unit 7 immediately after alignment processing (that is, before the occurrence of misalignment) can be obtained only by the above-mentioned electronic adjustment. When it is determined, the position adjustment of the scanner storage unit 50 based on the control of the adjustment mechanism 10 may be performed.

  Further, the control device 6 performs calibration when the deviation of the scanner accommodation unit 50 is large and adjustment can not be made so that the actual scanning range FOV becomes the same range before and after the alignment deviation by any of the electronic adjustment and physical adjustment described above. Processing is not performed. In this case, in place of the calibration process, the control device 6 causes the notification unit 4 to output an output for prompting to switch to manual operation or for giving a notice, or outputs a warning to the notification unit 4 that an error has occurred. Or In this case, the control device 6 switches the driving mode of the vehicle from the automatic driving to the manual driving, for example, when detecting a user input instructing to switch to the manual driving or after a predetermined time has elapsed from the above-mentioned warning. As a result, the control device 6 can prevent the continuation of the automatic operation in a situation where the accuracy of the recognition process using the rider unit 7 is low, and can preferably ensure safety.

Processing flow
Next, alignment processing executed before shipment of the vehicle and processing executed at the time of automatic operation after shipment of the vehicle will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 8 and 9.

(1) Alignment Process FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the alignment process of the rider unit 7. The measurement system 100 executes the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 8 when installing each scanner L in a vehicle. The alignment process is performed in a state where the vehicle is placed at a horizontal place.

  First, the scanner accommodating units 50 in which the scanners L are accommodated are respectively fitted into predetermined positions of the vehicle, and alignment of the respective scanner accommodating units 50 is adjusted (step S101). In this case, for example, the control device 6 transmits a control signal to the adjustment mechanism 10 of the scanner storage unit 50 which requires position adjustment based on an input to the input unit 1 or the like, thereby the pitch direction of the scanner storage unit 50, Adjust the angle in at least one of the yaw direction and the roll direction. In another example, alignment adjustment of each scanner housing unit 50 may be performed based on an artificial operation.

  Then, measurement information output by the attitude sensor 8 provided in each scanner housing unit 50 after completion of alignment adjustment in step S101 is stored in the storage unit 2 as alignment information IA indicating the reference angle of each scanner housing unit 50. (Step S103).

(2) Process in Automatic Operation FIG. 9 is an example of a flowchart showing a process flow executed by the control device 6 in automatic operation. The control device 6 repeatedly executes the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 9 according to, for example, a predetermined cycle.

  First, the control device 6 determines whether a recognition error of an object has occurred (step S201). In this case, based on the third method described in the section [accident detection processing], the control device 6 determines whether or not a deviation or the like has occurred in the point cloud information obtained for each scanner L. And control device 6 shifts processing to Step S204, when a recognition error of a subject occurs (Step S201; Yes).

  On the other hand, when the recognition error of the object has not occurred (step S201; No), the control device 6 determines whether or not the impact that is estimated to be an accident has been detected (step S202). In this case, based on the second method described in the section [accident detection processing], the control device 6 determines whether or not the value indicated by the impact information output by the impact sensor 9 temporarily exceeds a predetermined threshold value. . Then, when the control device 6 detects an impact that is estimated to be an accident (step S202; Yes), the control device 6 shifts the process to step S204.

  On the other hand, when the above-mentioned impact is not detected (step S202; No), the control device 6 determines that the deviation between the reference angle indicated by the alignment information IA and the latest measurement angle detected by the posture sensor 8 is a predetermined amount or more It is determined whether the following angular deviation has been detected (step S203). Then, when the control device 6 detects the above-described angular deviation (step S203; Yes), the control device 6 shifts the processing to step S204. On the other hand, when the above-mentioned angle deviation is not detected (Step S203; No), it is judged that alignment deviation has not occurred in the rider unit 7, and the processing of the flowchart is ended.

  Next, when an abnormality is detected in any of step S201 to step S203, the control device 6 recognizes the direction and the amount of deviation between the reference angle and the latest measurement angle (step S204). Then, the control device 6 determines whether or not the adjustment of the actual scanning range FOV is possible so as to compensate the above-mentioned angular deviation by the calibration process (step S205). For example, the control device 6 stores in advance the information of the range of angular deviation that can be adjusted by the electronic adjustment or the physical adjustment described in the section of [Calibration process] in the storage unit 2, It is determined whether or not the adjustment of the actual scanning range FOV by the calibration process is possible with reference to FIG.

  Then, when the control device 6 determines that the adjustment of the actual scanning range FOV is possible so as to compensate for the above-mentioned angular deviation by calibration processing (step S205; Yes), the notification unit for guiding the execution of the calibration processing 4 to output (step S206). For example, the control device 6 outputs, from the notification unit 4, an output indicating that the automatic operation can be continued by executing the calibration process, and an input for selecting whether to execute the calibration process. Then, when the control device 6 detects an input indicating that the calibration process should be performed (step S207; Yes), the control device 6 executes the calibration process (step S208). In this case, for example, when the above-mentioned angular deviation can be compensated by adjusting the actual scanning range FOV by electronic adjustment, the control device 6 performs the adjustment of the actual scanning range FOV by electronic adjustment. When the above-mentioned angular deviation can not be compensated for only by the electronic adjustment, the actual scanning range FOV is adjusted by performing the physical adjustment of the scanner housing unit 50 based on the control of the adjustment mechanism 10. Then, when the calibration process is successful (step S209; Yes), the control device 6 ends the process of the flowchart. In this case, the control device 6 continuously executes the control of the automatic operation.

  On the other hand, if the actual scanning range FOV can not be adjusted to compensate for the above-mentioned angular deviation depending on the calibration processing (step S205; No), or if there is no input indicating that the calibration processing should be performed (step S207; No) or when the calibration process is not successful (Step S209; No), the control device 6 performs switching to a predetermined warning display and / or manual operation (Step S210). In this case, the control device 6 outputs a guide to the effect that automatic operation can not be continued or a guide that urges manual switching to manual operation, or performs automatic switching to manual operation after the above-described guidance. As a result, when the reliability of the rider unit 7 is lowered, the control device 6 can facilitate smooth switching to the manual operation, and can preferably suppress the safety drop.

  As described above, the control device 6 according to the first embodiment functionally includes the detection unit 61 and the control unit 62. The detection unit 61 detects a change in the arrangement angle of the scanner L that emits an electromagnetic wave toward the outside of the vehicle, based on the alignment information IA generated at the time of alignment and the measurement information on the rider unit 7 received from the attitude sensor 8. . Then, the control unit 62 controls the irradiation direction of the scanner L based on the detection result of the detection unit 61. As a result, the control device 6 preferably maintains a state in which the automatic operation can be continued by performing calibration of the rider unit 7 even when misalignment is caused in the rider unit 7 due to an accident or the like. it can.

Second Embodiment
In the second embodiment, the control device 6 detects instead of or in addition to performing calibration based on the deviation between the reference angle indicated by the alignment information IA and the latest measurement angle measured by the posture sensor 8. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that calibration is performed based on the detection result of the deviation of the actual scanning range FOV with reference to the inclination of the feature. Hereinafter, the same components as those of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals as appropriate, and the description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the data structure of the map DB 20 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the map DB 20 includes feature information on features around the road in addition to road data and the like. The feature information is information registered for each feature, and includes type information, position information, and tilt information. In addition, navigation of the vehicle at the time of manual operation and advanced driving control of the vehicle at the time of automatic driving can be performed by using the map DB including such feature information.

  Here, the type information is information representing the type of feature, and for example, is a feature around the vehicle suitable as a feature (also referred to as a “reference feature”) to be used as a reference? It is referred to in the process of determining whether or not it is not. The position information is information indicating the absolute position of the feature, and is referred to in processing for specifying the position of the feature relative to the vehicle. The tilt information is information indicating the tilt angle of the feature from the road surface.

  Here, the inclination information may indicate an angle formed by the contour of the side surface (including the front and back) of the feature with respect to the road surface, and a line indicating the symmetry axis of the contour of the feature (feature The line passing through the center of gravity of) may indicate the angle formed with respect to the road surface. This will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 11A is a diagram showing the relationship between a feature A having a rectangular outline when viewed from above a road and a tilt angle θ indicated by tilt information of the feature information. In FIG. 11A, the feature A has a prismatic or cylindrical shape, and the tilt angle θ indicated by the tilt information of the feature information corresponding to the feature A is the side surface of the feature A (front and The contour of the back surface is an angle (about 90 degrees here) formed with respect to the road surface.

  FIG. 11B is a diagram showing the relationship between a terrestrial object B having an outline tapered toward the top surface when observed from above the road and an inclination angle θ indicated by inclination information of the terrestrial object information. In FIG. 11B, the contour of the feature B has a shape with the broken line 70 as the axis of symmetry. Further, the broken line 70 is a line passing through the center of gravity of the outline of the feature B, and is a line substantially parallel to the outline indicating the side of the feature B. The inclination angle θ indicated by the inclination information of the feature information corresponding to the feature B indicates the angle (here, about 90 degrees) that the broken line 70 forms with respect to the road surface. Thus, in the example of FIG. 11 (B), the information of the inclination as the whole feature B is recorded on the feature information as inclination information. In this case, a predetermined flag or the like may be added to the feature information to indicate that the tilt information indicates the tilt angle of a line passing through the center of gravity of the feature.

  FIG. 11C is a diagram showing the relationship between the feature C and the tilt angles θ1 and θ2 indicated by the tilt information of the feature information when observed from above the road. In FIG. 11C, in the feature C, the outlines 71 and 72 forming the side surfaces form different angles θ1 and θ2 with respect to the road surface. In this case, the feature information corresponding to the feature C includes tilt information indicating tilt angles θ1 and θ2 corresponding to the outlines 71 and 72. In this case, the feature information may have a data structure capable of identifying the correspondence between the outline detected by the rider unit 7 and the tilt angle recorded in the feature information. For example, in the feature information, the inclination angles may be recorded in order from the inclination angle of the outline near the road.

  The control device 6 refers to feature information including tilt information based on any of the formats described in FIGS. 11A to 11C, and forms a contour of a reference feature detected by the lidar unit 7 From the group, a line (also referred to as a “feature reference line Lo”) is specified that approximately connects points forming the tilt angle indicated by the tilt information of the feature information. Next, the control device 6 determines the angle between the specified feature reference line Lo and a line forming an arbitrary side of the boundary of the rectangular actual scanning range FOV (also referred to as "actual scanning boundary Lf"). calculate. Then, the control device 6 sets the lidar unit 7 based on an angle (also referred to as a “reference angle θtag”) formed by the feature reference line Lo and the actual scanning boundary line Lf and the inclination angle indicated by the corresponding inclination information. Detect misalignment. Thus, the information of the reference angle θtag functions as first information, and the tilt information functions as second information.

  Next, a specific example of the misalignment detection method based on the reference angle θtag and the inclination angle indicated by the inclination information will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 12A is a diagram showing a correspondence between an actual scanning range FOV of a certain scanner L before occurrence of misalignment and a landscape overlapping the actual scanning range FOV. In the example of FIG. 12A, when no misalignment occurs, the lateral direction of the actual scanning range FOV of the target scanner L is parallel to the road surface (i.e., the horizontal line).

  In this case, first, the control device 6 extracts the point group forming the contour of the feature 60 from the point group information generated by the rider unit 7. Then, the control device 6 projects a point group forming the contour of the feature 60 on the same plane as the actual scanning range FOV, and a point forming the contour of the side surface of the feature 60 from the point group on the plane The feature reference line Lo is recognized by specifying the group. In this case, for example, the control device 6 may assume that the actual scanning range FOV is a range in which the transmission light pulse is irradiated on a virtual irradiation surface separated by a predetermined distance from the vehicle. Further, the control device 6 determines the actual scanning boundary line Lf (here, the base of the actual scanning range FOV) from the boundary line of the actual scanning range FOV, and based on the determined actual scanning boundary line Lf and the feature reference line Lo The reference angle θtag is calculated.

  Then, the control device 6 calculates an angle difference between the calculated reference angle θtag (here, 90 degrees) and the inclination angle (here, 90 degrees) indicated by the inclination information of the feature information corresponding to the feature 60. In this case, since the above-mentioned angle difference is 0 degrees, in the example of FIG. 12A, the control device 6 determines that no angle deviation occurs in the scanner L corresponding to the target actual scanning range FOV. . Therefore, in this case, the control device 6 determines that the calibration for the target scanner L is not necessary.

  FIG. 12B is a diagram showing the correspondence between the actual scanning range FOV of the scanner L in which the misalignment has occurred and the scenery overlapping the actual scanning range FOV.

  In this case, the control device 6 executes the same process as that of FIG. 12A to specify the actual scanning boundary line Lf and the feature reference line Lo, and the actual scanning boundary line Lf and the feature reference line Lo A reference angle θtag formed by Then, the control device 6 calculates an angle difference (here, 10 degrees) between the calculated reference angle θtag (here, 100 degrees) and the inclination angle of the feature 60 (here, 90 degrees) indicated by the referred inclination information. Do. In this case, the control device 6 determines that the target scanner L is out of alignment because the above-mentioned angle difference is equal to or greater than the predetermined difference. Therefore, in this case, the control device 6 determines that it is necessary to perform calibration on the target scanner L.

  FIG. 12C is a diagram showing the correspondence between the actual scanning range FOV after calibration and the scenery overlapping the actual scanning range FOV. In FIG. 12C, a dashed dotted line 61 indicates the position of the actual scanning boundary line Lf before the calibration is performed.

  The control device 6 determines that the scanner L corresponding to the target actual scanning range FOV is deviated by 10 degrees in the roll direction (clockwise) based on the above-mentioned angle difference. Therefore, in this case, the control device 6 rotates the actual scanning range FOV by 10 degrees in the roll direction (counterclockwise) based on the calibration method described in the [calibration process] of the first embodiment. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12C, the longitudinal direction of the actual scanning range FOV and the road surface become substantially parallel, and these are the same as before the misalignment of the target scanner L occurs (that is, before the impact of the vehicle occurs). It has become a correspondence relationship.

  As described above, the control device 6 can appropriately execute the necessity determination and calibration of calibration by calculating the reference angle θtag formed by the actual scanning boundary line Lf and the feature reference line Lo. In the state where there is no misalignment, the longitudinal direction of the actual scanning range FOV is not limited to being parallel to the road surface, and may have a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the road surface. In this case, for example, the control device 6 stores information on the tilt angle in advance, and further considers the above-described tilt angle with respect to an angle difference between the reference angle θtag and the tilt angle indicated by the tilt information. Perform calibration necessity determination and calibration.

  Further, when the inclination information of the reference feature represents the inclination angle of a line passing through the center of gravity of the feature as in the example of FIG. 11B, for example, the control device 6 The center of gravity of the point group projected on the same plane as the FOV is determined, and a feature reference line Lo (for example, a symmetry line) passing through the determined center of gravity is calculated based on a predetermined calculation method. In addition, when the inclination angles for each of the plurality of contours are recorded in the inclination information of the reference feature (refer to FIG. 11C), the control device 6 determines at least one inclination angle indicated by the inclination information and the inclination angle The feature reference line Lo is calculated based on the point cloud information representing the corresponding contour portion. In this case, the control device 6 may calculate the feature reference line Lo based on, for example, point cloud information of the contour corresponding to the inclination angle close to 90 degrees, and the point cloud information of the contour detected as point cloud information The feature reference line Lo may be calculated based on

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure of calibration based on a feature according to the second embodiment. The control device 6 repeatedly executes the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 13 in accordance with a predetermined cycle, for example. The control device 6 may execute the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 13 in parallel with the process of the flowchart of FIG. 9 described in the first embodiment, and executes it instead of the process of the flowchart of FIG. May be

  First, the control device 6 acquires feature information of a feature present around the vehicle (step S301). In this case, for example, the control device 6 refers to the vehicle position information generated based on the position information of the feature information and the output of the sensor unit 3, etc., and becomes within the maximum distance measurement distance of the rider unit 7 from the vehicle position. Feature information of a feature which is a range and is present in the actual scan range FOV of any of the scanners L is extracted from the map DB 20.

  Next, the control device 6 determines whether or not there is a feature suitable to be a reference feature (step S302). In this case, for example, the control device 6 refers to the type information included in the feature information acquired in step S301 and determines whether there is a fixed object such as a building whose outline does not change due to weather conditions such as wind or other external environment It judges whether or not. In another example, the control device 6 is a feature suitable for using as a reference feature a feature (for example, a building, a pillar of a traffic light, a telephone pole, etc.) assumed to be configured to be perpendicular to the road surface. It is determined that In this example, the control device 6 may estimate whether or not the feature is configured vertically to the road surface based on the type information of the feature information, and the ground indicated by the inclination information included in the feature information. The above determination may be made based on whether or not the inclination angle of the outline of the object is about 90 degrees.

  Then, when there is a feature suitable to be a reference feature (step S302; Yes), the control device 6 regards each feature as a reference feature, and performs the processing of the following steps S303 to S306. Run. On the other hand, the control device 6 ends the processing of the flowchart when there is no feature suitable for being a reference feature (step S302; No).

  Next, the control device 6 calculates, for each of the reference features, a feature reference line Lo that forms a line passing through the contour or the center of gravity of the features based on point cloud information of each feature (step S303). In this case, the control device 6 extracts a point cloud for each reference feature from the point cloud information obtained from the lidar unit 7 based on, for example, position information of the feature, and forms a contour of the reference feature or the like. An object reference line Lo is calculated for each reference feature.

  Then, the control device 6 specifies the actual scanning boundary line Lf based on the actual scanning range FOV of the scanner L including the respective reference features in the detection range with respect to the feature reference line Lo for each of the calculated reference features, The angle θ tag is calculated (step S304). Then, the control device 6 determines whether or not there is a reference feature whose angle difference between the inclination angle indicated by the inclination information and the reference angle θtag is equal to or larger than a predetermined angle difference (step S305). The above-mentioned predetermined angle is determined in advance in consideration of, for example, the necessity of calibration based on the angle difference and the calculation error of the reference angle θtag.

  Then, when there is a reference feature whose angle difference between the tilt angle indicated by the tilt information and the reference angle θtag is equal to or larger than the predetermined angle difference (step S305; Yes), the control device 6 is used to calculate the reference angle θtag. It is determined that the actual scanning range FOV deviates, and calibration based on the above-described angle difference is performed on the scanner L corresponding to the actual scanning range FOV (step S306). In this case, the control device 6 rotates the actual scanning range FOV of the object by physical adjustment by control of the electronic adjustment or adjustment mechanism 10 so as to eliminate the above-mentioned angle difference. The controller 6 guides the user about the execution of the calibration before the execution of the calibration and detects an input indicating that the calibration should be performed, as in the process of the flowchart of FIG. 9 described in the first embodiment. Calibration may be performed if the

  On the other hand, when there is no reference feature whose angle difference between the tilt angle indicated by the tilt information and the reference angle θtag is equal to or more than the predetermined angle (step S305; No), the control device 6 does not detect misalignment of the scanner L , Determine that it is not necessary to perform calibration. Therefore, in this case, the control device 6 ends the process of the flowchart without performing the calibration.

  As described above, the control device 6 according to the second embodiment obtains an output signal from the lidar unit 7 capable of detecting a feature present around the vehicle, and recognizes it based on the output signal from the lidar unit 7 A reference angle θtag that indicates an inclination angle of the feature to be detected with respect to the detection range of the rider unit 7 is calculated. Then, the control device 6 controls the detection range of the rider unit 7 based on the reference angle θtag and the inclination information stored in the storage unit 2 and indicating the angle of the feature with respect to the road surface. Also in this case, as in the first embodiment, the controller 6 preferably maintains a state in which the automatic operation can be continued by performing calibration of the rider unit 7 when misalignment occurs in the rider unit 7. it can.

Third Embodiment
In the third embodiment, the feature information included in the map DB 20 includes information (also referred to as “calibration availability information Ic”) indicating whether or not calibration with the target feature as a reference feature is possible. The second embodiment differs from the second embodiment in that Then, in the third embodiment, the control device 6 determines the suitability of each feature as a reference feature by referring to the calibration availability information Ic.

  FIG. 14 shows the data structure of the map DB 20 stored in the storage unit 2 in the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 14, the map DB 20 has feature information, and in addition to the type information, the position information, and the tilt information described above, the feature information further includes calibration availability information Ic. Here, the calibration availability information Ic is flag information indicating either permission information for permitting execution of calibration with the corresponding feature as a reference feature or non-permission information for not permitting execution of calibration ((1) Adjustment availability information).

  As an example of a feature to which calibration availability information Ic indicating permission of calibration execution is added to feature information, it is configured substantially perpendicular to a fixed object such as a building whose contour does not change due to the external environment, and the road surface And a feature having a small variation in the degree of inclination of the contour (that is, a feature having a contour close to a straight line) or the like. As described above, the feature information of the feature suitable for calculating the feature reference line Lo (that is, the calculation error of the feature reference line Lo is reduced) is permitted to execute the calibration. Calibration availability information Ic is added. In addition, as an example of a feature to which calibration availability information Ic not to permit the execution of calibration is added to feature information, it is configured to be inclined to a feature or a road surface whose contour shape is easily fluctuated by the external environment And a feature having a large variation in the degree of inclination of the contour (ie, a feature having a contour of a curve or other complex shape). The calibration availability information Ic is not limited to the case where it is included in the feature information of all the features, and may be added only to the feature information of the features for which the execution of the calibration as the reference feature is permitted. Well, it may be added only to feature information of features that are not permitted to perform calibration as a reference feature.

  The storage unit 2 stores feature information having a data structure as shown in FIG. 14 and supplies the feature information to the control device 6. Then, based on the feature information supplied from the storage unit 2, the control device 6 executes the flowchart shown in FIG. In this case, in step S302, the control device 6 determines whether each feature is suitable as a reference feature by referring to the calibration availability information Ic included in feature information of each feature. Then, the control device 6 regards the feature determined to be suitable as a reference feature based on the calibration availability information Ic as a reference feature, and executes the processing of step S303 to step S306. As a result, the control device 6 can accurately select the reference feature, and more accurately determine whether the calibration can be performed and the calibration.

  As described above, in the storage unit 2 of the measurement system 100 according to the third embodiment, the rider unit 7 disposed in the vehicle performs calibration of the detection range of the rider unit 7 based on the feature information. Is stored, which has a data structure including calibration enable / disable information Ic indicating permission or non-permission. As a result, the control device 6 can accurately select a feature to be used as a reference when calibrating the detection range of the rider unit 7.

<Modification>
Next, modifications suitable for the first to third embodiments will be described. The following modifications may be arbitrarily combined and applied to the above-described embodiment.

(Modification 1)
In the first to third embodiments, part or all of the processing of the control device 6 may be executed by the signal processing unit SP of the rider unit 7. For example, the signal processing unit SP may execute the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 9 instead of the control device 6. In this case, the signal processing unit SP refers to the alignment information IA etc. from the memory built in the storage unit 2 or the lidar unit 7 and acquires the output value of the attitude sensor 8 provided in each scanner accommodation unit 50 etc. Then, the process of step S201 to step S204 of FIG. 9 is performed. Further, in the calibration process of step S208, the signal processing unit SP transmits a control signal for adjusting the scanning range to the adjusting mechanism 10 and / or the light transmitting / receiving unit TR in accordance with the detected angular deviation. Similarly, the signal processing unit SP may execute the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 13 instead of the control device 6. In the present modification, the signal processing unit SP may transmit and receive signals without using the control device 6 and each component of the measurement system 100 such as the input unit 1, the storage unit 2, and the attitude sensor 8. . In addition, when the signal processing unit SP executes all the processes of the control device 6, the measurement device 100 may not be provided with the control device 6.

(Modification 2)
In the first to third embodiments, although a plurality of scanners L are provided for the vehicle in the example of FIG. 4 and the like, the present invention is not limited to this. Only one scanner L may be provided for the vehicle. In this case, the scanner L scans the transmission light pulse in a range of, for example, 360 degrees to irradiate the transmission light pulse to an object present in any direction with respect to the vehicle. Even in this case, the control device 6 detects the misalignment of the scanner L installed on the vehicle based on any of the first to third embodiments, and performs the calibration process as necessary. Thus, automatic operation can be suitably continued. Thus, at least one scanner L may be provided for the vehicle.

(Modification 3)
In the first embodiment, in the description of FIG. 6, the control device 6 detects an angle change around the XYZ axes of the scanners L of the rider unit 7 with respect to the vehicle based on the output of the attitude sensor 8. In addition to this, the control device 6 may detect a change in position of the scanner L relative to the vehicle along the XYZ axes.

  In this case, for example, each scanner housing unit 50 or the scanner L is provided with a sensor (position detection sensor) for detecting a change in position, and the adjustment mechanism 10 has a function to move the scanner housing unit 50 or the scanner L in parallel. . In the alignment process shown in FIG. 8, the control device 6 stores information on the arrangement position and arrangement angle of each scanner L after alignment adjustment in the storage unit 2 as alignment information IA. Then, based on the alignment information IA stored in the storage unit 2, the control device 6 executes the processing of the flowchart of FIG. In this case, in step S203, the control device 6 detects the presence or absence of misalignment regarding the arrangement position and arrangement angle of the scanner housing unit 50 or the scanner L based on the output of the posture sensor 8 and the output of the position detection sensor described above. After that, as in the embodiment, the control device 6 executes the process of step S204 to step S210 to execute calibration on the misalignment of the scanner L or to switch to a predetermined warning display or manual operation. Do. As described above, even if a change occurs in the arrangement position of the scanner L, it is possible to preferably continue measurement of the surrounding environment by calibration or switch to manual operation from the viewpoint of safety.

(Modification 4)
In the first to third embodiments, the measurement system 100 detects the alignment deviation and performs calibration processing on an external sensor that emits an electromagnetic wave other than the lidar unit 7 instead of detecting the alignment deviation of the lidar unit 7. And the like may be performed. Also by this, when it is estimated that the displacement of the installation position of the external sensor necessary for the automatic operation has occurred based on the processing procedure similar to the flowchart of FIG. 9 or FIG. Perform calibration processing of the external sensor, etc. Thereby, it is possible to suitably suppress the detection range of the external sensor from being changed before and after the occurrence of the accident, and when the calibration process can not be performed, the switching to the manual operation can be promoted to ensure safety.

(Modification 5)
In the first embodiment, the control device 6 may generate or update the alignment information IA at a predetermined timing other than immediately after alignment adjustment. For example, when the control device 6 determines that the traveling road of the vehicle is a flat road, the control device 6 generates alignment information IA based on the output signal of the attitude sensor 8 provided in each of the scanner accommodating units 50. Remember. In this case, the control device 6 may determine whether the traveling road of the vehicle is a flat road based on the output of the acceleration sensor that detects the inclination of the vehicle, and the road of the road data included in the current position information and the map DB 20 It may be determined whether or not the traveling road of the vehicle is a flat road based on the inclination information.

(Modification 6)
In the first to third embodiments, the measurement system 100 may receive information necessary for processing from a server device storing information equivalent to the map DB 20 instead of including the map DB 20.

  FIG. 15 shows a configuration example according to the present modification. In the example of FIG. 15, the server device 21 includes a distribution map DB 22 having the same data structure as the map DB 20 shown in FIG. 14, and includes calibration availability information Ic for the measurement system 100 mounted on each vehicle. Send data such as feature information. In this case, the measurement system 100 may be a communication device such as a vehicle-mounted device, or may be a system incorporated in a vehicle. Then, for example, in the case of the third embodiment, the measurement system 100 performs calibration based on the flowchart of FIG. 13 based on the feature information and the like received from the server device 21. In this case, the measurement system 100 may properly determine whether the feature around the vehicle is suitable as the reference feature based on the calibration availability information Ic, and perform the necessity determination of the calibration and the calibration. it can.

Reference Signs List 1 input unit 2 storage unit 3 sensor unit 4 notification unit 5 communication unit 6 control device 100 measurement system

Claims (8)

It is a feature data structure of feature information indicating a feature,
Permitting information for allowing a detection device for recognizing a feature around the moving object disposed in the moving object to adjust the detection range of the detecting device based on the feature information, or A feature data structure that contains disallowed information that does not allow adjustments to be made. The feature information indicating the feature with less fluctuation in the degree of inclination of the feature with respect to the road surface with respect to the external environment includes the permission information.
The feature data structure according to claim 1, wherein the feature information indicating the feature having a large variation in the degree of inclination of the feature with respect to the road surface with respect to the external environment includes the non-permission information. A storage device for storing feature data indicating a feature, wherein
According to the feature data, a detection device for recognizing a feature around the movable body disposed in the movable body permits adjustment of the detection range of the detection device based on the feature information. A storage device including adjustment availability information indicating that the user is allowed or denied.   The storage device according to claim 3, further comprising: a transmission unit that transmits the adjustment availability information to a mobile including the detection device or a communication device disposed in the mobile. The acquisition part which acquires the said adjustment availability information from the memory | storage device of Claim 3 or 4 ,;
A control unit configured to adjust the detection range of the detection device based on the acquired adjustment availability information. A control method executed by the controller,
The acquisition process of acquiring the said adjustment availability information from the memory | storage device of Claim 3 or 4 ,;
A control step of adjusting the detection range of the detection device based on the acquired adjustment availability information. A program that a computer executes,
The acquisition part which acquires the said adjustment availability information from the memory | storage device of Claim 3 or 4 ,;
A program that causes the computer to function as a control unit that adjusts the detection range of the detection device based on the acquired adjustment availability information.   A storage medium storing the program according to claim 7.

Images