JP6776717B2 - Road marking device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a road marking device for detecting a road marking line.

As lane markings on the road, there is a compound line consisting of a road marking that is a boundary between lanes and a deceleration marking that promotes deceleration. A device for detecting a road marking line in such a compound line is described in, for example, Patent Document 1.

In the device described in Patent Document 1, a pair of deceleration markings attached to both sides of the road markings are detected, and the road markings are detected based on the positions of the pair of deceleration markings.

Patent No. 5716443

Some compound lines have deceleration markings attached only to one side of the road marking. In the device described in Patent Document 1, since the road markings are detected based on the paired deceleration markings attached to both sides of the road markings, the deceleration markings are displayed only on one side of the road markings. In the case of the attached compound line, the road marking line cannot be detected.

Therefore, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a road lane marking detection device capable of accurately detecting a road lane marking in a compound line in which a deceleration marking is attached to the road lane marking.

The road lane marking device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a position information acquisition unit that acquires the position information of a vehicle and compound line information indicating whether or not a deceleration sign is attached to the road lane marking on the road surface. Based on a map database that stores map information, a candidate detection unit that detects candidates for road lane markings in the vehicle's driving lane from images captured by the camera, and acquired vehicle position information and composite line information in the map database. , A deceleration sign attachment judgment unit that determines whether or not a deceleration sign is attached to the road lane of the vehicle's driving lane, and a deceleration sign attachment judgment unit that attaches a deceleration sign to the road lane of the vehicle's traveling lane. If it is determined that there is, a cycle detection unit that detects the marking cycle of the deceleration sign based on the wide part of the road lane marking candidate detected by the candidate detection section, and a deceleration sign based on the detected marking cycle. Of the section detection unit that detects the section attached to the deceleration mark, which is the section attached to the road lane marking, and the candidate road lane marking detected by the candidate detection unit, the candidate road lane marking for the section other than the section attached to the deceleration marking. A road lane marking detection unit for detecting a road lane marking is provided.

In this road marking line detection device, the cycle detection unit detects the marking cycle of the deceleration marking based on the detection result of the candidate detection unit. By using the marking cycle, the section detection unit can detect the section attached to the deceleration mark, which is the section to which the deceleration mark is attached. The road marking line detection unit detects the road marking line using the road marking line candidates of the section other than the section attached to the deceleration marking among the road marking line candidates detected by the candidate detection unit. That is, the road marking line detection unit excludes the detection result of the deceleration marking included in the road marking line candidates, and detects the road marking line using the detection result of the section in which only the road marking line exists. As a result, the road lane marking device can suppress erroneous detection due to the deceleration marking and accurately detect the road lane marking even when the road lane marking is attached to the road lane marking.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the road marking can be detected accurately in the compound line in which the deceleration marking is attached to the road marking.

It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the vehicle which mounted the road marking line detection device which concerns on embodiment. FIG. 2A is a schematic view showing lane markings for the traveling lane of the vehicle. FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram showing candidates for road markings and sections attached to deceleration markings. FIG. 2C is a schematic diagram showing candidates for road markings excluding candidates for road markings in the section attached to the deceleration marking. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the detection process of a road marking line.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the road marking line detection device 100 is mounted on a vehicle M such as a passenger car. The road lane marking device 100 detects a road lane marking on a composite line consisting of a road lane marking that is a boundary of the traveling lane of the vehicle M and a deceleration marking that promotes deceleration.

The road marking device 100 includes an ECU 4 for executing a process of detecting a road marking line. The ECU 4 is an electronic control unit having a CPU [Central Processing Unit], a ROM [Read Only Memory], a RAM [Random Access Memory], a CAN [Controller Area Network] communication circuit, and the like. In the ECU 4, various functions are realized by loading the program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executing the program loaded in the RAM in the CPU. The ECU 4 may be composed of a plurality of electronic control units. The GPS receiver 1, the camera 2, and the map database 3 are connected to the ECU 4 via a CAN communication circuit.

The GPS receiving unit 1 is mounted on the vehicle M and functions as a position measuring unit for measuring the position of the vehicle M. The GPS receiving unit 1 measures the position of the vehicle M (for example, the latitude and longitude of the vehicle M) by receiving signals from three or more GPS satellites. The GPS receiving unit 1 transmits the measured position information of the vehicle M to the ECU 4.

The camera 2 is an imaging device that images the road surface in front of the vehicle M. The camera 2 is provided, for example, on the back side of the windshield of the vehicle M. The camera 2 transmits the image pickup information (captured image) of the front of the vehicle M to the ECU 4.

The map database 3 is a database that stores map information. The map information includes the position information of the white line provided on the road and the compound line information indicating the attribute of the white line. This compound line information includes information on whether or not a deceleration sign is attached to the road marking on the road surface. The map database 3 is formed in the HDD [Hard Disk Drive] mounted on the vehicle M. The map database 3 may be connected to the server of the map information management center by wireless communication, and the map information may be updated periodically using the latest map information stored in the server of the map information management center. The map database 3 does not necessarily have to be mounted on the vehicle M. The map database 3 may be provided on a server or the like capable of communicating with the vehicle M.

Next, the functional configuration of the ECU 4 will be described. The ECU 4 includes a position information acquisition unit 11, a candidate detection unit 12, a deceleration marking attachment determination unit 13, a cycle detection unit 14, a section detection unit 15, and a road marking line detection unit 16.

The position information acquisition unit 11 acquires the position information on the map of the vehicle M based on the position information of the GPS receiving unit 1 and the map information of the map database 3. The position information acquisition unit 11 recognizes the position of the vehicle M as, for example, a combination of the X coordinate and the Y coordinate in the XY orthogonal coordinate system. The position information acquisition unit 11 is not limited to acquiring the position information of the vehicle M based on the position information of the GPS receiving unit 1 and the map information of the map database 3. For example, the position information acquisition unit 11 recognizes the position of the vehicle M by SLAM technology by using the position information of fixed obstacles such as curbs included in the map information of the map database 3 and the captured image of the camera 2. You may.

The candidate detection unit 12 detects a candidate for a road marking line in the traveling lane of the vehicle M from the captured image of the camera 2. The candidate detection unit 12 detects a candidate for the road marking line on the front side in the traveling direction of the vehicle M as a candidate for the road marking line of the traveling lane of the vehicle M. The candidate detection unit 12 detects a candidate for a road marking line within a predetermined distance from the vehicle M as a candidate for the road marking line on the front side in the traveling direction of the vehicle M. The candidates for the road markings detected by the candidate detection unit 12 include the detection results of the deceleration markings in addition to the detection results of the road markings. That is, a candidate for a road marking line is a detection result that may be detected as a road marking line.

Hereinafter, specific examples of road marking line candidates detected by the candidate detection unit 12 will be described. Here, it is assumed that the vehicle M is traveling in the traveling lane S sandwiched by the two lane markings L, as shown in FIG. 2A.

The lane marking L on the left side of the vehicle M is composed of a road marking L1 and a deceleration marking L2. The road marking line L1 is composed of uninterrupted linear markings. The deceleration sign L2 has a broken line and is composed of periodically provided linear signs of a predetermined length. In the lane marking L on the left side of the vehicle M, the deceleration marking L2 is provided along the side portion on the central side of the traveling lane S on the road marking line L1.

The lane marking L on the right side of the vehicle M is composed of a road marking line L1 and a pair of (two) deceleration markings L2. The road marking line L1 is composed of periodically provided linear markings of a predetermined length. Each of the pair of deceleration markings L2 has a broken line, and is composed of periodically provided linear markings having a predetermined length. On the right side of the vehicle M, a pair of deceleration markings L2 are provided on both sides of the road marking line L1. The length of the markings and the spacing between the markings of the pair of deceleration markings L2 are the same as each other. Further, the positions of the markings (positions along the traveling lane S) of the pair of deceleration markings L2 are the same as each other. The length of the marking of the deceleration marking L2 is shorter than the length of the marking of the road marking L1. Further, the interval between the markings of the deceleration marking L2 is shorter than the interval of the markings on the road marking line L1.

Further, the length and spacing of the markings on the deceleration marking L2 on the left side of the vehicle M and the markings on the deceleration marking L2 on the right side of the vehicle M are the same as each other. Further, the position of the deceleration sign L2 on the left side of the vehicle M (position along the traveling lane S) and the position of the deceleration sign L2 on the right side of the vehicle M (position along the traveling lane S) are mutually exclusive. It is the same.

When the vehicle M is traveling in the traveling lane S shown in FIG. 2A, the candidate detection unit 12 determines the left front of the vehicle M as shown in FIG. 2B based on the image captured by the camera 2. The lane marking L and the lane marking L in front of the right are detected as candidates P for the road marking line. In the present embodiment, the candidate detection unit 12 uses the detection points (row of detection points) of the lane marking L as the candidate P of the road marking line. The road marking candidate P (detection point of the lane marking L) includes the detection points of the road marking L1 and the deceleration marking L2 on the left side of the vehicle M, and further, the road marking L1 and the road marking L1 on the right side of the vehicle M. A pair of detection points for deceleration markings L2 are included.

The detection of the road marking line candidate P including the road marking line L1 from the captured image can be performed based on the existing image processing technique. For example, the candidate P of the road marking line may be detected based on the color difference between the road surface and the road marking line L1 or the like.

The candidate detection unit 12 is not limited to using the “detection point” of the lane marking L as the candidate P of the road marking line. The candidate detection unit 12 may detect the road marking line L1 and the deceleration marking L2 as "lines", respectively, as long as the road marking line L1 and the deceleration marking L2 are included.

If the road marking L2 is not attached to the road marking L1, the road marking candidate P includes only the detection result of the road marking L1.

The deceleration marking attachment determination unit 13 decelerates to the road marking line of the traveling lane in which the vehicle M is currently traveling, based on the position information of the vehicle M acquired by the position information acquisition unit 11 and the composite line information of the map database 3. Determine if a sign is attached.

When it is determined by the deceleration marking attachment determination unit 13 that the deceleration marking L2 is attached to the road marking L1 of the traveling lane S of the vehicle M, the cycle detection unit 14 is based on the detection result of the candidate detection unit 12. The marking cycle of the deceleration marking L2 is detected. The marking cycle of the deceleration marking L2 is the marking cycle of the deceleration marking L2 along the traveling lane of the vehicle M.

Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 2B, in the candidate P of the road marking line, a portion extending in the lane width direction (hereinafter referred to as “wide portion”) periodically appears in the lane direction of the traveling lane S. .. This is a linear sign of deceleration sign L2. This is because it is periodically provided on the side of the road marking line L1.

The cycle detection unit 14 detects the marking cycle of the deceleration marking L2 based on the wide portion of the candidate P of the road marking line that appears periodically. Specifically, the periodic detection unit 14 adjusts the phase of the wavy line so that the mountain of the wavy line that fluctuates periodically, such as a sine curve, is located in the wide portion of the candidate P of the road marking line. The valley-to-valley distance (or mountain-to-mountain distance) of this wavy line is the marking period A of the deceleration marking L2.

The section detection unit 15 detects the deceleration sign attachment section B, which is the section in which the deceleration sign L2 is attached to the road marking line L1, based on the marking cycle of the deceleration sign L2 detected by the cycle detection unit 14. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, the section detection unit 15 sets a section within a predetermined range from the apex of the mountain of the wavy line (a section within a predetermined range along the traveling lane S direction) as a deceleration marking attached section B. To detect.

The range of the deceleration marking accessory section B may be set based on the spread in the lane width direction in the candidate P of the road marking line, or a predetermined value may be set.

When it is determined by the deceleration marking attachment determination unit 13 that the deceleration marking L2 is attached to the road marking L1 of the traveling lane S, the road marking detection unit 16 detects the road marking L2 by the candidate detection unit 12. Candidate P of the road marking line of the section other than the deceleration marking attached section B is extracted from the candidate P of. Then, the road marking line detection unit 16 detects the road marking line L1 based on the extracted road marking line candidate P.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2B, the road marking unit 16 has a road marking in the deceleration marking attached section B in the lane direction of the traveling lane S among the plurality of road marking candidate Ps. The line candidate P is excluded, and the road marking line candidate P in the section other than the deceleration marking attached section B is extracted. Here, the candidate P of the road marking line in the section other than the section B attached to the deceleration marking is set as the candidate P1 of the road marking line. As shown in FIG. 2C, the road marking line detection unit 16 detects the road marking line L1 based on the extracted road marking line candidate P1. As a method for detecting the road marking line L1 from the road marking line candidate P1, an existing method can be used. For example, the road marking line detection unit 16 may detect the road marking line L1 by connecting the road marking line candidate P1 based on a predetermined rule.

In this way, the road marking line detection unit 16 excludes the detection result of the deceleration marking L2 included in the road marking line candidate P, and detects the road marking line L1 based only on the detection result of the road marking line L1. can do.

On the other hand, when the road marking attachment determination unit 13 determines that the road marking L2 is not attached to the road marking L1 of the traveling lane, the road marking detection unit 16 detects the road by the candidate detection unit 12. The road marking line L1 is detected based on the lane marking candidate P.

The detection result of the road marking line L1 in the road marking line detecting device 100 is used, for example, for the traveling control of the vehicle M in the traveling control device 200. The travel control device 200 detects, for example, a position (horizontal position) of the travel lane S in the vehicle M in the lane width direction based on the detection result of the road marking line L1. Then, the travel control device 200 outputs a control signal to the steering actuator 300 so that the vehicle M travels in the center of the traveling lane S or a predetermined lateral position based on the detection result of the lateral position of the vehicle M. It is possible to control the steering of the vehicle M. The road marking line L1 detected by the road marking line detecting device 100 can be used for various vehicle controls other than the steering control of the vehicle M.

Next, the flow of the detection process of the road marking line L1 executed by the ECU 4 of the road marking line detecting device 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. It should be noted that this process is executed by the ECU 4 when, for example, the driver of the vehicle M instructs the execution of vehicle control such as the steering control of the vehicle M described above. When the processing of the flowchart reaches the end, the ECU 4 repeats the processing from the start again. The ECU 4 ends the process shown in FIG. 3 when the execution of the vehicle control of the vehicle M is canceled by the driver of the vehicle M.

As shown in FIG. 3, the candidate detection unit 12 detects the candidate P of the road marking line of the traveling lane S of the vehicle M from the captured image of the camera 2 (S101). Based on the position information of the vehicle M and the composite line information of the map database 3, the deceleration marking attachment determination unit 13 attaches the deceleration marking L2 to the road marking line L1 of the traveling lane S in which the vehicle M is currently traveling. It is determined whether or not (S102).

When the deceleration marking L2 is attached to the road marking L1 (S102: YES), the cycle detection unit 14 indicates the marking cycle of the deceleration marking L2 based on the candidate P of the road marking L2 detected by the candidate detection unit 12. Is detected (S103).

The section detection unit 15 detects the deceleration marking attached section B based on the detected marking cycle (S104). The road marking line detection unit 16 is based on the road marking candidate P1 of the section other than the deceleration marking attached section B detected by the section detection unit 15 among the road marking line candidate P detected by the candidate detection unit 12. The road marking line L1 is detected (S105).

On the other hand, when the deceleration marking L2 is not attached to the road marking L1 (S102: NO), the road marking unit 16 is based on the road marking candidate P detected by the candidate detecting unit 12. Line L1 is detected (S106). The road marking line L1 detected in S105 or S106 is used in the travel control device 200 to execute vehicle control such as steering control.

The present embodiment is configured as described above, and in the road marking line detection device 100, the cycle detection unit 14 determines the marking cycle of the deceleration marking L2 based on the road marking line candidate P detected by the candidate detection unit 12. To detect. The section detection unit 15 can detect the deceleration sign attachment section B, which is the section to which the deceleration sign L2 is attached, by using the marking cycle. The road marking line detection unit 16 detects the road marking line L1 by using the road marking line candidate P1 in the section other than the deceleration marking attached section B among the road marking line candidate P detected by the candidate detection unit 12. ..

That is, the road marking line detection unit 16 excludes the detection result of the deceleration marking L2 included in the road marking line candidate P, and uses the detection result of the section in which only the road marking line L1 exists to obtain the road marking line L1. To detect. As a result, the road lane marking device 100 suppresses erroneous detection caused by the deceleration marking L2 even when the deceleration marking L2 is attached to the road lane marking L1, and detects the road lane marking L1 with high accuracy. Can be done.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, the deceleration marking L2 is not limited to the linear marking extending along the road marking line L1, as shown in FIG. 2A. For example, it may be a linear or predetermined shape marking that is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the road marking line L1. In short, the deceleration marking L2 may be any marking attached to the road marking line L1.

2 ... Camera, 3 ... Map database, 11 ... Position information acquisition unit, 12 ... Candidate detection unit, 13 ... Deceleration marking attachment determination unit, 14 ... Period detection unit, 15 ... Section detection unit, 16 ... Road marking line detection unit, 100 ... Road marking detector, M ... Vehicle.

Claims (1)

The location information acquisition unit that acquires the location information of the vehicle,
A map database that stores map information including compound line information indicating whether or not deceleration markings are attached to road markings on the road surface,
A candidate detection unit that detects candidates for road markings in the driving lane of the vehicle from images captured by the camera,
Based on the acquired position information of the vehicle and the compound line information of the map database, a deceleration sign attachment determination unit for determining whether or not a deceleration sign is attached to the road marking of the traveling lane of the vehicle,
When it is determined by the deceleration marking attachment determination unit that a deceleration marking is attached to the road marking in the traveling lane of the vehicle, it is based on the wide portion of the road marking line candidate detected by the candidate detection unit. , A cycle detection unit that detects the marking cycle of the deceleration marking,
Based on the detected marking cycle, a section detection unit that detects a section attached to the deceleration marking, which is a section in which the deceleration marking is attached to the road marking line,
Among the candidates for the road marking line detected by the candidate detection unit, the road marking line detecting unit that detects the road marking line based on the candidate for the road marking line in the section other than the section other than the section attached to the deceleration marking. Road marking line detector.

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