JP2022154963A - Object detection device, vehicle, object detection device and setting method of detection sensitivity - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an object detection device which can highly accurately detect pedestrians and the like in accordance with a situation around a vehicle.SOLUTION: An object detection device according to the present disclosure is provided in a vehicle and comprises: a plurality of range-finding sensors having a transmission unit which transmits an ultrasonic wave and a reception unit which receives a reflection wave obtained with reflection of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the transmission unit by an object around the vehicle; and a control unit which detects the object around the vehicle on the basis of the reflection wave received by the reception unit at preset detection sensitivity. The control unit comprises: an image acquisition part which acquires a photographed image captured by an on-vehicle camera that images the periphery of the vehicle; and a determination part which determines whether or not a specific object is included on the basis of the photographed image. When the determination part determines that the specific object is included, the control unit sets the detection sensitivity to the second detection sensitivity larger than the first detection sensitivity from the first detection sensitivity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to an object detection device, a vehicle, and a method for setting detection sensitivity in the object detection device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a technique of detecting an object such as a preceding vehicle, an obstacle, or a pedestrian using a ranging sensor such as an ultrasonic sensor mounted on a vehicle. Also known is a technique for performing various controls for improving the running safety of the vehicle, such as automatic braking and notification to the driver, based on the result of object detection by a range sensor.

JP 2018-081050 A

However, for example, pedestrians and the like have a low reflectance with respect to ultrasonic waves, so there is a demand for improved accuracy in detecting pedestrians and the like. In particular, simply increasing the sensitivity of detection using ultrasonic waves, etc., may result in objects that do not need to be detected as targets of detection. It is

The present disclosure provides an object detection device, a vehicle, and a method of setting detection sensitivity in the object detection device that can detect a pedestrian or the like with high accuracy according to the surrounding conditions of the vehicle.

An object detection device according to the present disclosure is provided in a vehicle, and includes a transmission unit that transmits ultrasonic waves, and a reception unit that receives reflected waves of the ultrasonic waves transmitted by the transmission unit that are reflected by objects around the vehicle. a plurality of ranging sensors, and a control unit that detects objects around the vehicle based on the reflected waves received by the receiving unit at a preset detection sensitivity, and the control unit captures an image of the surroundings of the vehicle. and a determination unit that determines whether or not the specific object is included in the captured image based on the captured image, wherein the determination unit specifies the captured image. When it is determined that an object is included, the control unit sets the detection sensitivity from the first detection sensitivity to a second detection sensitivity that is higher than the first detection sensitivity.

Further, the vehicle according to the present disclosure includes an on-vehicle camera that captures images of the surroundings, and an object detection device.

Further, a method for setting detection sensitivity in an object detection device according to the present disclosure is a method for setting detection sensitivity in an object detection device provided in a vehicle, wherein the object detection device includes a transmission unit that transmits ultrasonic waves, a transmission unit that transmits ultrasonic waves, and a transmission unit that transmits ultrasonic waves. a receiver for receiving a reflected wave of an ultrasonic wave transmitted by the unit reflected by an object around the vehicle; and a plurality of distance measuring sensors; a control unit that detects objects around the vehicle based on waves; determining whether or not the specific object is included in the captured image, and if the captured image includes the specific object, the detection sensitivity is increased from the first detection sensitivity to and setting a second detection sensitivity that is also greater.

According to the object detection device according to the present disclosure, a pedestrian or the like can be detected with high accuracy by appropriately setting the wave receiving period of the object detection device according to the surrounding conditions of the vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a sensor control device according to the first embodiment; 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration included in the sensor control device according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a sonar according to the first embodiment; FIG. 5 is a graph showing an example of echo waveforms according to the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the sensor control device according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a sensor control device according to the second embodiment; FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the sensor control device according to the second embodiment.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of an object detection device according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The first embodiment controls the wave receiving period of the object detection device.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle 1 equipped with an in-vehicle system 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1 , the vehicle 1 includes a steering control device 30 , a speed control device 40 , a vehicle control device 50 , an HMI (Human Machine Interface) device 60 and a sensor control device 70 . The in-vehicle system 100 is an example of an object detection device in the scope of claims, and the sensor control device 70 is an example of a control section in the scope of claims.

In the present embodiment, vehicle-mounted system 100 includes steering control device 30 , speed control device 40 , vehicle control device 50 , HMI device 60 , and sensor control device 70 . Note that the vehicle 1 may be further equipped with other devices. In addition, although the steering control device 30, the speed control device 40, the vehicle control device 50, the HMI device 60, and the sensor control device 70 are illustrated as separate devices in FIG. May be.

The vehicle 1 also includes a plurality of sonars 21a-21d, 22a-22d, imaging devices 16a, 16b, and radars 17a, 17b.

The plurality of sonars 21a to 21d and 22a to 22d are examples of the plurality of ranging sensors in this embodiment. Among the plurality of sonars 21a to 21d and 22a to 22d, the plurality of sonars 21a to 21d are provided at the front end portion of the vehicle 1. FIG. A plurality of sonars 22 a to 22 d are provided at the rear end of the vehicle 1 . Hereinafter, the sonars 21a to 21d and 22a to 22d will be referred to as sonars 21 and 22 unless otherwise distinguished. In addition, when collectively referring to the plurality of sonars 21a to 21d, they are referred to as forward sonars 21. As shown in FIG. Also, the plurality of sonars 22a to 22d are collectively referred to as the rear sonar 22. As shown in FIG.

The sonars 21, 22 are placed on the vehicle 1 at positions that are advantageous for the detection or ranging of surrounding objects. For example, multiple sonars 21 , 22 are spaced apart on the front and rear bumpers of the vehicle 1 to detect objects in front of and behind the vehicle 1 .

The sonars 21 and 22 are provided in the vehicle 1 and detect objects around the vehicle 1 by measuring the time it takes to transmit ultrasonic waves and receive reflected waves reflected by objects around the vehicle 1. At the same time, distance information to the detected object is obtained. Specifically, the sonars 21 and 22 each have a transmission unit that transmits ultrasonic waves and a reception unit that receives reflected waves of the ultrasonic waves transmitted by the transmission unit that are reflected by objects around the vehicle, Objects around the vehicle are detected based on the reflected waves received by the receiver during a wave reception period from when the transmitter transmits ultrasonic waves to when a predetermined time elapses.

In this embodiment, the term "object" or "obstacle" includes pedestrians and other vehicles. Obstacles do not include things that do not hinder the running of the vehicle 1, such as unevenness of the road surface.

More specifically, a first front center sonar 21a is provided on the right side of the center of the front end of the vehicle 1, and a second front center sonar 21b is provided on the left side of the center of the front end of the vehicle 1. Also, at the front end of the vehicle 1, a first front corner sonar 21c is provided near the corner on the right side of the first front center sonar 21a. A second front corner sonar 21d is provided near the left corner of the second front center sonar 21b at the front end of the vehicle 1 .

A first rear center sonar 22a is provided on the right side of the center of the rear end of the vehicle 1, and a second rear center sonar 22b is provided on the left side of the center of the rear end of the vehicle 1. Also, at the rear end of the vehicle 1, a first rear corner sonar 22c is provided near the corner on the right side of the first rear center sonar 22a. A second rear corner sonar 22d is provided near the left corner of the rear end of the vehicle 1 relative to the second rear center sonar 22b.

An example of the first ranging sensor in the claims is the first front corner sonar 21c, and an example of the second ranging sensor in the claims is the first front center sonar 21a. However, the configuration according to this embodiment is not limited to this. Any one of the individual sonars 21a-21d and 22a-22d may be used as the first ranging sensor or the second ranging sensor, depending on the circumstances.

In FIG. 1, the range in which the first front center sonar 21a can detect an object is defined as a detection range 210a, the range in which the second front center sonar 21b can detect an object is defined as a detection range 210b, and the first front corner sonar 21b A detection range 210c is defined as a range in which 21c can detect an object, and a detection range 210d is defined as a range in which second front corner sonar 21d can detect an object. When the individual detection ranges 210a to 210d are not particularly distinguished, they are simply referred to as the detection range 210. FIG.

A detection range 220a is a range in which the first rear center sonar 22a can detect an object, a detection range 220b is a range in which the second rear center sonar 22b can detect an object, and a detection range 220b is a range in which the first rear center sonar 22c can detect an object. A detection range 220c is a range in which an object can be detected, and a detection range 220d is a range in which the second rear corner sonar 22d can detect an object. When the individual detection ranges 220a to 220d are not particularly distinguished, they are simply referred to as the detection range 220. FIG.

The detection range 210 is determined based on the wave reception period from when the ultrasonic waves are transmitted until a predetermined time elapses. The wave receiving period is set in advance by the sensor control device 70, but can be modified (updated) for each of the sonars 21 and 22 according to the surrounding conditions and vehicle conditions. A method of setting the wave reception period will be described later.

Although the detection ranges 210 and 220 are shown separately in FIG. 1, the detection ranges 210 and 220 of the adjacent sonars 21 and 22 actually overlap each other.

When the first front center sonar 21a, the second front center sonar 21b, the first rear center sonar 22a, and the second rear center sonar 22b are not particularly distinguished, the center sonars 21a, 21b, 22a, 22b. When the first front corner sonar 21c, the second front corner sonar 21d, the first rear corner sonar 22c, and the second rear corner sonar 22d are not particularly distinguished, the corner sonar 21c, 21d, 22c, 22d. In the present embodiment, a specific description will be given below by exemplifying a case where the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is mainly forward. may be applied.

When the vehicle 1 is traveling straight ahead, obstacles positioned in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 are detected by the first front center sonar 21a and the second front center sonar 21b. Also, when the vehicle 1 turns left or right toward the front, an object located at the left or right turn destination is detected by the second front corner sonar 21d or the first front corner sonar 21c. Also, when an obstacle enters the right front of the vehicle 1 from the right side of the vehicle 1, the first front corner sonar 21c or the first front center sonar 21a detects it first.

Also, the installation locations and the number of sonars 21 and 22 are not limited to the example shown in FIG. The details of the functions of the sonars 21 and 22 will be described later.

The imaging devices 16 a and 16 b are cameras that capture images of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 . In FIG. 1 , the imaging device 16 a is provided at the front end of the vehicle 1 and can image the surroundings including the front of the vehicle 1 . Further, the imaging device 16b is provided at the rear end of the vehicle 1 and can image the surroundings including the rear of the vehicle 1 . The installation locations and the number of imaging devices 16a and 16b are not limited to the example shown in FIG.

Note that the imaging device 16b at the rear is not essential, and only the imaging device 16a may be mounted on the vehicle 1. FIG. Hereinafter, the imaging devices 16a and 16b will simply be referred to as the imaging device 16 unless otherwise distinguished. The imaging device 16 is an example of an in-vehicle camera in the claims.

Radars 17 a and 17 b detect objects around vehicle 1 and measure the distance between the objects and vehicle 1 . For example, the radar 17a measures the distance between the vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle located in front of the vehicle 1 . Further, the radar 17b measures the distance between the vehicle 1 and a following vehicle positioned behind the vehicle 1. FIG. The radars 17a and 17b are simply referred to as the radars 17 when they are not distinguished from each other. The radar 17 emits radio waves such as millimeter waves and receives radio waves reflected by objects. The installation locations and number of radars 17 are not limited to the example shown in FIG.

Incidentally, the sonars 21 and 22, the imaging device 16, and the radar 17 may be collectively referred to as detection devices. In addition, the vehicle 1 may further include other detection devices such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging). Also, the vehicle 1 does not have to be equipped with the radar 17 . The vehicle 1 may also include an antenna capable of receiving GPS (Global Positioning System) signals and a GPS device (not shown) that specifies GPS coordinates indicating the position of the vehicle 1 based on the received GPS signals.

The steering control device 30 controls the steering angle of the vehicle 1 . The steering control device 30 is also called a steering angle control device. The steering control device 30 is arranged, for example, at a position that is advantageous for assisting the power steering of the vehicle 1 .

A speed control device 40 controls acceleration and braking of the vehicle 1 . The speed controller 40 is, for example, placed in a position that is advantageous for controlling the engine or motor and brakes.

The vehicle control device 50 is a device that controls various behaviors of the vehicle 1, and is arranged near the steering control device 30 and the speed control device 40, for example.

The HMI device 60 includes a display capable of displaying information, a touch panel or switches capable of accepting user operations, and the like. Note that the display and the touch panel may be configured as an integrated device. The display is also called a display unit. The touch panel and switches are also called an operation unit. A display unit and an operation unit included in the HMI device 60 are arranged around the driver's seat.

A sensor control device 70 controls the sonars 21 and 22 . Note that the sensor control device 70 may further control the imaging device 16 and the radar 17 . Alternatively, the vehicle control device 50 described above may control the imaging device 16 and the radar 17 .

The sensor control device 70 and the sonars 21 and 22 are examples of the object detection device in this embodiment. Note that the sensor control device 70 alone may be used as an example of the object detection device. Further, the object detection device may include the entire in-vehicle system 100 or any one of the steering control device 30 , the speed control device 40 , the vehicle control device 50 and the HMI device 60 included in the in-vehicle system 100 .

The steering control device 30, the speed control device 40, the vehicle control device 50, the HMI device 60, and the sensor control device 70 are wire-connected by a local area network such as CAN (Controller Area Network). Also, the sonars 21 and 22, the imaging device 16 and the radar 17 may be connected to a local area network, or may be connected to the sensor control device 70 or the vehicle control device 50 via dedicated wiring.

Next, the hardware configuration of the sensor control device 70 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the sensor control device 70 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the sensor control device 70 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 11B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 11C, an I/F (interface) 11D, a flash memory 11E, and the like. are interconnected by a bus 11F, and have a hardware configuration using a normal computer.

The CPU 11A is an arithmetic device that controls the sensor control device 70 as a whole. Note that the CPU 11A is an example of a processor, and another processor or processing circuit may be provided instead of the CPU 11A. The ROM 11B stores programs and the like for realizing various processes by the CPU 11A. The RAM 11C is, for example, the main storage device of the sensor control device 70, and stores data required for various processes by the CPU 11A. I/F 11D is an interface for transmitting and receiving data. Also, the I/F 11D may transmit and receive information to and from other devices mounted on the vehicle 1 via the CAN in the vehicle 1 or the like. Also, the flash memory 11E is an example of a writable non-volatile storage medium. The ROM 11B, RAM 11C, and flash memory 11E are also called storage units. The sensor control device 70 may be provided with another storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) instead of or in addition to the flash memory 11E.

The hardware configuration of each of the steering control device 30, the speed control device 40, the vehicle control device 50, and the HMI device 60 includes processing circuits such as a CPU, ROM, RAM, I/F, and flash memory. shall be prepared.

Also, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the sensor control device 70 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the sensor control device 70 of this embodiment includes an acquisition unit 701, a determination unit 702, an expected trajectory generation unit 703, a position estimation unit 704, and a wave reception period setting unit 705. .

The acquisition unit 701 acquires distance information measured by the sonars 21 and 22 or the radar 17, vehicle speed information indicating the speed of the vehicle 1, image data obtained by the imaging device 16, or position information indicating the position of the vehicle 1. do. The acquisition unit 701 is an example of an image acquisition unit in the claims.

Image data is an example of image information in this embodiment. The acquisition unit 701 may acquire image data directly from the imaging device 16 or may acquire image data via the vehicle control device 50 .

A determination unit 702 determines whether the image data acquired by the acquisition unit 701 includes a specific object. A specific object is, for example, a pedestrian or a bicycle. Since such objects have a low reflectance with respect to ultrasonic waves, it is required to improve the accuracy of detecting them.

It should be noted that determination of whether or not a specific object is included in the image data may be made using a known technique of processing image data, detecting an image of a pedestrian or the like, and estimating the position of the pedestrian or the like.

Acquisition unit 701 also acquires vehicle speed information from speed control device 40 or vehicle control device 50 . The acquisition unit 701 may acquire steering information from the steering control device 30 .

Further, the position information indicating the position of the vehicle 1 is information specifying the position of the vehicle 1 on the map. The position information is, for example, information specified by the vehicle control device 50 based on information acquired from a GPS device or the like and map information stored in the storage unit of the vehicle control device 50 . Note that the method of generating and acquiring position information is not particularly limited, and known techniques can be employed.

The predicted trajectory generation unit 703 generates the predicted trajectory of the vehicle based on the vehicle position information, the steering information, and the speed information acquired by the acquisition unit 701 . The generated predicted trajectory may be displayed on a display mounted on the vehicle or on a navigation screen. Position information, steering information, and speed information are measured by the GPS device, steering control device 30, speed control device 40, sonar 21, 22, or radar 17, respectively.

Note that the predicted trajectory generation unit 703 is not an essential component of the in-vehicle system 100 in this embodiment.

A position estimation unit 704 estimates the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 from the position information acquired by the acquisition unit 701 and the presence/absence information of the specific object determined by the determination unit 702 . The relative position includes at least one of direction information and distance information of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 . The direction information and the distance information may be calculated by the determination unit 702 from the image data acquired by the acquisition unit 701, or may be calculated by the control unit of the imaging device 16 and the information calculated by the acquisition unit 701 may be acquired. good.

Also, the position estimation unit 704 may estimate the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 based on the predicted trajectory generated by the predicted trajectory generation unit 703 . Specifically, the position of the specific object relative to the vehicle is determined based on the positional relationship between the specific object and the point at which the vehicle 1 approaches the specific object (for example, the closest point) among the points on the generated predicted trajectory. The predicted trajectory generation unit 703 may generate the predicted trajectory only when the determination unit 702 determines that the image data includes the specific object.

The wave receiving period setting unit 705 sets the wave receiving period of each of the sonars 21 and 22 . In other words, the wave reception period setting unit 705 sets the detection range 210 of each sonar 21 and 22 . The detection range 210 is determined based on the wave reception period from when the ultrasonic waves are transmitted until a predetermined time elapses.

Next, details of the sonars 21 and 22 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the sonars 21 and 22 according to the first embodiment. The individual sonars 21, 22 are also called sonar modules. The sonar module comprises controller 23 , drive circuit 241 , receiver circuit 242 , piezoelectric element 25 and mask 26 . The controller 23 also includes a timer 231 , a communication circuit 232 , a waveform memory 233 , a determination circuit 234 and a threshold memory 235 . Also, the controller 23 is connected to the sensor control device 70 via the transmission path 27 . Note that the controller 23 may also be connected to the vehicle control device 50 via the transmission line 27 .

The sonars 21 and 22 emit ultrasonic waves when a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 25 . For example, the controller 23 controls the drive circuit 241 to apply a voltage of 50 KHz to the piezoelectric element 25, whereby the piezoelectric element 25 emits ultrasonic waves of the same frequency. The emitted ultrasonic waves are pulsed. The pulsed ultrasonic waves are reflected when they hit a road surface or an obstacle, and part of them returns to the sonars 21 and 22 .

The piezoelectric element 25 converts the sound pressure of the returned reflected wave into voltage. The receiving circuit 242 amplifies the voltage converted from the sound pressure by the piezoelectric element 25, rectifies the voltage, and converts it into received sound wave intensity. A time series of the converted sound wave reception intensity is called an "echo waveform".

FIG. 5 is a graph showing an example of echo waveforms according to the first embodiment. The horizontal axis of the graph shown in FIG. 5 indicates distance and time, and the vertical axis indicates intensity (dB), that is, received sound wave strength. The echo waveform is stored in waveform memory 233 of controller 23 .

The more distant an object is, the longer it takes for an ultrasonic wave to be transmitted from the sonars 21 and 22 and returned to the sonars 21 and 22. It can be converted to the length of the distance.

Returning to FIG. 3, the method of setting the wave receiving period by the wave receiving period setting unit 705 will be described.

A wave receiving period setting unit 705 sets the wave receiving period of the sonars 21 and 22 to the first wave receiving period when the determining unit 702 determines that the image data acquired by the acquiring unit 701 includes a specific object. A second wave receiving period longer than the first wave receiving period is set. If the wave reception period, which is the period from when the ultrasonic waves are transmitted until the predetermined time elapses, is set longer, the detection ranges 210 and 220 are accordingly increased.

When the image data includes a specific object in this way, the sensor control device 70 lengthens the wave receiving period of the sonars 21 and 22 (enlarges the detection range 210), thereby allowing the specific object detected by the imaging device 16 to be detected. Even if the object is at a distance that cannot be detected by the sonar, the wave receiving time of the sonars 21 and 22 is set sufficiently long, so that a specific object such as a pedestrian can be detected from a long distance with high accuracy.

Further, when it is determined that the specific object is included in the captured image, the sensor control device 70 selects one of the sonars 21 and 22 based on the relative position of the specific object estimated by the position estimation unit 704. It is also possible to lengthen the wave receiving period only for the sonar.

For example, when the specific object is on the front right side of the vehicle 1, the wave receiving period of only the first front corner sonar 21c is changed from the first wave receiving period to the second wave receiving period longer than the first wave receiving period. set to Further, for example, when the specific object is on the front right side of the vehicle 1, the wave receiving period of only the first front center sonar 21a is changed from the first wave receiving period to the second wave receiving period longer than the first wave receiving period. Set to wave period.

If the wave receiving period is set too long, the ultrasonic wave transmission cycle will be delayed, resulting in one obstacle detection cycle (the time from transmitting ultrasonic waves to receiving reflected waves and detecting obstacles). is longer, and as a result, brake control and the like are slowed down, and the responsiveness of the in-vehicle system 100 is lowered. As in this configuration, based on the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 (direction information of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1), by lengthening the wave reception period of only the sonar corresponding to the relative position, the response of the in-vehicle system 100 It is possible to detect pedestrians with high accuracy while maintaining the performance.

Note that the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 is not limited to the direction information of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 described above. Distance information from the vehicle 1 to the specific object may be included. The distance information is calculated by the sensor control device 70 from image data captured by the imaging device 16, for example. In the sensor control device 70, the wave receiving period setting unit 705 sets the second wave receiving period so that the specific object is included in the detection ranges 210 and 220 of the sonars 21 and 22 based on the distance information. By doing so, it becomes possible to reliably detect a specific object such as a pedestrian while maintaining the responsiveness of the sensor control device 70 . The wave receiving period setting unit 705 sets the second wave receiving period based on distance information from the vehicle 1 to the specific object, direction information, or both. Note that the second wave receiving period is longer than the first wave receiving period, which is the wave receiving period before the determining unit 702 determines that the image data includes the specific object.

Note that the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 may be calculated based on the distribution of feature points included in the image data. For example, the position estimator 704 calculates the relative position based on the distribution (variation) of edge points on the predetermined object. In this way, the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 can be determined efficiently.

In addition, before the determination unit 702 determines that the image data includes the specific object (when it is not determined), the first front center sonar 21a (an example of the second distance measurement sensor in the scope of claims) ) may be set longer than the wave receiving period of the first front corner sonar 21c (an example of the first ranging sensor in the claims). By doing so, before the determination unit 702 determines that the image data contains the specific object (when it is not determined), the detection range can be widened only in front of the vehicle 1 (detection range 210a is larger than the detection range 210c), it is possible to accurately detect an obstacle while maintaining the responsiveness of the in-vehicle system 100. FIG. It is desirable to make the detection range in the front direction of the vehicle larger than the detection range in the lateral direction of the vehicle. Then, when the determination unit 702 determines that the specific object is included in the image data, the sensor control device 70 adjusts the wave receiving periods of the sonars 21 and 22 based on the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1. This enables efficient detection of obstacles (including pedestrians, bicycles, etc.) while maintaining the responsiveness of the in-vehicle system 100 .

Note that in the present embodiment, the wave receiving period of the second front center sonar 21b is set to The wave receiving period of the second front corner sonar 21d may be set longer than the wave receiving period of the second front corner sonar 21d, or the wave receiving period of the second front center sonar 21b may be set longer than the wave receiving period of the first front corner sonar 21c. good. In addition, the same applies to the rear of the vehicle 1 as well. Before the determination unit 702 determines that the image data includes the specific object (when it is not determined), the first rear corner sonar 22c receives waves from the first rear center sonar 22a. The wave receiving period may be lengthened. The first ranging sensor here is a corner sensor installed near the corner of the vehicle 1 , and the second ranging sensor is a center sensor installed near the center of the vehicle 1 .

Further, after the sensor control device 70 sets one or a plurality of wave receiving periods of the sonars 21 and 22 from the first wave receiving period to a second wave receiving period longer than the first wave receiving period (determination After the unit 702 determines that the specific object is included in the image data), when the determination unit 702 of the sensor control device 70 determines that the image data does not include the specific object, the second received wave The wave receiving period of the sonars 21 and 22 set as the period may be set to a third wave receiving period shorter than the second wave receiving period. By doing so, when a specific object such as a pedestrian is once detected and then the specific object becomes non-detected, the wave receiving period is reset to be short. The responsiveness of the in-vehicle system 100 can be improved.

Note that the third wave receiving period is the first wave receiving period, which is the wave receiving period before the specific object is detected (before the determination unit 702 determines that the specific object is included in the image data). It can be. Further, only the wave receiving period of the first distance measuring sensor (for example, the first front corner sonar 21c) installed near the corner of the vehicle 1 among the sonars 21 and 22 may be set short. In addition, when the specific object is detected (when the determination unit 702 determines that the specific object is included in the image data), when the specific object is detected, the position of the specific object estimated by the position estimation unit 704 is determined. The wave receiving period of the corresponding sonar of the sonars 21 and 22 may be set short (to the third wave receiving period) based on the relative position.

Next, the operation of controlling the wave receiving period of the sensor control device 70 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the sensor control device 70 according to the first embodiment.

The operation of the sensor control device 70 is started, for example, when the engine of the vehicle 1 is started (or the ignition is turned on).

First, in step S<b>1 , the acquisition unit 701 in the sensor control device 70 acquires image data captured by the imaging device 16 . The acquired image data is sent to the determination unit 702 . Note that the acquisition unit 701 may continue to acquire the image data captured by the imaging device 16, or may acquire the data at predetermined time intervals.

Next, the flowchart moves to step S2. In step S2, the determination unit 702 determines whether or not the specific object exists in the image data. A specific object is an object such as a pedestrian, a bicycle, or the like, which has a low reflectance of ultrasonic waves and requires special attention for detection.

If the determination unit 702 determines that there is a specific object in the image data (Yes in step S2), the flowchart proceeds to step S3. If the determination unit 702 determines that there is no specific object in the image data (No in step S2), the flowchart returns to before step S2.

In step S<b>3 , the position estimator 704 calculates the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 . The relative position includes direction information and distance information of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 as described above. The calculation of the relative position by the position estimator 704 may be based on the predicted trajectory of the vehicle 1 generated by the predicted trajectory generator 703 instead of the current position of the vehicle 1 . The position estimation unit 704 sends the calculated relative position information of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 to the wave reception period setting unit 705 . The flowchart moves to step S4.

In step S4, the wave receiving period setting unit 705 changes the wave receiving period of the corresponding sonars 21 and 22 from the first wave receiving period to the second wave receiving period based on the relative position information of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 calculated by the position estimating unit 704. The wave receiving period of 2 is set so that the wave receiving period is long.

As described above, for example, when the specific object is on the front right side of the vehicle 1, the wave receiving period of only the first front corner sonar 21c is changed from the first wave receiving period to the second wave receiving period longer than the first wave receiving period. set to the receiving period of To accurately and efficiently detect a specific object while maintaining the responsiveness of the in-vehicle system 100 by lengthening the wave receiving period of only the specific sonars 21 and 22 among the sonars 21 and 22 according to the relative position of the specific object. can be done.

Also, step S3 is not an essential component in this embodiment. When the determination unit 702 determines that the specific object exists in the image data, the wave reception period of the sonars 21 and 22 may be lengthened without calculating the relative position between the vehicle 1 and the specific object. At this time, the wave receiving period setting unit 705 may set a long wave receiving period for all of the sonars 21 and 22, or may set a long wave receiving period for some of the sonars 21 and 22. FIG. After the wave receiving period setting unit 705 sets the wave receiving period of the sonars 21 and 22 longer, the flow chart proceeds to step S5.

In step S5, the determination unit 702 determines whether or not the specific object exists in the image data. If the determination unit 702 determines that the specific object exists in the image data (Yes in step S5), the flowchart returns to before step S5.

When the determination unit 702 determines that a specific object exists in the image data (No in step S5), the process proceeds to step S6, and the wave reception period setting unit 705 restores the long wave reception periods of the sonars 21 and 22 to the original values. value (first wave receiving period). In step S6, the wave receiving period setting unit 705 may set the wave receiving period of the sonars 21 and 22 to a value shorter than the second wave receiving period, and the value is not limited to the first wave receiving period.

Further, the wave receiving periods of some or some of the sonars 21 and 22 may be set short, and the wave receiving periods of the sonars other than the sonars 21 and 22 set long in step S4 may be shortened. Note that steps S5 and S6 are not essential components in this embodiment.

Operation of the sensor controller 70 is terminated, for example, when the engine is turned off (or the ignition is turned off).

The configuration of in-vehicle system 100 according to the present embodiment controls the wave receiving periods of sonars 21 and 22 according to the surrounding conditions of the vehicle when determination unit 702 determines that a specific object exists in the image data. Therefore, a specific object such as a pedestrian can be detected with high accuracy. Further, by controlling the wave reception periods of the corresponding sonars 21 and 22 according to the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1, it is possible to efficiently detect the specific object such as a pedestrian while maintaining the responsiveness of the in-vehicle system 100. .

(Second embodiment)
A second embodiment of the object detection device according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the in-vehicle system 200 according to the present embodiment, the configuration of the vehicle 1 (excluding the in-vehicle system 200), the configuration of the sonars 21 and 22, and the principle of obstacle detection in the sonars 21 and 22 relate to the first embodiment. Since it is the same as the in-vehicle system 100, the description is omitted. In the in-vehicle system 200 according to the present embodiment, the same parts as those in the in-vehicle system 100 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. The first embodiment controls the sensitivity of an object detection device.

The in-vehicle system 200 according to the present embodiment differs from the in-vehicle system 100 according to the first embodiment in that the configuration of the sensor control device 80 and the judgment unit 702 specify the image data acquired by the acquisition unit 701. The control of the sensor control device 80 when it is determined that an object is included is different. Specifically, the sensor control device 80 controls the sensitivity of the sonars 21 and 22 rather than controlling the wave receiving periods of the sonars 21 and 22 .

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a sensor control device according to the second embodiment; As shown in FIG. 7 , the sensor control device 80 of this embodiment includes an acquisition unit 701 , a determination unit 702 , an expected trajectory generation unit 703 , a position estimation unit 704 and a detection sensitivity setting unit 805 .

The functions of the acquiring unit 701, the determining unit 702, the predicted trajectory generating unit 703, and the position estimating unit 704 are the same as those in the first embodiment, so description thereof will be omitted.

A detection sensitivity setting unit 805 sets the detection sensitivity of each of the sonars 21 and 22 . The detection sensitivity setting unit 805 adjusts the detection sensitivity by controlling the detection thresholds of the sonars 21 and 22 or by controlling the reception gains of the sonars 21 and 22 . Specifically, the detection sensitivity can be increased by lowering the detection thresholds of the sonars 21 and 22 or by increasing the reception gains of the sonars 21 and 22 .

Here, the detection threshold is a threshold for determining presence/absence of detection when an obstacle around the vehicle 1 is detected based on the reflected wave received by the sensor control device 80 . If the received reflected wave is larger than the threshold, it is determined that there is an obstacle, and if it is smaller than the threshold, it is determined that there is no obstacle. Therefore, by setting the detection threshold value small, the detection sensitivity of the sensor control device 80 can be increased.

Also, the reception gain is the amplification of the reflected waves received by the receivers of the sonars 21 and 22 . By amplifying weak reflected waves that are difficult to detect and then determining obstacles, it is possible to detect obstacles with low reflectance and obstacles that are far away. That is, increasing the amplification of the reflected wave increases the reception gain, and decreasing the amplification of the reflected wave decreases the reception gain. Therefore, the detection sensitivity of the sensor control device 80 can be increased by increasing the reception gain.

A method of setting the detection sensitivity by the detection sensitivity setting unit 805 will be described.

The detection sensitivity setting unit 805 adjusts the wave reception period of the sonars 21 and 22 from the first detection sensitivity when the determination unit 702 determines that the image data acquired by the acquisition unit 701 includes a specific object. A second detection sensitivity that is greater than the first detection sensitivity is set.

When a specific object is included in the image data in this way, the sensor control device 80 increases the detection sensitivity of the sonars 21 and 22 so that objects that do not need to be detected are not included in the detection target, and the object has a low reflectance. A specific object such as a pedestrian can be detected with high accuracy.

Further, when it is determined that the specific object is included in the captured image, the sensor control device 80 selects one of the sonars 21 and 22 based on the relative position of the specific object estimated by the position estimation unit 704. Only the sonar may be increased in detection sensitivity.

For example, when the specific object is on the front right side of the vehicle 1, the detection sensitivity of only the first front corner sonar 21c is set from the first detection sensitivity to the second detection sensitivity that is higher than the first detection sensitivity. Further, for example, when the specific object is on the front right side of the vehicle 1, the detection sensitivity of only the first front center sonar 21a is set from the first detection sensitivity to the second detection sensitivity that is higher than the first detection sensitivity. do.

If the detection sensitivity is uniformly set to a long value, there is a problem that an object that does not need to be detected is also included in the detection target, resulting in an increase in erroneous detection. As in this configuration, based on the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 (direction information of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1), by increasing the detection sensitivity of only the sonar corresponding to the relative position, pedestrians, bicycles, etc. Even a specific object with a low reflectance can be detected with high accuracy.

Note that the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 is not limited to the direction information of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 described above. Distance information from the vehicle 1 to the specific object may be included.

Note that the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 may be calculated based on the distribution of feature points included in the image data. For example, the position estimator 704 calculates the relative position based on the distribution (variation) of edge points on the predetermined object. In this way, the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 can be determined efficiently.

In addition, the position estimation unit 704 transmits ultrasonic waves with the first front corner sonar 21c (an example of the first ranging sensor in the claims), and receives reflected waves with the first front corner sonar 21c itself. The relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 may be calculated by calculating the coordinates of the specific object by direct wave detection. A known technique is used for calculating the coordinates. For example, the coordinates of the obstacle can be identified by performing direct wave detection multiple times on the same obstacle (specific object) at different times. Although the first front corner sonar 21c is used as an example of the first ranging sensor in the claims, the present embodiment is not limited to this. Other sonars 21 and 22 may be used to calculate the coordinates of the specific object.

In addition, instead of direct wave detection, indirect wave detection may be used to calculate the coordinates of a specific object. The indirect wave detection means that ultrasonic waves are transmitted by the first front corner sonar 21c (an example of the first ranging sensor in the claims), and ultrasonic waves are transmitted by the first front center sonar 21a (the second sensor in the claims). (an example of a distance measuring sensor). Although the first front corner sonar 21c is used as an example of the first ranging sensor in the claims, the present embodiment is not limited to this. Other sonars 21 and 22 may be used to calculate the coordinates of the specific object. Although the first front center sonar 21a is used as an example of the second distance measuring sensor, it is not limited to this. If the second range sensor is the sonar 21, 22 other than the first range sensor, indirect wave detection is possible.

Further, the coordinates of the specific object may be calculated by combining the above-described direct wave detection and indirect wave detection. In this way, it is not necessary to detect the same obstacle (specific object) multiple times at different times.

By detecting the coordinates of the specific object and increasing the detection sensitivity of the sonars 21 and 22 (for example, the first front corner sonar 21c) in a predetermined range including the coordinates of the specific object, the position of the specific object can be accurately determined. Pedestrians can be detected with high accuracy, and detection sensitivity is not increased in unnecessary areas, which leads to reduction of false detections.

For example, compared to the case where only distance information is used for the relative position, when the detection sensitivity is increased based on the distance information, the cluster area (concentric area) at about the same distance from the vehicle 1 can be detected as a pedestrian. If there is an obstacle within the same distance from the vehicle 1, the detection sensitivity for the obstacle also increases, increasing erroneous detection.

Specifically, for example, when an unnecessary object such as a curb exists in a different direction than the distance from the vehicle 1 to the specific object, the detection sensitivity for the specific object increases and the detection sensitivity for the unnecessary object increases. As a result, there is a risk that a curbstone, which is originally not subject to brake control, may be erroneously detected as an obstacle.

On the other hand, in this configuration, after calculating the exact position of the specific object from the direct wave or the indirect wave, in order to increase the detection sensitivity of the corresponding sonars 21 and 22, only within a predetermined range including the coordinates where the specific object exists. As a result, the specific object can be detected with high accuracy without increasing erroneous detection.

Further, after the sensor control device 80 sets the detection sensitivity of one or more of the sonars 21 and 22 from the first detection sensitivity to the second detection sensitivity that is greater than the first detection sensitivity (the determination unit 702 After it is determined that the specific object is included in the data), when the determination unit 702 of the sensor control device 80 determines that the image data does not include the specific object, the sonar set to the second detection sensitivity The detection sensitivities of 21 and 22 may be set to a third detection sensitivity that is smaller than the second detection sensitivity. By doing so, when a specific object such as a pedestrian is once detected and then the specific object becomes undetected, the detection sensitivity is reset to a lower level, so that the obstacle when the specific object such as a pedestrian is not detected is reset. False positives in object detection can be reduced.

Note that the third detection sensitivity is the detection sensitivity before the specific object is detected (before the determination unit 702 determines that the specific object is included in the image data). good. Further, the detection sensitivity of only the first ranging sensor (for example, the first front corner sonar 21c) installed near the corner of the vehicle 1 among the sonars 21 and 22 may be set low. In addition, when the specific object is detected (when the determination unit 702 determines that the specific object is included in the image data), when the specific object is detected, the position of the specific object estimated by the position estimation unit 704 is determined. The detection sensitivity of the corresponding sonar of the sonars 21 and 22 may be set to be low (to the third detection sensitivity) based on the relative position.

Next, the operation of controlling the detection sensitivity of the sensor control device 80 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the sensor control device 80 according to the second embodiment.

The operation of the sensor control device 80 is started, for example, when the engine of the vehicle 1 is started (or the ignition is turned on).

First, in step S<b>11 , the acquisition unit 701 in the sensor control device 80 acquires image data captured by the imaging device 16 . The acquired image data is sent to the determination unit 702 . Note that the acquisition unit 701 may continue to acquire the image data captured by the imaging device 16, or may acquire the data at predetermined time intervals.

Next, the flowchart moves to step S12. In step S12, the determination unit 702 determines whether or not the specific object exists in the image data. A specific object is an object such as a pedestrian, a bicycle, or the like, which has a low reflectance of ultrasonic waves and requires special attention for detection.

If the determination unit 702 determines that the image data contains the specific object (Yes in step S12), the flow chart proceeds to step S13. If the determination unit 702 determines that there is no specific object in the image data (No in step S12), the flowchart returns to before step S12.

In step S<b>13 , the position estimator 704 calculates the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 . The relative position includes direction information and distance information of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 as described above. The calculation of the relative position by the position estimator 704 may be based on the predicted trajectory of the vehicle 1 generated by the predicted trajectory generator 703 instead of the current position of the vehicle 1 . The predicted trajectory is generated based on position information, speed information, and steering information of the vehicle 1 .

The position estimation unit 704 may calculate the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 by calculating the coordinates of the specific object by direct wave detection or indirect wave detection of the sonars 21 and 22 as described above. By doing so, it is possible to increase the detection sensitivity in a predetermined range including the specific object. The position estimation unit 704 sends the calculated relative position information of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 to the detection sensitivity setting unit 805 . The flowchart moves to step S14.

In step S14, the detection sensitivity setting unit 805 changes the detection sensitivity of the corresponding sonars 21 and 22 from the first detection sensitivity to the second detection sensitivity based on the relative position information of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1 calculated by the position estimation unit 704. Set the sensitivity to increase the detection sensitivity.

As described above, for example, when the specific object is on the front right side of the vehicle 1, the detection sensitivity of only the first front corner sonar 21c is changed from the first detection sensitivity to the second detection sensitivity that is higher than the first detection sensitivity. set to Of the sonars 21 and 22, by increasing the detection sensitivity of only the specific sonars 21 and 22 according to the relative position of the specific object, it is possible to reduce false detection by not detecting objects that do not need to be detected, and to reduce erroneous detection of objects such as pedestrians with low reflectance. A specific object can also be detected with high accuracy.

Also, step S13 is not an essential component in this embodiment. When the determination unit 702 determines that the specific object exists in the image data, the detection sensitivity of the sonars 21 and 22 may be increased without calculating the relative position between the vehicle 1 and the specific object. At this time, the detection sensitivity setting unit 805 may set the detection sensitivity of all the sonars 21 and 22 to be high, or may set the detection sensitivity of some of the sonars 21 and 22 to be high. After the detection sensitivity setting unit 805 sets the detection sensitivity of the sonars 21 and 22 high, the flow chart proceeds to step S15.

In step S15, the determination unit 702 determines whether or not the specific object exists in the image data. If the determination unit 702 determines that the specific object exists in the image data (Yes in step S15), the flowchart returns to before step S15.

If the determination unit 702 determines that a specific object exists in the image data (No in step S15), the process proceeds to step S16, and the detection sensitivity setting unit 805 sets the detection sensitivity of the sonars 21 and 22, which have been set high, to the original values ( 1st detection sensitivity). In step S16, the detection sensitivity setting unit 805 may set the detection sensitivity of the sonars 21 and 22 to a value smaller than the second detection sensitivity, and the value is not limited to the first detection sensitivity.

Further, the wave receiving sensitivity of some or some of the sonars 21 and 22 may be set low, and the detection sensitivity of the sonars other than the sonars 21 and 22 set high in step S14 may be set low. Note that steps S15 and S16 are not essential components in this embodiment.

Operation of the sensor control device 80 is terminated, for example, when the engine is turned off (or the ignition is turned off).

The configuration of in-vehicle system 200 according to the present embodiment controls the detection sensitivity of sonars 21 and 22 according to the surrounding conditions of the vehicle when determination unit 702 determines that a specific object exists in the image data. , a specific object such as a pedestrian with a low reflectance can be detected with high accuracy. Further, by controlling the detection sensitivity of the corresponding sonars 21 and 22 according to the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle 1, it is possible to efficiently detect a specific object such as a pedestrian with high accuracy while reducing erroneous detection.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and can be implemented in combination with other embodiments and various other forms. Various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, as well as the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

1 vehicle 16, 16a, 16b imaging device 17, 17a, 17b radar 21a first front center sonar 21b second front center sonar 21c first front corner sonar 21d second front corner sonar 22a first rear center sonar 22b second rear center sonar 22c first rear corner sonar 22d second rear corner sonar 30 steering control device 40 speed control device 50 vehicle control device 60 HMI device 70, 80 sensor control device 100, 200 in-vehicle system 210, 210a ~210d, 220, 220a~220d Detection range 235 Threshold memory 701 Acquisition unit 702 Judgment unit 703 Predicted trajectory generation unit 704 Position estimation unit 705 Wave reception period setting unit 805 Detection sensitivity setting unit

Claims (14)

A plurality of distance measuring sensors provided in a vehicle and having a transmitter that transmits ultrasonic waves and a receiver that receives reflected waves of the ultrasonic waves transmitted by the transmitter that are reflected by objects around the vehicle. When,
a control unit that detects an object around the vehicle based on the reflected wave received by the receiving unit at a preset detection sensitivity;
with
The control unit includes an image acquisition unit that acquires an image captured by an in-vehicle camera that captures an image of the surroundings of the vehicle;
a determination unit that determines whether or not a specific object is included based on the captured image;
has
When the determination unit determines that the specific object is included in the captured image, the control unit changes the detection sensitivity from a first detection sensitivity to a second detection sensitivity that is higher than the first detection sensitivity. set to
Object detection device. The plurality of ranging sensors have a first ranging sensor and a second ranging sensor,
The control unit further includes a position estimating unit that estimates the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle,
When it is determined that the specific object is included in the captured image, the control unit selects one of the plurality of ranging sensors based on the relative position of the specific object estimated by the position estimation unit. setting the detection sensitivity of the first ranging sensor to the second detection sensitivity;
The object detection device according to claim 1. The relative position includes orientation information of the specific object with respect to the vehicle;
The control unit selects the corresponding first ranging sensor based on the direction information, and sets the detection sensitivity of the first ranging sensor to the second detection sensitivity.
The object detection device according to claim 2. The control unit further has an expected trajectory generation unit that generates an expected trajectory of the vehicle,
The position estimator estimates the relative position of the specific object with respect to the vehicle based on the positional relationship between the specific object and a point on the predicted trajectory generated by the predicted trajectory generator. decide,
The object detection device according to claim 2 or 3. The predicted trajectory generation unit generates the predicted trajectory based on position information, speed information, and steering information of the vehicle.
The object detection device according to claim 4. The relative position is detected by direct wave detection in which the first range sensor transmits an ultrasonic wave and the first range sensor receives a reflected wave, or the first range sensor transmits an ultrasonic wave. and including the coordinates of the specific object calculated by any of the indirect wave detections in which the reflected wave is received by the second ranging sensor,
The control unit sets the detection sensitivity of the first ranging sensor to the second detection sensitivity within a predetermined range including the coordinates of the specific object.
The object detection device according to any one of claims 2 to 5. The control unit sets the detection sensitivity of the first ranging sensor to the second detection sensitivity by lowering the detection threshold of the first ranging sensor.
The object detection device according to any one of claims 2 to 6. The control unit sets the detection sensitivity of the first ranging sensor to the second detection sensitivity by increasing the reception gain of the first ranging sensor.
The object detection device according to any one of claims 2 to 7. The position estimating unit estimates the relative position of the specific object based on a distribution of feature points on the specific object in the captured image when it is determined that the specific object is included in the captured image. do,
The object detection device according to any one of claims 2 to 8. the specific object is a pedestrian or a bicycle;
The object detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. After the control unit sets the detection sensitivity from a first detection sensitivity to a second detection sensitivity that is greater than the first detection sensitivity, the control unit causes the captured image to include the specific object. setting the detection sensitivity from the second detection sensitivity to a third detection sensitivity that is smaller than the first detection sensitivity when it is determined that the detection sensitivity is not detected;
The object detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 10. The third detection sensitivity is the same detection sensitivity as the first detection sensitivity,
The object detection device according to claim 11. an in-vehicle camera that captures the surroundings,
An object detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
vehicle. A method for setting detection sensitivity in an object detection device provided in a vehicle, comprising:
The object detection device includes a transmission unit that transmits ultrasonic waves, and a reception unit that receives reflected waves of the ultrasonic waves transmitted by the transmission unit that are reflected by objects around the vehicle. a distance sensor;
a control unit that detects an object around the vehicle based on the reflected wave received by the receiving unit at a preset detection sensitivity;
The method for setting the detection sensitivity is
obtaining a captured image captured by an in-vehicle camera that captures an image of the surroundings of the vehicle;
a step of determining whether or not a specific object is included based on the captured image;
setting the detection sensitivity from a first detection sensitivity to a second detection sensitivity that is greater than the first detection sensitivity when it is determined that the specific object is included in the captured image; include,
A method of setting the detection sensitivity in an object detection device.

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