JP7106593B2 - Vehicle Guidance Assist System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle guidance assist system that assists in guiding a vehicle to be guided so that the vehicle can reach a target position.

An asphalt finisher, which spreads and compacts the asphalt mixture, is appropriately supplied with the asphalt mixture by a dump truck. Since the asphalt finisher has a hopper portion for receiving the asphalt mixture at the front, the dump truck approaches the asphalt finisher while retreating so that the loading portion loaded with the asphalt mixture comes into contact with the hopper portion of the asphalt finisher. At an asphalt laying site, it is common for a worker or the like to give instructions to a dump truck driver to guide the dump truck to the asphalt finisher.

Therefore, instead of manually guiding the dump truck to the asphalt finisher, it automatically detects the correct distance to the dump truck and the lateral deviation, and gives the dump truck driver an appropriate guidance instruction. A device has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the guidance device described in Patent Document 1, a CCD camera is attached to the center upper part of the rear of the hopper so that it faces forward correctly, thereby detecting deviation of the dump truck from an image of the dump truck approaching the asphalt finisher. . That is, the guidance device described in Patent Document 1 can detect that the dump truck is laterally displaced if the center of the dump truck does not coincide with the center of the asphalt finisher in the captured image, so the displacement is corrected. You can give instructions to the driver of the dump truck. In addition, the guidance device described in Patent Document 1 detects the distance to the dump truck from the rangefinder mounted on the CCD camera and the size of the dump truck in the captured image, and when the dump truck approaches the asphalt finisher. can also issue a stop instruction. In this way, the guidance device described in Patent Document 1 can automatically issue appropriate guidance instructions to the driver of the dump truck instead of the worker.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-47446

However, although the invention described in Patent Document 1 automatically issues an instruction to guide the dump truck to the asphalt finisher, it does not necessarily take safety into consideration at the work site. At the asphalt laying site, various works are being carried out at the same time. Accidents may occur in which trucks collide with workers and others. In the invention described in Patent Document 1, there is only a function that guides the deviation of the reverse course of the dump truck to reach the asphalt finisher, and avoids contact between the dump truck and the worker to ensure safety at the work site. It is not possible.

In addition, the technology that safely guides a vehicle to its destination position can be used not only to guide a dump truck to an asphalt finisher, but also to guide a vehicle to a parking space in a parking lot. High inductive technology is desirable. For example, when used as a technology to guide a vehicle to a parking space, it is not only possible to guide the vehicle to the parking space by indicating the lateral displacement of the vehicle or the parking position, but also when there are people or obstacles in the parking space. It is important to be able to ensure safety by warning against

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle guidance assist system capable of assisting guidance of a vehicle to be guided with high versatility so that the vehicle to be guided can reach a target position safely.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a vehicle guidance assistance system assists in guiding a vehicle to be guided so that the vehicle can pass through a guidance area formed between a pair of guidance indicators and reach a target position. an imaging means provided at an appropriate position on the side of the target position and capable of acquiring at least a two-dimensional image including the guiding region and the guided vehicle at predetermined time intervals with necessary and sufficient resolution; detection target identification means for extracting detection targets including at least the guided vehicle and the guidance index from the two-dimensional image acquired by the imaging means, and identifying relative positions of each detection target; Determining whether or not the mutual positional relationship between the detection objects and/or the positional relationship between the detection object and the target position, the relative positions of which are specified by the object specifying means, corresponds to a predetermined notification condition. It is characterized by comprising a notification condition determination means, and a notification means for performing notification with notification contents suitable for the established notification condition based on the fact that the notification condition is determined by the notification condition determination means.

Further, in the above configuration, the notification condition determination means determines that a separation distance between the guided vehicle and the guidance indicator falls below a predetermined deviation threshold value as the notification condition of the deviation abnormality. Alternatively, the guided vehicle may be notified of a notification content suitable for the condition for notifying the deviation abnormality based on the determination by the notification condition determining means that the condition for notification of the abnormality is the deviation condition.

Further, in the above configuration, the detection target specifying means can detect at least a human being within the guidance area as the detection target, and the notification condition determination means determines a separation distance between the guided vehicle and the human. is less than a predetermined approach threshold value as a notification condition for the approach abnormality, and the notification means notifies the approach abnormality based on the determination by the notification condition determination means as the notification condition for the approach abnormality. The vehicle to be guided and/or the person may be notified with information content suitable for the conditions.

In the above configuration, the notification condition determining means determines that a separation distance from the guided vehicle to the target position falls below a predetermined first alert threshold as the notification condition of the first alert state, and and determining that a separation distance from the guided vehicle to the target position falls below a second warning threshold smaller than the first warning threshold as a notification condition of the second warning state, and the notification means determines that the notification condition is It is also possible to notify the guided vehicle with notification contents suitable for approaching the target position from when the determination means determines that the notification condition for the first alert state is met until it determines that the notification condition for the second alert state is met.

Further, in the above configuration, when judging whether or not a plurality of the notification conditions are established, the notification condition determination means selects, based on a predetermined notification priority order, the notification condition having a higher priority among the established notification conditions. A notification condition may be selected, and the notification means may be instructed to perform notification with notification contents suitable for the selected notification condition.

Further, in the above configuration, the notification means includes a radio transmitter that transmits an audio signal set according to the content of the notification to be notified, and a radio transmitter that is installed in the guided vehicle, or the driver of the guided vehicle a portable radio receiver for receiving and audibly outputting the audio signal from the radio transmitter.

Further, in the above configuration, the left and right side lines indicating the width of the parking space in the parking lot are used as the pair of guidance indicators, and the back side of the parking space is the target position. You may make it support the induction|guidance|derivation to.

According to the present invention, from the two-dimensional image acquired by the imaging means, the detection target identifying means extracts the guided vehicle, the guidance indicator, etc. as the detection target, and the guidance area formed between the pair of guidance indicators is detected. The notification condition determination means determines whether the notification conditions necessary for guiding the guided vehicle are established. The notification means provides notification with notification content suitable for the notification conditions, thereby enabling support for safely guiding the guided vehicle to the target position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The outline|summary of the vehicle guidance assistance system which guides a dump truck to an asphalt finisher is shown, (A) is explanatory drawing seen from the side, (B) is explanatory drawing seen from upper direction. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a guidance support device mounted on an asphalt finisher; FIG. (A1) is an image diagram of preset plane coordinates used as a preset condition for the detection target identifying means. (A2) is an image diagram of an acquired image for preset showing a real space in which preset conditions are set. (B1) is an image diagram of an acquired image showing a real space. (B2) is an image diagram of a real space bird's-eye view image generated by projective transformation from the acquired image. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram when a dump truck that is out of the guidance area is set as a detection target; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of guidance control performed after the dump truck has sufficiently approached the asphalt finisher;

Next, an embodiment of a vehicle guidance assist system according to the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the guided vehicle is the dump truck 1 for transporting the asphalt mixture, and the target position DP is set at the front end of the hopper portion of the asphalt finisher 2 . Also, the guideway for guiding the dump truck 1 is between the left mold frame 3a and the right mold frame 3b, which indicate the pavement range in the width direction. That is, in the vehicle guidance assist system of the present embodiment, the dump truck 1 as the guided vehicle passes through the guidance region LZ formed between the left and right mold frames 3a and 3b, which are a pair of guidance indicators, and reaches the target position DP. It assists in guiding the dump truck 1 so that it can reach the destination. In order to simplify the explanation, the direction in which the asphalt finisher 2 advances (asphalt laying direction) is referred to as front, the opposite direction is referred to as rear, and the lateral direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction is referred to as left and right when facing forward.

FIG. 1(A) shows a taxiway (guiding area LZ) along which the dump truck 1 is guided to the asphalt finisher 2, viewed from the left in the asphalt laying direction, and FIG. 1(B) shows the guiding area. The LZ is shown viewed from above. The vehicle guidance assistance system of this embodiment is mainly composed of a monocular camera 4 as imaging means mounted on the asphalt finisher 2 and a guidance assistance device 5 . In addition, a speaker 6 is provided in the asphalt finisher 2 so that a notification for guidance support can be output by synthesized voice, warning sound, etc. can be notified to staff members, etc. Alternatively, the dump truck 1 may be provided with a radio receiver 7, and the radio receiver 7 may receive and output a voice signal or the like transmitted from the guidance support device 5, thereby notifying the driver in the vehicle. .

The monocular camera 4 is provided at an appropriate location on the side of the target position DP, for example, on the roof of the driver's seat of the asphalt finisher 2, so that at least a two-dimensional image (a bird's-eye view image looking down on the road surface) including the guidance area LZ and the dump truck 1 can be obtained. Adjust the installation state to The monocular camera 4 does not necessarily need to be installed at the center position of the asphalt finisher 2, and may be installed at the left end or right end as long as a two-dimensional image including the guidance area LZ and the dump truck 1 can be obtained. do not have. Similarly, the installation height of the monocular camera 4 is not limited to the driver's seat roof of the asphalt finisher 2, and may be installed at a position lower than the roof as long as a two-dimensional image including the guidance area LZ and the dump truck 1 can be obtained. , support poles or the like may be provided at a position higher than the roof. Further, in the present embodiment, the monocular camera 4 is used as imaging means capable of acquiring a two-dimensional image at a necessary and sufficient resolution (for example, VGA or higher) every predetermined time (for example, less than 100 ms). A video camera capable of capturing moving images at 30 fps or 60 fps may be used as the imaging means.

A two-dimensional image captured by the above-described monocular camera 4 is captured by the guidance support device 5 and processed for appropriate support. The guidance support device 5 is configured by storing a battery, a circuit board, and the like in a dustproof storage case, for example. Of course, the guidance support device 5 may be mounted as standard on the asphalt finisher 2 without being configured separately, or may be integrated with the monocular camera 4 . FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the guidance support device 5. As shown in FIG.

An image acquisition unit 51 of the guidance support device 5 instructs the monocular camera 4 to start or end imaging, and acquires an image from the monocular camera 4 . The two-dimensional image acquired by the monocular camera 4 is supplied from the image acquisition means 51 to the detection target identification means 52, and at least the detection target including the dump truck 1 and the left and right molds 3a and 3b is extracted, and each detection target is extracted. Identify relative positions of objects. That is, if the relative distance between the dump truck 1 and the left and right molds 3a and 3b is known, it is possible to determine whether the dump truck 1 is rightward or leftward. In addition to the dump truck 1 and the left and right formworks 3a and 3b, objects to be detected include people working in the guidance area LZ, construction equipment for pavement (tools, tools, etc.) in the guidance area LZ. generators, floodlights, road cones, road pavers, etc.).

In order to realize the above-described functions, the detection target specifying means 52 needs a function of specifying the position of the detection target in addition to the function of recognizing the detection target. Specifically, it comprises a detection target recognition means 52a, a detection pattern storage means 52b, a detection target position specification means 52c, a projective transformation information storage means 52d, a projective transformation means 52e, and a preset condition setting means 52f.

In order to recognize the detection target, the detection target recognition means 52a of the detection target identification means 52 uses the detection pattern stored in the detection pattern storage means 52b to extract the two-dimensional image from the image acquisition means 51. Perform pattern extraction and recognize detection objects contained in the image. The detection pattern of the detection target can be information with high detection accuracy by deep learning. By appropriately updating the information to be stored in the detection pattern storage unit 52b, it is possible to increase the types of detection objects and improve the recognition rate of the detection objects. In FIG. 1, in addition to the dump truck 1 and the left and right molds 3a and 3b, humans in the guidance area LZ are recognized as field workers FW1 and FW2 as objects to be detected. A buffer area BZ having a required width (for example, about 1 [m]) is sandwiched between the left and right sides of the guidance area LZ to form a safety area SZ. Since it is assumed that there are no obstacles to the guidance of the dump truck 1 in the safe area SZ, the site worker FW3 in the safe area SZ is excluded from the objects to be detected.

In order to specify the position of the detection object recognized by the detection object recognition means 52a, the detection object position specifying means 52c uses projective transformation information (for example, projective transformation formula) stored in the projective transformation information storage means 52d. , the image captured by the monocular camera 4 is converted into a real space bird's-eye view image. Since the projective transformation information varies depending on the installation state of the monocular camera 4, it is desirable to acquire appropriate projective transformation information according to the installation state of the monocular camera 4 each time the vehicle guidance assist system is operated. In order to preset the projective transformation information, the projective transformation means 52e uses the recognition information of the detection object supplied from the detection object recognition means 52a and the preset conditions set by the preset condition setting means 52f, Generate projective transformation information.

Here, the work of presetting the projective transformation information will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3A1 shows preset plane coordinates used as preset conditions to be set in the preset condition setting means 52f. m]) is provided with four mark points. A left first point L1, a right first point R1, a left second point L2, and a right second point R2 are four points forming an arbitrary quadrilateral. FIG. 3A illustrates four points forming a square with two sides parallel to the x-axis and two sides parallel to the y-axis. It may be four points forming a quadrilateral with no sides. In the coordinate system (x, y) of this example, the center of the left first point L1 is (-1.5, 2.0), the center of the right first point R1 is (1.5, 2.0), the left The center of the second point L2 is (-1.5, 5.0), and the center of the right second point R2 is (1.5, 5.0). The four marked points may be drawn or placed directly on the road surface, but it is more efficient to spread the sheet on which the four marked points are drawn on the road surface.

By storing the features of the four mark points in the detection pattern storage unit 52b, the detection target object recognition unit 52a can generate a two-dimensional image (acquired image for preset use) of the guidance area LZ including the four mark points. ), four mark points can be recognized (see FIG. 3(A2)). Note that the first left point L1, the first right point R1, the second left point L2, and the second right point R2 may each have different characteristics, and may be recognized as separate mark points. All mark points may have the same shape. When the first left point L1, the first right point R1, the second left point L2, and the second right point R2 are of the same shape, the first left point L1 , right first point R1, left second point L2, and right second point R2.

The detection object recognizing means 52a recognizes the left and right molds 3a and 3b, the field workers FW1 and FW2, etc. from the acquired image for presetting, but the projective transformation means 52e uses only four mark points. For example, it is assumed that the acquired image for preset has a VGA size of 640 [pixels]×480 [pixels], and the coordinates of the center point of each mark point are specified as follows. The center coordinates of the left first point L1 are (87, 425), the center coordinates of the right first point R1 are (478, 425), the center coordinates of the left second point L2 are (186, 190), and the right second point R2. is (476, 190).

Then, the projective transformation means 52e projectively transforms the quadrilateral specified by the center coordinates of each mark point recognized from the preset acquisition image into the quadrilateral on the plane coordinates for preset supplied from the preset condition setting means 52f. Obtain the parameters for , and determine the projective transformation formula. This projective transformation formula is stored in the projective transformation information storage means 52d as projective transformation information so that the detection target position specifying means 52c can use the projective transformation information. Note that the preset operation of the projective transformation information may be automatically performed when the detection object recognition means 52a detects a mark point for presetting, or may be performed by operating a preset start switch or the like. can be

When the projective transformation information corresponding to the installation state of the monocular camera 4 is preset as described above, the detection target position specifying means 52c calculates the coordinates in the image of the detection target supplied from the detection target recognition means 52a. can be suitably transformed into planar coordinates within the guidance region LZ. FIG. 3B1 shows an acquired image of real space, in which the field worker FW1 is recognized as the detection target RO1 and the field worker FW2 is recognized as the detection target RO2 by the detection target recognition means 52a. The detection target position specifying unit 52c projects the coordinates of the detection targets RO1 and RO2 in the acquired image based on the projective transformation formula stored in the projective transformation information storage unit 52d, so that The coordinates (detection object positions) of the detection objects RO1 and RO2 in the real space bird's-eye view shown can be specified. Once the coordinates (x, y) of the detection objects RO1 and RO2 in the real space bird's-eye view image are specified, the distance (for example, the detection object RO1) from the origin camera position (the position directly below the monocular camera 4) is 3. 1 [m], and 7.9 [m] to the detection target RO2).

The detection target recognition unit 52a recognizes the detection target by image recognition technology using deep learning, and the detection target is recognized as a range that occupies a certain area within the acquired image. However, the projective transformation that converts an acquired image into a real space bird's-eye view requires a position on the ground within the guidance area LZ where the dump truck 1 is guided. The range in contact with the ground (contact range) is defined, and the coordinates of the detection object are specified from the point cloud of the contact range. The representative coordinates may be set at any position in the contact area of the object to be detected. The representative coordinates may be the center point of the contact area, or the left or right end point. However, since the left and right frames 3a and 3b specify the boundary between the guiding region LZ and the buffer region BZ, the left frame 3a uses the point cloud corresponding to the ground contact range of the right edge as a detection target. A point group corresponding to the grounding range of the left edge of the formwork 3b is used as a detection object.

Further, in the above example, the relative position of the object to be detected is specified in the coordinate system with the camera position as the origin, but the present invention is not limited to this. The relative position of the object to be detected may be specified with reference to the front end of the finisher 2 . If the installation position of the monocular camera 4 is adjusted so that the front end of the asphalt finisher 2 is captured in the acquired image, and the front end of the asphalt finisher 2 is stored in the acquired image as a detection pattern, the target position DP can be detected. It can be recognized as an object. It should be noted that the detection position of the object to be detected may be replaced by absolute coordinates such as latitude and longitude instead of being specified by relative coordinates. However, since the asphalt finisher 2 paves the asphalt while moving forward in the laying direction, an object moving together with the asphalt finisher 2 or a part of the asphalt finisher 2 is used as the reference of the coordinate system, and the relative position within the range visible in the acquired image It is more efficient to handle each detection target with .

It is notified whether or not the positional relationship between the detection objects whose relative positions are specified by the detection object position specifying means 52c and the positional relationship between the detection object and the target position DP correspond to the predetermined notification conditions. The condition determination means 53 determines. The notification conditions are stored in advance in the notification condition storage means 54, and the notification conditions can be added or canceled as necessary. Some notification conditions are exemplified below.

One of the notification conditions is a deviation abnormality in which the separation distance between the dump truck 1, which is the vehicle to be guided, and the left and right mold frames 3a, 3b, which are guidance indicators, is below a predetermined deviation threshold. As shown in FIG. 1(B), if the separation distance α1 between the left end of the dump truck 1 and the left mold frame 3a is below the deviation threshold, the notification condition determination means 53 determines that the dump truck 1 is moving to the left. It is determined that there is an abnormal deviation due to excessive deviation. Conversely, if the separation distance α2 between the right end of the dump truck 1 and the right mold frame 3b is less than the shift threshold, the notification condition determination means 53 determines that the dump truck 1 is shifted too far to the right. I judge.

When the notification condition determination means 53 determines that the notification condition for the deviation abnormality is satisfied, the notification means 55 having received this makes notification with notification contents suitable for the notification condition for the deviation abnormality. If it is determined that the dump truck 1 is shifted too far to the left and the abnormal deviation is detected, a voice signal saying "please shift to the right" is transmitted from the wireless transmitter 55a to the wireless receiver 7 of the dump truck 1, and voice is heard in the vehicle. The driver can be notified by outputting. Conversely, when it is determined that the dump truck 1 is shifted too far to the right, the radio transmitter 55a transmits a voice signal saying "Move to the left" to the radio receiver 7 of the dump truck 1, The driver is notified by voice output in the vehicle. In this manner, if the dump truck 1 is instructed to keep the separation distances α1 and α2 equal to or greater than the deviation threshold value, the dump truck 1 can be guided so as not to deviate to the left or right with respect to the target position DP. The notification to the driver may be made simply by an alert sound or the like.

The dump truck 1 for which the notification condition determination means 53 determines the notification condition of the deviation abnormality is the guided vehicle that is moving backward in the guidance area LZ, and the vehicle that is passing through the safety area SZ is excluded. is. When the buffer zone BZ is provided between the guidance zone LZ and the safety zone SZ, it is arbitrarily determined whether the vehicle straddling the buffer zone BZ is a guided vehicle or a non-guided vehicle. Although it is good, in this embodiment, we decided to judge as follows. As shown in FIG. 4A, most of the dump truck 1 is in the guidance area LZ, but a part (right side) is in the buffer area BZ beyond the right frame 3b. Since guidance support for returning to the area LZ is considered necessary, the dump truck 1 is recognized as the guided vehicle. As shown in FIG. 4B, when one side (right side) of the dump truck 1 is in the safety zone SZ and the other side (left side) is in the guidance zone LZ, the guidance zone Since there is a possibility of returning to the LZ, the dump truck 1 is recognized as the guided vehicle. As shown in FIG. 4(C), when most of the dump truck 1 is in the safety zone SZ, but a part (left side) is in the buffer zone BZ, the dump truck 1 unexpectedly enters the guidance zone LZ. Considering the danger, the dump truck 1 is recognized as the guided vehicle.

The notification means 55 may be composed of the radio transmitter 55a on the asphalt finisher 2 side and the radio receiver 7 on the dump truck 1 side, or may be composed of the speaker 6 alone for directly outputting voice. Alternatively, the configuration may be such that a display device such as an indicator lamp or an electronic bulletin board is used to notify the operator by visible display. If an FM transmitter is used as the radio transmitter 55a, the audio signal can be transmitted on the frequency of the FM radio, so the FM radio attached to the dump truck 1 can be used as the radio receiver 7. A wireless communication terminal device (smartphone, tablet terminal, etc.) carried by the driver of the dump truck 1 can also be used as the wireless receiver 7 .

One of the notification conditions is an approach abnormality in which the separation distance between the dump truck 1 as the guided vehicle and the field workers FW1 and FW2 as humans falls below a predetermined approach threshold. As shown in FIG. 1B, if the separation distance β1 between the rear end of the dump truck 1 and the field worker FW1 is equal to or greater than the proximity threshold, the notification condition determination means 53 determines whether the field worker FW1 is close to the field worker FW1. It is determined that there is no abnormality. On the other hand, if the separation distance β2 between the rear end of the dump truck 1 and the field worker FW2 is less than the proximity threshold, the notification condition determining means 53 determines that the field worker FW2 is in an abnormal proximity state. Note that the detection target position specifying means 52c specifies the position of the detection target by estimating the grounding point of the recognized detection target. Since the front-to-back width cannot be specified accurately, the proximity threshold may be set in anticipation of the error. Alternatively, position correction information according to the object to be detected, such as a correction value from the last wheel, which is the grounding point of the dump truck 1, to the rear end of the bed, is set in advance, and the detection position is corrected according to the object to be detected. , may be compared with a proximity threshold.

When the notification condition determination means 53 determines that the notification condition of the proximity abnormality is satisfied, the notification means 55 having received this determines that the notification content suitable for the notification condition of the proximity abnormality is notified from the radio transmitter 55a, "Left rear, A voice signal such as "Please pay attention to the workers" is transmitted to inform the driver of the dump truck 1. The notification to the driver may be made simply by an alert sound or the like. Along with the notification to the dump truck 1, the speaker 6 outputs a voice such as "Please be careful of the backing vehicle" to alert the field worker FW2 and the other field workers FW1 and FW3. It should be noted that either the notification to the dump truck driver by the radio receiver 7 or the notification to the field workers or the like by the speaker 6 may be performed.

Also, in guiding the dump truck 1 to the asphalt finisher 2, the separation distance α3 from the rear end of the dump truck 1 to the front end (target position DP) of the asphalt finisher 2 is important, but FIG. , there is no problem if the separation distance α3 is large. Until the dump truck 1 approaches a position that requires careful guidance, the dump truck 1 may move backward within the guidance area LZ at a speed corresponding to the skill of the driver. However, when the dump truck 1 approaches the target position DP to some extent, it is necessary to reduce the speed of the dump truck 1 to correct the left-right deviation and carefully guide it so as not to collide with the asphalt finisher 2 .

Therefore, one of the notification conditions is a first alert state in which the separation distance from the dump truck 1, which is the guided vehicle, to the target position DP is below a predetermined first alert threshold. As shown in FIG. 5A, the separation distance α3 of the first warning threshold WL1 is a relatively large distance to the target position DP, and the driver is notified that the target position DP is approaching. It would be good if it could give a sense of caution. For example, when the notification condition determination means 53 determines that the notification condition for the first alert state is satisfied, the notification means 55 having received this determines that the notification content suitable for approaching the target position is sent from the wireless transmitter 55a as "approaching Please be careful." to inform the driver of dump truck 1. The notification to the driver may be made simply by an alert sound or the like. The notification by the notification means 55 with notification contents suitable for approaching the target position may be performed only once, or may be continued until the separation distance α3 reaches a smaller second warning threshold (detailed later). good too.

Furthermore, one of the notification conditions is a second alert state in which the separation distance from the dump truck 1, which is the guided vehicle, to the target position DP is below a second alert threshold that is smaller than the first alert threshold. As shown in FIG. 5(B), the separation distance α3 of the second warning threshold WL2 is a small distance remaining to the target position DP, and the target position DP must be reached by more careful fine adjustment. must be reported to the driver. However, the final alignment of contacting the hopper of the dump truck 1 with the hopper of the asphalt finisher 2 requires a delicate guidance instruction accompanied by a movement of several centimeters, and the guidance support by the guidance support device 5 is sufficient. It may not be possible to say that Therefore, when the notification condition determination means 53 determines that the notification condition for the second alert state is satisfied, the notification means 55 receiving this, sends a voice signal from the radio transmitter 55a saying "Follow the instructions of the guide". to inform the driver of the dump truck 1 of the end of the guidance instruction by voice. The notification to the driver may be made simply by an alert sound or the like.

In addition, when the second alert state is entered, when entrusting subsequent guidance instructions to the guide staff, it is necessary for the guide staff to be on standby at the appropriate location before the second alert state is entered. Therefore, when the notification condition determination means 53 determines that the notification condition for the first alert state is satisfied, the notification means 55 receiving this makes an announcement to the guide staff from the speaker 6, saying, "Please prepare for truck guidance. I will do it" to alert the site workers. Then, when the notification condition determination means 53 determines that the notification condition for the second alert state is satisfied, the notification means 55 having received this makes an announcement to the guide staff from the speaker 6, saying, "Please guide me to the truck." It outputs a voice such as "I'm going to go" and entrusts the guidance work to the standby guidance staff. After that, the guide staff gives a subtle guide instruction to the dump truck 1, and the dump truck 1 is properly guided to the asphalt finisher 2 as shown in FIG. 3(C). It should be noted that the driver of the asphalt finisher 2 may also serve as a guide.

If a distance sensor (for example, a laser sensor or a sound wave sensor) capable of accurately measuring the distance between the hopper portion of the asphalt finisher 2 and the rear end portion of the dump truck 1 and the lateral deviation is used, it is possible to measure the distance by a few centimeters. It is possible to give subtle guidance instructions that accompany movement. Therefore, the measurement data of the distance sensor provided in the asphalt finisher 2 is input to the guidance support device 5, and when the second warning state is entered, the notification condition determination means 53 determines the notification condition based on the accurate measurement data from the distance sensor. may be performed to give a guidance instruction. In this way, it is possible to automatically and appropriately give the guidance instruction by the guidance support device 5 until the end without relying on the guidance staff at the final stage.

The notification condition determined by the notification condition determination means 53 is not limited to one, and there is a possibility that a plurality of notification conditions are met simultaneously. Therefore, the notification condition determination means 53 determines whether a plurality of notification conditions are satisfied, and in consideration of the case where the notification means 55 cannot simultaneously execute notification according to the notification contents according to all the notification conditions, priority is given to the notification contents. rank them. The notification priority order can be set arbitrarily. 1 Alert condition is set. Based on this notification priority order, the notification condition determination means 53 selects a notification condition with a high priority among the notification conditions determined to be established, and instructs the notification means 55 to perform notification with notification content suitable for the selected notification condition. By doing so, it is possible to execute notification based on the notification content with a high priority. Of course, when a plurality of notification conditions that can be performed at the same time are satisfied (for example, notification to dump truck 1 by wireless receiver 7 and notification to field workers etc. by speaker 6), the priority is Even if the notification condition is low, the notification operation may be performed at the same time. Further, the notification means 55 may be provided with a function for judging the priority of established notification conditions, and the notification means 55 may select the notification conditions to be notified.

As described above, in the vehicle guidance assistance system of the present embodiment, an acquired image acquired by the monocular camera 4 is taken into the guidance assistance device 5 in order to assist in safely guiding the dump truck 1 to the destination position DP. The detection target specifying means 52 of the guidance support device 5 extracts the dump truck 1, the left and right molds 3a and 3b, and the like as detection targets. The notification condition determining means 53 of the guidance support device 5 determines whether or not the notification conditions necessary for guiding the dump truck 1 within the guidance area LZ formed between the left and right molds 3a and 3b are met. The notification means 55 notifies with notification contents suitable for the notification conditions determined by the notification condition determination means 53, so that assistance for safely guiding the guided vehicle to the destination position DP becomes possible.

The vehicle guidance assist system can also be used to assist in guiding the guided vehicle to the parking space. In this case, the left and right sidelines indicating the width of the parking space in the parking lot may be used as a pair of guidance indicators, and the back side of the parking space may be the target position.

Although the vehicle guidance assist system according to the present invention has been described above based on the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and can be implemented as long as the configuration described in the claims is not changed. All vehicle guidance assistance systems are included as the scope of rights.

1 dump truck 2 asphalt finisher 3a left mold 3b right mold 4 monocular camera 5 guidance support device 52 detection object identification means 53 notification condition determination means 55 notification means DP target position LZ guidance area

Claims (7)

A vehicle guidance assist system for assisting guidance of a vehicle to be guided so that the vehicle can pass through a guidance area formed between a pair of guidance indicators and reach a target position,
outside the guidance area, a buffer area with a required width is set up to a safety area where it is assumed that there are no obstacles to the guidance of the guided vehicle;
an imaging means provided at an appropriate location on the target position side and capable of acquiring a two-dimensional image including at least the guiding area, the guided vehicle , and the buffer area at a necessary and sufficient resolution every predetermined time;
A detection object including at least the guided vehicle and the guidance index is extracted from the two-dimensional image acquired by the imaging means, and the relative position of each detection object in the guidance area and the buffer area is specified. detection target identification means;
It is determined whether or not the positional relationship between the detection objects whose relative positions are specified by the detection object specifying means and/or the positional relationship between the detection object and the target position corresponds to a predetermined notification condition. Notification condition determination means for determining;
notification means for performing notification with notification content suitable for the established notification condition based on the determination by the notification condition determination means that the notification condition is met;
A vehicle guidance assist system comprising: The notification condition determining means determines that a separation distance between the guided vehicle and the guidance indicator falls below a predetermined deviation threshold as a deviation abnormality notification condition,
The notification means notifies the guided vehicle with notification content suitable for the notification condition of the deviation abnormality based on the determination by the notification condition determination means that the notification condition of the deviation abnormality is met.
The vehicle guidance assist system according to claim 1, characterized by: The detection target specifying means is capable of detecting at least a person in the guidance area as the detection target,
The notification condition determination means determines that a separation distance between the guided vehicle and the person falls below a predetermined approach threshold as a notification condition of an abnormal approach,
The notification means notifies the guided vehicle and/or the person with notification content suitable for the notification condition of the approach abnormality based on the notification condition determination means determining that the notification condition is the approach abnormality notification condition. did,
The vehicle guidance assist system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The notification condition determination means determines that a separation distance from the guided vehicle to the target position falls below a predetermined first warning threshold as the notification condition of the first warning state. determining that the separation distance to the target position falls below a second alert threshold smaller than the first alert threshold as a notification condition of the second alert state;
The informing means sends the guided vehicle to the guided vehicle with informing contents suitable for approaching the target position from when the informing condition determining means determines that the informing condition is for the first alert state until it determines that the informing condition is for the second alert state. I made sure to let you know
The vehicle guidance assist system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: When judging whether a plurality of the notification conditions are established, the notification condition determination means selects the notification condition having a higher priority among the established notification conditions based on a predetermined notification priority order, The vehicle guidance assist system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the notification means is instructed to perform notification with notification contents suitable for the selected notification condition. The notification means is
a radio transmitter that transmits an audio signal set according to the content of the notification to be notified;
a radio receiver mounted on the guided vehicle or carried by a driver of the guided vehicle, for receiving the audio signal from the radio transmitter and outputting it audibly;
The vehicle guidance assist system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising: By using the left and right sidelines indicating the width of the parking space in the parking lot as the pair of guidance indicators and the back side of the parking space as the target position, the guidance of the guided vehicle to the parking space is assisted. 2. The vehicle guidance assist system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle guidance assist system is configured as follows.

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