KR20170115087A - Tire pattern determination device, vehicle type determination device, tire pattern determination method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

The tire pattern determination apparatus includes a photographing section that continuously photographs a predetermined photographing range including a lower portion of a vehicle body of a traveling vehicle, an photographing control section that controls the photographing section, And a tire judging section for judging the number of speeches of the tire of the vehicle concerned.

Description

Tire pattern determination device, vehicle type determination device, tire pattern determination method and program

The present invention relates to a tire pattern determination device, a vehicle type discrimination device, a tire pattern determination method, and a program.

The present application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-048427 filed on March 11, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Tolls such as toll roads are equipped with fee-charging facilities for receiving fees. Such a rate-charging facility is provided with a charge automatic water purifier for carrying out a fee-charging process with the user and a vehicle type discriminating device for discriminating the vehicle type of the vehicle to be driven. The automatic fare collecting machine receives the fare according to the type of the vehicle discriminated by the vehicle discriminating device.

In such a fare-charging facility, for example, the vehicle type discriminating apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 detects a pressure by a vehicle sensor and a tire of a vehicle that obtains a car, a vehicle length, etc. (shape pattern) And the vehicle type of the vehicle is discriminated based on various information obtained through the vehicle detector and the tread.

The vehicle type discriminating apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 generates a silhouette image of the entire vehicle from the captured image data of the vehicle photographed from the front side of the oblique direction and extracts the shape of the entire vehicle from the silhouette image and the tire pattern Whether the tire attached to one side of the axle is a double tire or a single tire attached to one side of one axle) is detected and the vehicle type of the vehicle is discriminated.

However, in a normal tollgate, the automatic fare collecting machine needs to confirm the use fee at the time of performing the fare receiving processing with the user. Therefore, at the stage before the driver's seat of the vehicle reaches the automatic toll collection machine, And must obtain the result of discrimination of the vehicle type by the device.

Here, the vehicle axle number of the vehicle can be acquired by detecting the number of times the tire of the vehicle is stepped on the tread during traveling of the vehicle. However, in the case of using the number of axles as one of the information for discriminating the vehicle type, it is necessary that all the tires of the target vehicle pass through the treads at the stage before the driver's seat of the vehicle reaches the automatic rate meter. Therefore, in the case of a normal tollgate, the distance between the vehicle discriminating device and the automatic fare collecting device is set to be at least the maximum difference in consideration of the maximum vehicle length (for example, 18 m) of the passing vehicle.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-235487 Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2014-002534

However, for example, in a tollgate installed on a bridge or the like, it may be difficult to bury the tread on the road surface. In this case, it is not possible to install a vehicle discriminating apparatus using the tread plate as described above. For this reason, it is necessary to discriminate the type of vehicle with only the information of the car's garage or the vehicle, but there is insufficient information for discriminating the type of the vehicle, such as a vehicle or a car, There is a possibility that it is not.

In addition, even when the treadmill is capable of burying the tread, there is a case that it is difficult to secure a distance between the vehicle identification device and the automatic fare receiving machine at the maximum length of the trailer or the like due to the installation space of the tollgate. In this case, the vehicle whose vehicle length is longer than the distance between the vehicle discriminating device and the automatic fare receiver, the driver's seat of the vehicle reaches the automatic water meter before all the tires pass through the tread. For this reason, the vehicle type discrimination device must discriminate the type of vehicle before the acquisition of the information such as the tire width, the number of axles, the width of the tread, and the like is completed. Therefore, , There is a possibility that the discrimination of the vehicle type can not be performed accurately.

As described above, in the case of a tollgate having a location condition in which it is difficult to acquire information for identifying the type of vehicle from the tread, there is a possibility that the type of the vehicle can not be accurately discriminated.

In addition, when generating a silhouette image of the entire vehicle from the captured image data of the vehicle as described above, the tire of the vehicle is covered by the shadow of the vehicle body of the vehicle because it is disposed below the vehicle body. In addition, under the shooting environment such as at night, the entire captured image data becomes dark, and it may be difficult to distinguish between the tire and the shadows of the vehicle body and the vehicle body. For this reason, it is difficult to obtain the tire pattern, which is the information necessary for discrimination of the vehicle type, and the vehicle type can not be accurately discriminated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus capable of installing a tire regardless of the location conditions of a tollgate, A tire pattern discriminating device, a vehicle type discriminating device, a tire pattern discriminating method, and a program.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the tire pattern determining device comprises: a photographing section (20A) for continuously photographing a predetermined photographing range including at least the lower side of the vehicle body of the traveling vehicle (A) The image D7 photographed at the predetermined photographing timing is extracted as the reference image D7a based on the vehicle detection information D5 and D10 indicating that the vehicle has entered, An exposure condition setting unit 205 for setting an exposure condition with reference to the area R and a tilt determination unit 205 for determining the number of speeches D3 of the tire T of the vehicle based on the image of the vehicle photographed by the shooting unit And a determining section 204. [ The photographing section photographs the vehicle based on the exposure conditions set in the exposure condition setting section.

With such a configuration, in the exposure condition setting unit, the image of the vehicle photographed by the photographing unit at a predetermined photographing timing is extracted as a reference image in the exposure condition setting unit, the reference condition set in the reference image is referred to, Setting. The photographing section photographs the vehicle based on the exposure conditions. The tire judging unit judges the number of speeches of the tire of the vehicle based on the image. The vehicle body of the vehicle indicates a portion of the vehicle other than the tire. The number of speeches of the tire indicates the number of tires installed in succession in one attachment position (one attachment position on one axle) in the vehicle.

Typically, when a vehicle is photographed, the tire of the vehicle enters the shadow of the vehicle body of the vehicle, and is photographed in a state in which the concentration value is low (dark). The " density value " of the photographed image is defined as the higher the brightness value and lower the darker the value. For this reason, in the image of the vehicle photographed in such a dark state, it is difficult to identify the tire of the vehicle concerned, and the shadow of the vehicle body and the vehicle body of the vehicle. However, according to the above-described tire pattern determination apparatus, the exposure condition setting section sets the exposure conditions based on the reference area, so that the photographing section can photograph the tire of the vehicle normally photographed in a dark state in a bright state. Thereby, the tire judging section can detect the tire of the vehicle A on the basis of the image photographed by the photographing section, and judge the number of speeches of the tire concerned.

Further, the above-described tire pattern determination device can determine the number of speeches of the tire, which is one of the information necessary for discrimination of the vehicle type. For this reason, there is a limitation in the location conditions such as a tollgate which can not be buried in the road surface for detecting the information necessary for discriminating the vehicle type or can not sufficiently secure a space for installation, It is possible to install a tire pattern determination device even at a tollgate which can not be obtained and to perform vehicle type discrimination based on the number of tires to be judged by the tire pattern determination device concerned.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the exposure condition setting unit sets the range including the lower side of the vehicle body of the vehicle at the predetermined timing at the predetermined timing in the reference area, The exposure conditions are set.

With this configuration, the exposure condition setting unit sets the range including the lower side of the vehicle body of the vehicle at the predetermined timing when the vehicle is photographed at the predetermined timing, and sets the exposure condition with reference to the reference area.

The range including the lower side of the vehicle body of the vehicle is a range in which the density value is lowest (darkened) when the vehicle is photographed. The exposure condition setting unit can set the exposure conditions to the range in which the density value is the lowest by referring to the reference area including the range. As a result, the photographing section can photograph the tire of the vehicle at a detectable density value. Thereby, the tire judging section can detect the tire of the vehicle based on the image photographed by the photographing section, and judge the number of speeches of the tire concerned.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the tire judging section measures the tire diameter and the tire width of the vehicle based on the image, and judges the number of speeches of the tire based on the tire diameter and the tire width.

With this configuration, the tire judging section measures the tire diameter and the tire width of the vehicle based on the image taken by the photographing section. Further, the tire judging unit judges the number of speeches of the tire based on the tire diameter and the tire width.

The width of the tire differs depending on the number of speeches of the tire. For example, the width of the tire with the number of tires being "2" has a tire width of about twice that of the tire with the number of tires being "1". The tire judging section can judge the number of speeches of the tire based on the detected tire width by making an attention to the characteristics of the tire width.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the tire pattern determining device detects the entry of the vehicle into the predetermined photographing range on the basis of the image, and adds the vehicle detecting section 201 for outputting the vehicle detecting information D10 Respectively.

With this configuration, the vehicle detection section detects that the vehicle has entered a predetermined photographing range based on the image photographed by the photographing section, and outputs the vehicle detection information. Therefore, even before the vehicle enters the tollgate, it can be detected that the vehicle enters the predetermined photographing range by the vehicle detecting unit. Thereby, before the vehicle enters the tollgate, an exposure condition capable of detecting the tire of the vehicle can be set, and an image photographed by the photographing section can be acquired based on the exposure condition. The tire pattern judging device can judge the number of speeches of the tire based on the photographed image. Therefore, even if the fare is insufficient for securing sufficient space for installing the detecting device for detecting the information required for discriminating the type of vehicle, it is possible to determine the vehicle type based on the number of speeches of the tire determined by the tire- It is possible to perform discrimination.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the tire pattern determination device further includes a vehicle detector 10A that detects that the vehicle has entered the predetermined photographing range and outputs the vehicle detection information D5.

With this configuration, the vehicle detector detects that the vehicle has entered a predetermined photographing range and outputs the vehicle detection information. Thereby, the photographing section may perform photographing in a predetermined range after receiving the vehicle detection information, and it is not necessary to set the exposure conditions by the exposure condition setting section until the vehicle detection information is obtained. Therefore, the processing of the exposure condition setting unit and the control of the photographing unit can be simplified.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle type discrimination apparatus comprises: a vehicle type discrimination unit discriminating a vehicle type based on the tire pattern discrimination apparatus described in any one of the embodiments described above and the number of speeches of the tire of the vehicle determined by the tire pattern discrimination apparatus And a portion 10C.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tire pattern determination method for determining a number of tires of a vehicle using a photographing section that continuously photographs a predetermined photographing range including at least a lower portion of a vehicle body of a traveling vehicle, An image picked up by the photographing section at a predetermined photographing timing is extracted as a reference image based on the vehicle detection information indicating that the vehicle has entered the photographing range of the vehicle, An exposure step of photographing the vehicle based on the exposure condition set by the photographing unit in the exposure condition setting step; and a step of photographing the vehicle based on the image of the vehicle photographed by the photographing unit And a tire determination step of determining the number of speeches of the tire of the vehicle.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer of a tire pattern determination device, which includes a photographing section that continuously photographs a predetermined photographing range including at least a lower portion of a vehicle body of a traveling vehicle, Based on vehicle detection information indicating that the vehicle has entered the vehicle, the image photographed by the photographing section at a predetermined photographing timing is extracted as a reference image, exposure conditions setting for setting an exposure condition with reference to a reference area set in the reference image And a photographing section for photographing the vehicle, wherein the photographing section functions as a tire judging section for judging the number of speeches of the tire of the vehicle on the basis of the image of the vehicle photographed by the photographing section, .

According to the above-described tire pattern discriminating apparatus, vehicle type discriminating apparatus, tire pattern discriminating method and program, it is possible to install the tire pattern irrespective of the location conditions of the tollgate and to make the number of speeches of the tire, Can be acquired without receiving the license.

1 is a schematic view of a charge-through water facility according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a schematic view of a vehicle discriminating apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram of a vehicle discriminating apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
4 is an example of an image taken by the imaging section according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view showing an example of a reference area of an image photographed by the imaging section according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing an example showing a reference area before exposure adjustment and an example showing a reference area after exposure adjustment.
6 is a flow chart showing a determination procedure of the tire pattern according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the tire pattern determination device.

≪ First Embodiment >

(Total configuration)

Hereinafter, a charge-metering equipment 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 is a schematic view of a charge-metering facility 1 according to the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the fare-giving / receiving facility 1 is installed at a tollgate at the exit of the toll road, and receives the toll from the driver of the vehicle A who is the user of the toll road.

1, the bill dispenser 1 of the present embodiment includes a vehicle discriminating apparatus 10, a charge automatic water purifier 11, an oscillation controller 13, an oscillation detector 14, .

The fare collecting facility 1 carries out the fare handling process with the vehicle A installed on the island I arranged on both sides of the lane L and stopped on the lane L .

In the following description, the direction along the lane L is referred to as a lane direction (X direction in Fig. 1). 1) on the side of the lane L toward the inside of the lane, and the side opposite to the side on which the vehicle A is advanced (the side on the side opposite to the side on which the vehicle A moves -X side) to the front of the lane. The direction perpendicular to the lane of the lane L and the horizontal plane is referred to as the width direction (the Y direction in Fig. 1), and the height direction of the vehicle A (vertical direction with respect to the road surface) Direction (Z direction in Fig. 1).

As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle type discriminating apparatus 10 detects the vehicle characteristic of the vehicle A that is provided in the lane-ahead direction (-X side in Fig. 1) and enters the lane L of the tollgate , And a device group for discriminating the vehicle type classification D1 (FIG. 3) of the vehicle A in question. In the present embodiment, the vehicle type discriminating apparatus 10 is provided with the vehicle detector 10A, license plate recognizing section 10B, and tire pattern judging device 20.

Here, the vehicle type classification D1 of the vehicle A indicates the vehicle type for determining the charge of the toll road. The vehicle type discrimination apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is, for example, Ordinary car "," medium-sized car "," large car ", and" oversized car ". The vehicle characteristic of the vehicle A is information inherent to the vehicle A entering the lane L. In the present embodiment, the vehicle characteristics represent information such as license plate information (the size of the vehicle registration information and license plate) of the vehicle A, the number of speeches of the tire, and the like. The number of speeches of the tire indicates the number of tires installed in succession to the attachment position (one attachment position on one axle) of one vehicle A. In the present embodiment, a single tire (one having the number of speeches "1") attached with one tire T at one attachment position and two tires attached at one attachment position (the number of speeches "2" There are double tires.

The vehicle type discriminating apparatus 10 is a device for discriminating the vehicle type discrimination D1 on the basis of these vehicle characteristics. Specific configurations of the vehicle detector 10A, the license plate recognition unit 10B, and the tire pattern determination apparatus 20 provided in the vehicle discrimination apparatus 10 will be described later with reference to Figs. 2 and 3. Fig.

As shown in Fig. 1, the automatic fare collecting machine 11 is provided inside the lane marking direction (on the + X side in Fig. 1) of the vehicle discriminating apparatus 10. In the present embodiment, the automatic water handwheel 11 is provided on one side in the width direction of the lane L (-Y side in Fig. 1), but in another embodiment, the width L Direction (the + Y side in Fig. 1).

The automatic fare collecting device 11 charges the driver of the vehicle A with the vehicle type classification D1 of the vehicle A and the usage fee corresponding to the mileage of the toll road.

The oscillation controller 13 opens and closes the gate for the purpose of preventing the vehicle A from oscillating until the use of the vehicle A entering the lane L is completed. As shown in Fig. 1, the oscillation controller 13 is provided inside the lane (the + X side in Fig. 1) in the lane of the lane L as compared with the automatic luggage cart 11 in the lane L. The oscillation controller 13 opens the gate when the opening operation instruction signal is inputted from the automatic water purifier 11 and allows the vehicle A to oscillate. Likewise, the oscillation controller 13 closes the gate when the closing operation instruction signal is inputted from the charge automatic water purifier 11.

The oscillation detector 14 is provided inside the lane of the lane L in the lane direction of the lane controller 13 (on the + X side in Fig. 1) to determine whether or not the vehicle A has left the lane L . The detection signal of the oscillation detector 14 is output to the automatic rate counter 11. When receiving the input of the detection signal from the oscillation detector 14, the automatic rate meter 11 judges the presence or absence of a subsequent processed vehicle, etc., and sends a closing operation instruction signal Or whether to leave the gate open or the like.

(Configuration of vehicle discrimination device)

Next, the construction of the vehicle discrimination apparatus will be described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3. Fig.

2 is a schematic view of a vehicle discriminating apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a block diagram of the vehicle type discriminating apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

2, the vehicle type discriminating apparatus 10 includes a vehicle detector 10A, a license plate recognizing section 10B, and a tire pattern judging device 20. The vehicle- The vehicle type discrimination apparatus 10 further includes a vehicle type discriminating section 10C for discriminating the vehicle type discrimination D1 of the vehicle A based on signals detected by these devices.

Although the vehicle type discriminating section 10C is described as being built in the vehicle discrimination apparatus 10 (for example, the vehicle locator 10A as shown in Fig. 2) in the present embodiment, It is not limited. For example, in another embodiment, the vehicle type discriminating section 10C may be built in an apparatus other than the vehicle discriminating apparatus 10 connected to the network.

As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle detector 10A is provided with light-receiving light on both sides of the lane L on the lane-ahead side (-X side in Fig. 2) One pair is installed. The vehicle detector 10A detects the detection signal according to the entry into the lane L of the vehicle A by means of a light receiving sensor not shown arranged in the height direction (the Z direction in Fig. 2) . The vehicle detector 10A cuts off the light projected onto the light receiving sensor by the vehicle A that has entered the lane L and outputs a detection signal capable of detecting the entry and the passing of each vehicle A to the vehicle type discriminating section 10C . Specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, the vehicle detector 10A detects the vehicle arrival information D5 (vehicle detection information) as a detection signal capable of detecting that the vehicle A has entered the lane L, And outputs a detection signal capable of detecting that the vehicle A has passed through the vehicle detector 10A as vehicle passing information D6 to the vehicle type discriminating section 10C.

As shown in Fig. 2, the license plate recognizing section 10B is installed in the lane-wise direction (+ X direction in Fig. 2) with respect to the vehicle detector 10A. The license plate recognition unit 10B photographs the front image of the vehicle A including the license plate of the vehicle A in accordance with the detection of the entry of the vehicle A by the vehicle detector 10A, (Vehicle registration information and the size of the license plate). The license plate recognition unit 10B outputs the license plate information thus obtained to the vehicle type discrimination unit 10C as license plate information D2, as shown in Fig.

The tire pattern determination device 20 determines the number of speeches D3 of the tire T of the vehicle A entering the lane L of the tollgate and determines the number D3 of speeches D3 of the tire T And outputs it to the section 10C. 2 and 3, the tire pattern determination device 20 includes a photographing section 20A, a main control section 20B, and a storage section 20C.

As shown in Fig. 2, the photographing section 20A is provided on the opposite island I with the lane L interposed therebetween. In the present embodiment, the photographing section 20A is provided on the island I on the other side in the width direction of the lane L (the + Y side in Fig. 2) But may be provided on the island I on one side in the width direction (-Y side in Fig. 2) depending on the arrangement of the other apparatuses.

The photographing unit 20A detects the position of the vehicle body A of the vehicle A located on the front side in the lane direction (-X side in Fig. 2) of the vehicle A with respect to the vehicle detector 10A, Is set as a predetermined photographing range. The photographing section 20A is provided so as to photograph the predetermined photographing range. Specifically, the photographing section 20A is arranged so that the position in the height direction (the Z direction in Fig. 2) is the lowest ground clearance (the distance between the mounting surface of the vehicle A and the lowermost portion of the center portion of the vehicle A) About 50% of the height of the guide rail. Further, the photographing section 20A is provided so as to be inclined at about 45 degrees with respect to the lane direction and facing the lane-ahead direction (-X side in Fig. 2).

As shown in Fig. 3, the photographing section 20A outputs, to the main control section 20B, an image D7 obtained by continuously photographing a predetermined photographing range at regular intervals.

The main control unit 20B determines the number of speeches D3 of the tire T of the vehicle A based on the image D7 photographed by the photographing unit 20A.

In the present embodiment, the main control unit 20B is described as being built in the tire pattern determination device 20 (for example, the photographing unit 20A as shown in Fig. 2), but in this embodiment It is not limited. For example, in another embodiment, the main control unit 20B may be incorporated in another device (for example, the vehicle detector 10A) of the vehicle discriminating apparatus 10, Or may be built in an apparatus other than the apparatus 10.

The storage unit 20C is a storage device for storing information for making determination of a tire pattern. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 20C is provided in the tire pattern determination device 20, but in another embodiment, the storage unit 20C may be provided in an external server connected via a network.

The vehicle type discriminating section 10C judges that the vehicle entering information D5 and the vehicle passing information D6 acquired from the vehicle detector 10A and the license plate information D2 obtained from the license plate recognizing section 10B and the license information (D) of the vehicle (A) based on the number of speeches (D3) of the tire (T) determined by the driver

(Function of vehicle discrimination device)

Next, the functions of the vehicle discrimination apparatus 10 will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 5. Fig.

4 is an example of an image D7 taken by the photographing section 20A according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a view showing an example of a reference area R of an image D7 captured by the photographing section 20A according to the first embodiment of the present invention and shows an example of a reference area R before exposure adjustment, This is an example showing the reference area R after exposure adjustment.

3, the vehicle type discriminating apparatus 10 includes a vehicle detector 10A, a license plate recognition unit 10B, a vehicle type discriminating unit 10C, and a tire pattern discriminating apparatus 20. [

The vehicle detector 10A detects the vehicle entering information D5 capable of detecting that the vehicle A has entered the lane L and the vehicle passing information D6 capable of detecting that the vehicle A has passed the vehicle detector 10A. To the vehicle type discriminating section 10C.

Further, the license plate recognition unit 10B outputs the obtained license plate information D2 to the vehicle type discrimination unit 10C.

3, the tire pattern determination apparatus 20 includes a photographing section 20A, a main control section 20B, and a storage section 20C.

The main control unit 20B has a vehicle detection unit 201, an image pickup control unit 202, a tire detection unit 203, and a tire determination unit 204. [

In the present embodiment, the photographing section 20A outputs an image D7 obtained by continuously photographing a predetermined photographing range at regular intervals. The vehicle detecting section 201 determines whether or not the vehicle A is included in each of the plurality of images D7 photographed at different times received from the photographing section 20A. For example, the vehicle detection unit 201 may detect the image D7 photographed at a certain time t and the image D7 by using a known background subtraction method or an interframe difference method, And the image D7 photographed at the time (t-1) which is the nearest past, and detects the area where the change has occurred. The vehicle detecting section 201 determines that the area where the change has occurred is a moving object. The vehicle detecting section 201 also detects the moving amount (moving direction and speed) of the moving object by detecting in which area of the image D7 the moving object is present in the image D7 photographed at each time . When the moving object (for example, moving object moving in the lane-directed direction from the front in the lane direction) having a predetermined moving amount is detected in the continuous image D7, the vehicle detecting section 201 detects the moving object (A). When a moving object (for example, a moving object moving in the lane-width direction) having a moving amount different from the predetermined moving amount is detected in the continuous image D7, It is not.

The moving object detected by the vehicle detecting section 201 may be a vehicle body of the vehicle A, a tire T, a shadow of the vehicle body, or the like.

The vehicle detecting section 201 determines whether or not the moving object determined to be the vehicle A is included in the reference area R of the image D7 as shown in Fig. The reference area R is a constant area of the image D7 and is a range including the lower part of the vehicle body of the vehicle A when the vehicle A enters a predetermined photographing range.

The vehicle detecting section 201 detects the moving object determined to be the vehicle A as being included in a certain region of the reference area R as shown in Fig.3 and controls the photographing control section 202 and the tire detecting section 203, And outputs the vehicle detection information D10.

The vehicle detecting section 201 determines that the vehicle A has passed when the moving object has not been detected in the reference area R of the image D7, And the tire detection unit 203 outputs the vehicle exit information D11.

Further, when the vehicle detecting section 201 detects that the same moving object is moving at a speed in a predetermined range, the moving object may be determined as the vehicle A At this time, when the vehicle detection section 201 detects the vehicle A in the reference area R of the image D7, the vehicle detection information D10 is outputted to the photographing control section 202 and the tire detection section 203 .

In the present embodiment, the vehicle detecting section 201 has been described by way of example in which the background difference method or the inter-frame difference method is used. However, other methods may be used as long as the vehicle A can be detected.

In the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the fixed range of the predetermined photographing range is set as the reference area R, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the reference area R may be set by an operation of an administrator or the like. When the vehicle detecting section 201 judges that the vehicle A is included in the image D7, it is determined whether or not the density value of the image D7 of the lower region of the vehicle A (Dark) area) of the vehicle A, and the range including the lower side of the vehicle A may be set as the reference area R. In this case, the vehicle detecting section 201 outputs the vehicle detection information D10 and the vehicle exit information D11 according to whether or not the vehicle A is included in the predetermined photographing range.

The photographing control unit 202 controls the photographing unit 20A. As shown in Fig. 3, the photographing control section 202 has an exposure condition setting section 205. [ In the present embodiment, the photographing control section 202 outputs a command to the photographing section 20A so as to perform photographing based on the exposure condition D4 set by the exposure condition setting section 205. [ The exposure condition D4 indicates the aperture value of the photographing section 20A and the exposure time (shutter speed). In the present embodiment, the exposure condition setting unit 205 sets two exposure conditions D4 for the vehicle detection exposure condition D4a and the tire detection exposure condition D4b as the exposure condition D4. The photographing section 20A performs a second photographing operation based on the first photographing operation for photographing based on the exposure condition D4a for vehicle detection and the exposure condition D4b for tire detection.

The exposure condition setting unit 205 sets the exposure condition for the vehicle detection condition D10 when the vehicle detection information D10 is not received from the vehicle detection unit 201 or when the vehicle exit information D11 is received from the vehicle detection unit 201 (D4a) is set.

The exposure condition setting unit 205 sets the exposure condition setting unit 205 to set the density value of the whole of the predetermined photographing range to the photographing range so that the image that can clearly distinguish the background from the vehicle A can be photographed when the vehicle A enters the predetermined photographing range The following aperture value and exposure time are set as exposure conditions D4a for vehicle detection.

Specifically, the exposure condition setting unit 205 sets the exposure condition D4a for vehicle detection as follows.

The exposure condition setting unit 205 sets the exposure histogram of the image D7 at each time point received from the photographing unit 20A (a graph showing the number of pixels (appearance frequency) having the same density value for each density value) And the density value of the image D7 is measured. The exposure condition setting unit 205 refers to the density histogram of the image D7 acquired at a time when the vehicle A is not present in the predetermined photographing range and determines whether or not there is a bias in the distribution of the number of pixels.

For example, when the number of pixels having a low (dark) density value is larger than a predetermined value, the exposure condition setting unit 205 determines that the density value of the image D7 is low and the exposure amount is insufficient. At this time, the exposure condition setting unit 205 calculates the exposure amount of the image D7 based on the exposure condition D4 when the image D7 is photographed. The exposure condition setting unit 205 sets a value obtained by decreasing the aperture value or a value obtained by lengthening the exposure time so as to capture an image having a higher density (brighter) than the image D7, that is, Is set as the exposure condition D4a.

On the other hand, when the number of pixels having a high (bright) density value is larger than the predetermined value, it is determined that the density value of the image D7 is high and the exposure amount is excessive. At this time, the exposure condition setting unit 205 calculates the exposure amount of the image D7 based on the exposure condition D4 when the image D7 is photographed. The exposure condition setting unit 205 sets a value obtained by increasing the aperture value or a value obtained by shortening the exposure time so as to capture an image having a lower (darker) darkness value than the image D7, Is set as the exposure condition D4a.

When the pixel number deviation is not detected, the exposure condition setting section 205 sets the exposure condition D4a for vehicle detection to the same value as that of the image D7, that is, The same value as when the image D7 is photographed is set.

Thus, the exposure condition setting unit 205 refers to the density value and the exposure amount of each image D7 acquired at a time when the vehicle A is not present in the predetermined shooting range, (Exposure condition) D4a that is appropriate for the scene (scene). Thereby, when the vehicle A enters the predetermined photographing range even if the photographing environment such as the weather, the time of day, the surrounding situation (presence or absence of a shadow of the building, etc.) is different, It is easy to detect the vehicle A based on the vehicle speed D7.

The photographing control section 202 outputs the exposure condition D4a for vehicle detection set by the exposure condition setting section 205 to the photographing section 20A. When the photographing section 20A receives the exposure condition D4a, the photographing section 20A photographs a predetermined photographing range on the basis of the exposure condition D4a next time.

The exposure condition setting unit 205 sets the exposure condition D4b for tire detection when the vehicle detection information D10 is received from the vehicle detection unit 201. [

The exposure condition setting unit 205 extracts the photographed image D7 at the time when the vehicle detection unit 201 outputs the vehicle detection information D10 as the reference image D7a. The exposure condition setting unit 205 sets the aperture value and the exposure time corresponding to the exposure amount and the density value of the reference area R of the image D7 photographed after the reference image D7a as the exposure condition D4b for tire detection Setting. When the tire T of the vehicle A is included in the reference area R of the image D7, the exposure condition D4b for tire detection is set so that the tread pattern of the tire T can be detected. .

Specifically, the exposure condition setting unit 205 sets the exposure condition D4b for tire detection as follows.

The exposure condition setting unit 205 generates a concentration histogram of the reference region R of the reference image D7a and measures the concentration value of the reference region R as shown in Fig. The horizontal axis of the concentration histogram represents the concentration value, and the vertical axis represents the number of pixels.

5A, since the exposure condition D4a for vehicle detection is set as the exposure condition D4 at the timing at which the reference image D7a is photographed, The lower portion of the vehicle body is low in darkness and insufficient in exposure amount due to the shadow of the vehicle body of the vehicle A or the like. Therefore, it is difficult to detect the boundary between the tire T of the vehicle A, the vehicle body of the vehicle A, and the shadow of the vehicle body. At this time, referring to the concentration histogram of the reference region R, the number of pixels having a low concentration value is large.

The exposure condition setting unit 205 detects a range of density values having a large number of pixels in the density histogram of the reference region R of the reference image D7a. In the present embodiment, the exposure condition setting unit 205 sets the exposure condition setting unit 205 to a range including the number of pixels corresponding to a predetermined ratio (for example, 20%) of the area of the vehicle A included in the reference area R As a range of concentration values having a large number of pixels. 5A, the reference area R of the reference image D7a exists in a region where the concentration value is low and a range of concentration values in which the number of pixels is large.

Next, the exposure condition setting unit 205 calculates the exposure amount of the reference area R of the reference image D7a based on the exposure condition D4 when the reference image D7a is photographed. The exposure condition setting unit 205 sets the exposure condition setting unit 205 to set the exposure value to be higher (brighter) than the reference area R so that the photographing unit 20A can photograph the image D7 capable of detecting the tire T of the vehicle A. [ , I.e., a new exposure amount in which the exposure amount is increased is calculated. The exposure condition setting unit 205 sets a value obtained by decreasing the aperture value so as to satisfy the new exposure amount or a value obtained by lengthening the exposure time as the exposure condition D4b for tire detection.

More specifically, the exposure condition setting unit 205 sets the exposure condition setting unit 205 to a mode in which pixels included in a region having a low concentration value (for example, 0 to 20% of the entire concentration value) A new exposure amount is calculated so as to be uniformly dispersed in a range including a region having a higher concentration value than that of the region (for example, a range of 0 to 50% of the total concentration value) as shown in Fig.

The exposure condition setting unit 205 may adjust the aperture value and the exposure time according to the position, the movement amount, and the like of the vehicle A in the reference image D7a.

The photographing control unit 202 outputs the exposure condition D4b for tire detection set by the exposure condition setting unit 205 to the photographing unit 20A. When the photographing section 20A receives the exposure condition D4b, the photographing section 20A takes a predetermined photographing range on the basis of the exposure condition D4b next time.

The reference area R of the photographed image D7 based on the exposure condition D4b for tire detection is compared with the reference area R of the reference image D7a shown in Fig. The concentration value is increasing. The density histogram of the reference region R of the image D7 shown in Fig. 5B is compared with the density histogram of the reference region R of the reference image D7a shown in Fig. 5A, And is in a dispersed state. Therefore, in the image D7 photographed on the basis of the exposure condition D4b, the vehicle body of the vehicle A and the tire T of the vehicle A are identified, and the tread of the tire T It becomes possible to detect the pattern.

The exposure condition setting unit 205 sets the exposure condition D4b for tire detection suitable for the vehicle A each time the vehicle A is detected. Therefore, the exposure condition D4b capable of detecting the tire T of the vehicle A is set in correspondence with the shooting environment even if the shooting environment such as the weather, the time of day, the surrounding situation (presence or absence of the shadow of the building, .

In the present embodiment, an example of setting the exposure condition D4b for tire detection based on the reference image D7a has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The exposure condition setting unit 205 sets the exposure condition D4b for tire detection and generates a density histogram for the image D7 photographed based on the exposure condition D4b in the same manner as the reference image D7a The density value may be measured, and the exposure amount of the image D7 may be calculated. The exposure condition setting unit 205 may set another exposure condition D4b for tire detection based on the density value of the image D7 and the exposure amount.

When the vehicle exit information D11 is received from the vehicle detecting section 201 after setting the exposure condition D4b for tire detection, the exposure condition setting section 205 sets the exposure condition D4a for vehicle detection to Setting.

3, the tire detecting section 203 detects the vehicle exit information D11 from the photographing section 20A until it receives the vehicle detection information D10 from the vehicle detecting section 201 and then receives the vehicle exit information D11 It is determined whether or not the tire T of the vehicle A is included in each of the received images D7.

The tire detecting section 203 extracts the boundary portion of the greens by performing edge detection filter processing on each image D7. 5B, the textures of the longitudinal grooves extending in the height direction of the vehicle A indicating the tread pattern of the tire are analyzed, (Tread pattern region) in which a plurality of continuous tread pattern regions (tread pattern patterns) in the width direction of the vehicle are detected, Direction is detected, it is determined that the area is the tire T of the vehicle A.

In the present embodiment, the tire detecting unit 203 determines whether or not each image D7 includes the tire T based on the presence or absence of the tread pattern texture of the tire, but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, a sample image D8 of a tread pattern of a plurality of previously acquired tires T is stored in the storage unit 20C as data for detecting the tire T, and the tire detection unit 203, May compare the sample image D8 with the reference area R of each image D7 received from the photographing section 20A to determine whether or not the image D7 includes the tire T. [

The tire detecting unit 203 extracts an image D7 that is determined to contain the tire T and outputs it to the tire determining unit 204. [

The tire judging unit 204 judges the number of speeches D3 of the tire T contained in the image D7 received from the tire detecting unit 203. [

Since the double tires have two tires attached to one attachment position, when the tire widths of the single tires having the same tire diameter are compared with the widths of the double tires, the double tires have a tire width of about twice the tire width of the single tires Lt; / RTI > The tire determining section 204 determines the difference in the tire width between the tire T and the tire T based on the tire diameter and the tire width of the tire T included in the image D7, Is a single tire or a double tire. Specifically, the tire judging unit 204 judges the number D3 of speeches of the tire T as follows.

First, the tire judging section 204 judges whether or not the angle of the angle of the photographing section 20A in the height direction and the length of the longitudinal elliptical area determined as the tire T included in the image D7 received from the tire detecting section 203 The tire diameter is calculated based on the length of the direction. Further, the tire width is detected from the length in the lateral direction (width direction) of the tread pattern region.

The storage section 20C stores in advance tire information D9 in which a plurality of combinations of the tire diameter and the tire width of a commonly used tire are recorded in advance. The tire determining unit 204 extracts tire information D9 having the same tire diameter as the tire T included in the image D7 out of the tire information D9 stored in the storage unit 20C.

Next, the tire judging unit 204 compares the tire width of the tire T included in the image D7 with the tire width of each tire recorded in the extracted tire information D9.

The tire determining unit 204 determines whether or not the tire width of the tire T included in the image D7 and the tire width of each tire recorded in the extracted tire information are included in the image D7 It is determined that the tire T is a single tire.

On the other hand, when the tire width of the tire T included in the image D7 is significantly different from the tire width of each tire recorded in the extracted tire information (for example, the image D7 ) Is a value about twice the tire width of each tire recorded in the extracted tire information), the tire T included in the image D7 is a double tire .

The tire of the first axis of the vehicle is determined to be a single tire unconditionally because the tire of the first axis of the vehicle is a single tire irrespective of the type of the vehicle and the tire of the first axis is referred to as a single tire, It may be determined that the tire is a double tire because the tire is twice the tire width of the first axis.

In the present embodiment, an example of determining whether the tire T is a single tire or a double tire based on the tire width value of the tire T has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the case of a double tire, the texture of the tread pattern is detected by dividing the texture in the transverse direction (width direction) into two by the interval of the two tires. Therefore, when the texture of the tread pattern is detected two times in the lateral direction, the tire determining unit 204 determines that the tire is a double tire, and when only one texture of the tread pattern is detected in the lateral direction, Maybe.

The tire judging unit 204 sets the number of speeches D3 of the tire T to "1" when the tire T included in the image D7 is judged to be a single tire. The tire judging unit 204 also sets the number of speeches D3 of the tire T to "2" when it is judged that the tire T included in the image D7 is a double tire.

The tire judging unit 204 outputs the number of speeches D3 of the tire T thus judged to the vehicle type discriminating unit 10C.

Next, the procedure of tire determination by the tire pattern determination device 20 will be described with reference to Fig.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing a determination procedure of the tire pattern according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig.

(Step ST101: Setting of Exposure Conditions for Vehicle Detection)

In the present embodiment, the photographing section 20A photographs a predetermined photographing range at regular intervals.

The tire pattern determining device 20 sets the exposure condition D4a for vehicle detection in the exposure condition setting unit 205 of the photographing control unit 202 (step ST101). The exposure condition setting unit 205 sets the exposure condition setting unit 205 to set the density value of the whole of the predetermined photographing range to the photographing range so that the image that can clearly distinguish the background from the vehicle A can be photographed when the vehicle A enters the predetermined photographing range And the exposure time are set as the exposure conditions D4a for vehicle detection.

The photographing control section 202 outputs the exposure condition D4a for vehicle detection to the photographing section 20A. The photographing section 20A then photographs a predetermined photographing range on the basis of the vehicle-exposure exposure condition D4a.

(Step ST102: vehicle entry detection)

Next, the vehicle detecting section 201 determines whether or not the vehicle A has entered the predetermined photographing range (step ST102). The vehicle detection section 201 detects the time D7 at which the image D7 is captured at a certain time t and the time t (t) that is the closest to the image D7, for each of the plurality of images D7 received from the photographing section 20A -1), thereby determining whether or not the vehicle A is included in the image D7.

When the vehicle detection section 201 determines that the vehicle A is not included in the reference area R of the image D7 (step ST102: NO), the vehicle detection section 201 returns to the process of step ST101.

When the vehicle detection section 201 determines that the vehicle A is included in the reference area R of the image D7 (step ST102: Yes), the vehicle detection section 201 detects the vehicle A as the photographing control section 202 and the tire detection section 203 The detection information D10 is output, and the process proceeds to the next step ST103.

(Step ST103: measurement of the density value of the reference area)

Next, when the vehicle detection information D10 is received from the vehicle detection unit 201 (step ST102: YES), the exposure condition setting unit 205 sets the exposure condition setting unit 205 to the time when the vehicle detection unit 201 outputs the vehicle detection information D10 As the reference image D7a. The exposure condition setting unit 205 generates a concentration histogram of the reference region R of the reference image D7a and measures the concentration value of the reference region R (step ST103).

The exposure condition setting unit 205 detects a concentration value range having a large number of pixels among the density histogram of the reference area R of the reference image D7a. The exposure condition setting unit 205 determines that the reference area R has a low concentration (dark), that is, a small exposure amount, when a concentration value range having a large number of pixels exists in a low concentration value area.

(Step ST104: Calculation of exposure dose in the reference area)

Next, the exposure condition setting unit 205 calculates the exposure amount of the reference area R of the reference image D7a based on the exposure condition D4 when the reference image D7a is photographed. The exposure condition setting unit 205 determines that the reference value R is lower (darker) than the reference value R because the reference value R is determined to be low (dark), that is, A new exposure amount is calculated so that a large image can be photographed (step ST104).

(Step ST105: Setting of Exposure Conditions for Tire Detection)

Next, the exposure condition setting unit 205 sets a value obtained by decreasing the aperture value or a value obtained by lengthening the exposure time as the exposure condition D4b for tire detection so as to satisfy the new exposure amount calculated as described above (Step ST105).

The photographing control unit 202 outputs the exposure condition D4b for tire detection set by the exposure condition setting unit 205 to the photographing unit 20A. When the photographing section 20A receives the exposure condition D4b, the photographing section 20A takes a predetermined photographing range on the basis of the exposure condition D4b next time.

(Step ST106: detection of a tread pattern)

Next, the tire detection unit 203 detects the vehicle exit information D11 from the vehicle detection information D10 received from the vehicle detection unit 201 until the vehicle exit information D11 is received, (Texture of tread pattern) of the longitudinal grooves extending in the height direction of the vehicle A indicating the tread pattern of the tire T of the vehicle A are divided into a plurality of areas (Tread pattern area) is included (step ST106). When the tread pattern area is not detected, the tire detecting section 203 determines that the tire T of the vehicle A is not included in the image D7 (step ST106: NO) , And interprets the next image D7. On the other hand, when detecting the tread pattern area, the tire detecting section 203 determines that the image D7 includes the tire T of the vehicle A (step ST106: Yes). At this time, the image D7 is output to the tire judging unit 204, and the process proceeds to the next step ST107.

(Step ST107: Detection of Tire Diameter and Tire Width)

Next, the tire judging unit 204 detects the tire diameter and the tire width of the tire T included in the image D7 received from the tire detecting unit 203 (step ST107).

(Step ST108: determination of the number of speeches of the tire)

Next, the tire judging unit 204 compares the tire width of the tire T included in the image D7 with the tire width of each tire recorded in the extracted tire information D9, And determines the number D3 (step ST108).

The tire determining unit 204 determines whether or not the tire width of the tire T included in the image D7 and the tire width of each tire recorded in the extracted tire information are included in the image D7 It is determined that the tire T is a single tire.

On the other hand, when the tire width of the tire T included in the image D7 is different from the tire width of each tire recorded in the extracted tire information (for example, the image D7 ) Is a value about twice the tire width of each tire recorded in the tire information), it is determined that the tire T included in the image D7 is a double tire .

The tire judging unit 204 outputs the number of speeches D3 of the judged tire T to the vehicle type discriminating unit 10C.

(Step ST109: vehicle passing detection)

Next, the vehicle detection section 201 determines whether the vehicle A has passed the predetermined shooting range (step ST109).

When the vehicle detection unit 201 detects the vehicle A in the reference area R of the image D7, it is determined that the vehicle A exists in the predetermined shooting range (step ST109: NO) The process returns to step ST106. On the other hand, when the vehicle detecting section 201 does not detect the low density area (dark section) such as the shadow or the tire T generated by the vehicle A in the reference area R of the image D7, (YES in step ST109). Further, when the exposure condition D4b for tire detection is set, when the vehicle A passes through, a halation may occur due to overexposure. Therefore, the vehicle detecting section 201 may judge that the vehicle A has passed the predetermined photographing range when the halftone is detected in the whole of the obtained image D7. The vehicle detecting section 201 outputs the vehicle exit information D11 to the photographing control section 202 and the tire detecting section 203. [

(Hardware placement)

An example of the hardware configuration of the tire pattern determination device 20 in each of the above-described embodiments will be described.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the tire pattern determination device 20. Fig.

7, the tire pattern determination device 20 includes a memory 810, a storage / playback device 820, an IO I / F (Input Output Interface) 830, an external device I / F An interface 840, a communication I / F 850, a central processing unit (CPU) 860, and an auxiliary storage device 870.

The memory 810 is a medium such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores data used in the program of the tire pattern determination device 20 or the like.

The storage / playback device 820 is a device for storing data or the like on an external medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD, or a flash memory, or reproducing data or the like of an external medium.

The IO I / F 830 is an interface for inputting / outputting information and the like to / from each device of the vehicle discrimination apparatus 10.

The external device I / F 840 is an interface for controlling and controlling the devices provided in the tire pattern determination device 20, such as transmitting and receiving information. In the tire pattern determination device 20 of the above-described embodiment, the external device I / F 840 performs transmission and reception of information and signals with the control of the photographing section 20A.

The communication I / F 850 is an interface for the tire pattern determination device 20 to communicate with an external server via a communication line such as the Internet.

The CPU 860 executes the program and controls the tire pattern determination device 20 to execute the respective functions. In the above-described embodiment, the tire pattern determination device 20 controls to determine the number D3 of tires T to be sprouted.

The auxiliary storage device 870 is for recording a program executed by the CPU 860, data used when executing the program, and generated data. The auxiliary storage device 870 is a hard disk drive (HDD), a flash memory, or the like.

The program of the tire pattern determination apparatus 20 may be recorded in an external medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD, or a flash memory. In this case, the writing / Playback). The program stored in the external server may be read from the communication I / F 850. [

A program stored in an external medium or an external server may be stored in the auxiliary storage device 870. [

The CPU 860 executes the program to cause the vehicle detection section 201 of the tire pattern determination device 20 to control the photographing control section 202, the tire detection section 203, the tire determination section 204, the exposure condition setting section 205 ). When the CPU 860 performs various processes, data generated in each process is stored in the auxiliary storage device 870. [

(Action effect)

According to the tire pattern determining apparatus 20 described above, the exposure condition setting unit 205 measures the concentration value of the reference region R of the reference image D7a and calculates the exposure amount. The exposure condition setting unit 205 can also set the exposure condition setting unit 205 to photograph the image D7 in which the photographing unit 20A can detect the tire T of the vehicle A based on the density value and the exposure amount of the reference area R , An exposure condition (D4b) for tire detection is set. When the photographing section 20A receives the exposure condition D4b for the tire detection, the photographing section 20A photographs a predetermined photographing range on the basis of the exposure condition D4b for the next tire detection.

Usually, when the vehicle A is photographed, the tire T of the vehicle A is photographed in a dark state by the shadow of the vehicle body or the vehicle body of the vehicle A. Therefore, in the image of the vehicle A photographed in such a dark state, it is difficult to identify the tire T of the vehicle A and the shadow of the vehicle body or the vehicle body of the vehicle A. However, as described above, the exposure condition setting unit 205 sets the exposure condition D4b for tire detection, so that the photographing unit 20A can set the tire T of the vehicle A, which is normally photographed in a dark state, As shown in FIG. Therefore, the tire judging section 204 can detect the tire of the vehicle A based on the image D7 photographed by the photographing section 20A based on the exposure condition D4b for tire detection It becomes.

Every time the vehicle detecting section 201 detects that the vehicle A has entered a predetermined photographing range, the photographing section measures the density value and calculates the exposure amount of the vehicle A based on the reference image D7a photographed by the vehicle A. The exposure condition D4b capable of detecting the tire T of the vehicle A can be set even if the shooting environment such as the weather, the time of day, and the surrounding situation (presence or absence of a shadow of the building or the like) is different.

Further, for example, in a vehicle type discriminating apparatus using a tread, when the distance between the vehicle discriminating apparatus and the automatic fare collecting machine can not be secured for a maximum length of time or more, until the driver's seat of the vehicle reaches the automatic to- And the number of axles of the vehicle can not be determined. However, according to the above-described tire pattern judging device 20, the number of speeches D3 of the tire T, which is one of the information required for discrimination of the vehicle type division D1 for each axle detected by the tire judging section 204, can do. Therefore, even if the number of axles of the vehicle A is not acquired, the number of axles of the vehicle A can be calculated based on the number D3 of spokes of the tire T or based on the number D3 of spokes of the tire T and the number plate information D2 Thus, it becomes possible to distinguish the vehicle type classification D1. For this reason, there is a limitation in the location conditions such as a tollgate which can not be embedded in the road surface for detection device for detecting information necessary for discriminating the vehicle category D1 or can not sufficiently secure a space for installation, It is possible to install the tire pattern determination device 20 even at a tollgate in which information of the tire T can not be sufficiently obtained and to perform vehicle type discrimination based on the number of speeches D3 of the tire T determined by the tire pattern determination device 20 It becomes possible to do.

According to the tire pattern determining apparatus 20 described above, the reference area R of the image D7 is a range including the lower side of the vehicle body of the vehicle A.

The range including the lower side of the vehicle body of the vehicle A is a range in which the density value becomes lowest (darkens) when the vehicle A is photographed. The exposure condition setting unit 205 refers to the reference area R set in this way, so that the exposure condition setting unit 205 can set the exposure condition setting unit 205 to a threshold value that allows the tread pattern of the tire to have a detectable density value even in a range including the lower side of the vehicle body of the vehicle A, It is possible to calculate an exposure amount such as to be photographed, and to set an exposure condition D4 that satisfies the exposure amount. Thereby, the tire detecting section 203 can detect the presence or absence of the tread pattern based on the image D7 and judge whether or not the image D7 includes the tire T.

According to the tire pattern determining device 20 described above, the tire determining portion 204 measures the tire diameter and the tire width of the vehicle based on the image D7 captured by the photographing portion.

The tire determining section 204 is characterized in that the tire width of the double tire has a tire width which is about twice the tire width of the single tire and the tire diameter of the tire T included in the image D7, It is possible to determine whether the tire T is a single tire or a double tire based on the width.

According to the tire pattern determining device 20 described above, the vehicle detecting section 201 detects that the vehicle A enters the predetermined photographing range based on the image D7 photographed by the photographing section 20A , And vehicle detection information D10.

The image D7 photographed at the time when the vehicle A enters the predetermined photographing range is photographed in a state in which the exposure condition for the vehicle detection D4a is set by the exposure condition setting unit 205. [ Therefore, the vehicle detecting section 201 can easily detect that the vehicle A has entered a predetermined photographing range, based on the image D7.

Therefore, even before the vehicle A enters the tollgate, it can be detected that the vehicle A enters the predetermined photographing range by the vehicle detecting section 201. [ Thereby, before the vehicle A enters the tollgate, the exposure condition D4b capable of detecting the tire T of the vehicle A is set, and based on the exposure condition D4b, It is possible to acquire the image D7 captured by the camera.

The tire judging section 204 can judge the number of speeches of the tire on the basis of the photographed image D7. Therefore, even if the fare type discriminating section 10C can not sufficiently secure a space for installing the detecting device for detecting the information necessary for discriminating the vehicle classifying section D1, , It is possible to discriminate the vehicle classifications D1 based on the number of speeches D3 of the tire T determined by the tire judging section 204. [

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail as above, the present invention is not limited to these, and some design changes and the like are possible without departing from the technical idea of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the vehicle type discriminating apparatus 10 includes the vehicle detector 10A. However, the vehicle detector 10A may be omitted, It is possible to reduce the installation space and the installation cost. Even in this case, the vehicle detection section 201 of the tire pattern determination device 20 can detect the entry and the passing of the vehicle.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the vehicle detection section 201 detects the entry and the passage of the vehicle A is described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The tire pattern determining device 20 receives the vehicle entering information D5 and the vehicle passing information D6 from the vehicle detector 10A and determines the exposure condition D6 based on the vehicle entering information D5 and the vehicle passing information D6 (D4) may be set. In this case, the photographing section 20A may photograph a predetermined photographing range only for a period from the time when the vehicle arrival information D5 is received to the time when the vehicle passing information D6 is received, or the vehicle arrival information D5 The setting of the exposure condition D4 by the exposure condition setting unit 205 becomes unnecessary until it is acquired. Therefore, the processing of the exposure condition setting unit 205 and the control of the photographing unit 20A by the photographing control unit 202 can be simplified. Further, the vehicle detecting section 201 may be omitted.

With this configuration, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the above-described embodiment.

In the above-described embodiment, the tire pattern determination apparatus 20 has been described as an example having one photographing section 20A, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The tire pattern judging device 20 may be provided with two photographing sections, that is, a photographing section for photographing a reference image D7a used for setting exposure conditions and a photographing section for photographing an image D7 used for tire judgment.

With this configuration, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the above-described embodiment.

In the above-described embodiment, the vehicle-type discriminating apparatus 10 is not provided with a tread, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the tollgate where the tread plate can be embedded on the road surface, the vehicle type discriminating apparatus 10 may be further provided with a tread. The number of axles from the tread, and the like, thereby making it possible to discriminate the vehicle type in consideration of the information.

Industrial availability

According to the above-described tire pattern discriminating apparatus, vehicle type discriminating apparatus, tire pattern discriminating method and program, it is possible to install the tire pattern irrespective of the location conditions of the tollgate and to make the number of speeches of the tire, Can be acquired without receiving the license.

1: Fee handling facility
10: Vehicle discrimination device
10A: vehicle detector
10B: License plate recognition section
10C:
11: Automatic fee collection machine
13: Oscillation controller
14: Oscillator
20: tire pattern judging device
20A:
20B:
20C:
201: vehicle detection unit
202:
203: tire detecting section
204:
205: Exposure condition setting unit
A: Vehicles
I: Ireland
L: Lane
R: Reference area
T: Tire

Claims (8)

A photographing section that continuously photographs a predetermined photographing range including a lower portion of a vehicle body of a traveling vehicle;
An image photographed by the photographing section at a predetermined photographing timing is extracted as a reference image based on the vehicle detection information indicating that the vehicle has entered the predetermined photographing range and the reference area set in the reference image is referred to An exposure condition setting unit for setting an exposure condition,
And a tire judging section for judging the number of speeches of the tire of the vehicle based on the image of the vehicle photographed by the photographing section,
The photographing section photographs the vehicle based on the exposure condition set in the exposure condition setting section
Tire pattern determination device.
The method according to claim 1,
The exposure condition setting unit sets a range including the lower side of the vehicle body of the vehicle at the predetermined timing at the predetermined timing in the reference area and sets the exposure condition with reference to the reference area
Tire pattern determination device.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The tire judging section measures the tire diameter and the tire width of the vehicle based on the image and judges the number of speeches of the tire based on the tire diameter and the tire width
Tire pattern determination device.
4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Further comprising a vehicle detecting section for detecting that the vehicle has entered the predetermined photographing range based on the image and outputting the vehicle detection information
Tire pattern determination device.
4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Further comprising a vehicle detector that detects that the vehicle has entered the predetermined photographing range and outputs the vehicle detection information
Tire pattern determination device.
A tire pattern judging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A vehicle type determination unit for determining a type of vehicle based on the number of speeches of the tire of the vehicle determined by the tire pattern determination device,
And a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the vehicle speed.
A tire pattern judging method for judging a number of tires of a vehicle by using a photographing section which continuously photographs a predetermined photographing range including a lower portion of a vehicle body of a traveling vehicle,
An image photographed by the photographing section at a predetermined photographing timing is extracted as a reference image based on the vehicle detection information indicating that the vehicle has entered the predetermined photographing range and the reference area set in the reference image is referred to An exposure condition setting step of setting an exposure condition,
A photographing step of photographing the vehicle on the basis of the exposure condition set in the exposure condition setting step by the photographing unit;
And a tire judging step of judging the number of speeches of the tire of the vehicle based on the image of the vehicle photographed by the photographing section
A tire pattern determination method.
A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-readable program for causing a computer of a tire pattern determination device having a photographing section to continuously photograph a predetermined photographing range including a lower portion of a vehicle body of a traveling vehicle,
An image photographed by the photographing section at a predetermined photographing timing is extracted as a reference image based on the vehicle detection information indicating that the vehicle has entered the predetermined photographing range and the reference area set in the reference image is referred to An exposure condition setting unit for setting an exposure condition,
And a tire judging section for judging the number of speeches of the tire of the vehicle based on the image of the vehicle photographed by the photographing section,
As a program,
The photographing section photographs the vehicle based on the exposure condition set in the exposure condition setting section
program.

Images