KR20200056371A - Apparatus and method for recognizing road traffic sign information - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for recognizing road traffic sign information and to a method thereof. The apparatus can quickly and accurately recognize road conditions ahead by using the GDD displayed on a road traffic sign in a vehicle including an autonomous vehicle driving on the road or defining information related to road traffic signs as graphic data in a road traffic sign, and receiving and recognizing information on the road traffic sign.

Description

Apparatus and method for recognizing road traffic sign information {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR RECOGNIZING ROAD TRAFFIC SIGN INFORMATION}

The present invention relates to an apparatus for recognizing a road traffic sign information and a method thereof, and more specifically, it is displayed on a road traffic sign on a vehicle including an autonomous vehicle driving on the road or related to a road sign on the road traffic sign. A road traffic sign information recognition device and method for quickly and accurately recognizing road conditions in front by receiving and recognizing information about road traffic signs transmitted using GDD (Graphic Data Dictionary) defining information as graphic data It is about.

As the demand for smart cars, including autonomous vehicles, increases, the necessity and demand for the exchange of information between roads and vehicles are increasing. However, the infrastructure to meet these demands is still insufficient.

In a smart car, self-recognition of road conditions and autonomous driving can cause serious problems due to network delays or poor communication conditions, so it is most important to exchange information between the traffic system installed on the road and vehicles.

According to this importance and necessity, the present invention is to transmit information from a road traffic sign information transmitter in order to provide a device for recognizing road traffic sign information based on GDD so that autonomous vehicles can obtain information of road traffic sign boards and operate on the road. It is intended to provide a device capable of efficiently recognizing a road traffic sign information in a vehicle.

The object recognized in the present invention is road traffic sign information, and the communication technology applied to obtain the information includes means for transmitting and receiving visible and invisible signals. Here, the road traffic sign information utilizes standardized GDD, and as a means of transmitting information, LiFi / OCC / VLC as a visible communication means, as well as ultrasound, infrared, LTE, WiFi as well as invisible communication means Like wireless communication means.

In particular, LiFi (Light Fidelity) is a communication technology using light, and transmits and receives data between a light bulb and a smart device by putting information on the light. Unlike WiFi, which is a communication standard using radio waves, the LiFi is a communication method using visible light.It is a principle of sending data to visible light by attaching a chip to an LED light, rather than transmitting data using conventional electromagnetic waves, up to 250 times higher than a broadband communication network. Fast transmission speed can be achieved. That is, the LiFi technology is a type of visible light communication (VLC) that transmits information using the wavelength of light emitted from the LED, and can be used wherever there is lighting, is harmless to the human body, and has a short reach. It has various advantages such as low cost, high-speed communication, stability, and security, and it has the advantage that the cost of using the frequency is free as a band without permission.

The LiFi is spreading to various devices of vehicles, such as LED headlight lamps and signal lamps, according to the development and high performance of LED technology, and accordingly, technical conditions for applying LiFi technology to vehicles are being created.

On the other hand, a car driver or an autonomous vehicle checks dangerous or problematic road conditions, traffic restrictions or prohibitions, and instructions for currently used roads through graphic road traffic signs.

The road traffic sign is a caution sign, a curfew, no entry, a straight prohibition, a U-turn sign indicating danger or problems such as a cross-shaped intersection, a T-shaped intersection, a left confluence road, a double curved road, a slippery road, or an uneven road surface. There are a wide variety of types, such as regulatory signs that signify prohibiting or limiting traffic such as bans and temporary stops, indicator signs that signify roads for exclusive use of automobiles, one-way traffic, child protection, and bus lanes.

As described above, a car driver or an autonomous vehicle checks the road condition in front by visually checking or recognizing the graphic information on the road traffic sign installed on the road top or roadside while driving, and then using the identified road traffic sign information to drive to the destination. Drive.

However, the conventional road traffic sign as described above is because the vehicle driver or autonomous vehicle checks the road condition based on the recognition of the graphic information displayed on the road traffic sign, so that the information on the road traffic sign cannot be checked or incorrectly recognized. Cases may arise. In particular, the conventional road traffic sign has no difficulty in recognizing graphic information during the day, but it is difficult to accurately recognize the graphic information of the road traffic sign if the clock is bad due to bad weather such as fog, rain, snow, and visibility at night. If this was not secured, there was a problem in that graphic information on the road traffic sign could not be recognized at all.

Therefore, in order to prevent a case where a motor vehicle driver or an autonomous vehicle does not recognize information on a road traffic sign or immediately recognizes what the road traffic sign means due to bad weather or visual limitation, the road traffic sign board In this situation, it is necessary to introduce a technology that provides road traffic sign information to a driving vehicle, receives it from a car, and displays road traffic sign information on a navigation device or guides with a voice signal.

Therefore, in the present invention, information on road traffic signs that are displayed on a road traffic sign in a vehicle including an autonomous vehicle driving on a road or that is transmitted using GDD that defines information related to road traffic signs as graphic data on a road traffic sign is recognized. By doing so, I would like to suggest a way to carry out safe driving in accordance with the recognition of road conditions ahead.

In addition, in the present invention, even if a part of the graphic portion of the road traffic sign is not accurately recognized due to a display obstacle or recognition error in a vehicle including an autonomous vehicle driving on the road, the most similar type of graphic information is referred to by referring to pre-stored GDD information. I would like to suggest a way to detect road traffic sign information with.

Next, the prior art existing in the technical field of the present invention will be briefly described, and then the technical matters to be differentiated from the prior art will be described.

First, Korean Patent Publication No. 2017-0087647 (2017.07.31.) Relates to an autonomous driving device and method using traffic sign recognition information.

On the other hand, the present invention receives and recognizes information on a road traffic sign that is displayed on the road traffic sign or transmitted by using a GDD that defines information related to the road traffic sign as graphic data on the road traffic sign, and recognizes the road traffic sign. Even if a part of the graphic part of the traffic sign is not accurately recognized, a technical configuration is proposed for detecting road traffic sign information having the most similar type of graphic information by referring to the pre-stored GDD information.

Therefore, the above prior art refers to a configuration that recognizes traffic sign and road information in real time unlike the present invention, and utilizes GDD information that graphically defines road traffic sign information during the traffic sign recognition process, or uses the graphic part of the road traffic sign. If a part of is not recognized, the configuration that can detect the most similar road traffic sign information with reference to the GDD information is not presented, so the difference between the technical configurations between the two is clear.

In addition, Korean Patent Publication No. 1998-0061443 (1998.10.07.) Relates to a road sign recognition device of a vehicle, receives the transmission data from the road sign, and automatically recognizes the contents of the road sign inside the car. It is characterized by being displayed through a monitor.

However, the above-mentioned prior art merely refers to a configuration for receiving transmission data from a road sign and displaying the content on an internal monitor. GDD is a list of graphic images of road traffic signs proposed by the present invention and defined by a specific code. Based on the configuration that receives and recognizes specific road traffic sign information transmitted from the road traffic sign or displayed on the road traffic sign, when a car driving on the road recognizes the graphic part of the road traffic sign, some do not recognize it due to an error Even if it does not describe the configuration of detecting road traffic sign information having the most similar form of graphic information with reference to GDD information.

That is, although the above prior arts suggest a configuration for recognizing a traffic sign, a configuration for receiving and confirming the road traffic sign information transmitted using GDD defined as the graphic data of the road traffic sign as a technical feature of the present invention, road traffic Even if a part of the graphic portion of the cover is not recognized, the technical difference is obvious because there is no specific description of the configuration for detecting road traffic sign information having the most similar type of graphic information by referring to GDD information.

The present invention was created to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for recognizing road traffic signs through GDD in which road traffic signs are defined as graphic data and configured in advance.

In addition, the present invention is an autonomous vehicle driving the road with road traffic sign information displayed or transmitted by the road traffic sign in a state in which a road traffic sign board is provided to provide information related to the road traffic sign using GDD at each position of the road. Another object is to provide an apparatus and a method for recognizing a vehicle, including a traveling vehicle.

In addition, according to the present invention, the road traffic sign information is transmitted by the radio signal in preparation for the visually unrecognized road traffic sign information, resulting in misrecognition or unrecognition of the road sign in a vehicle including an autonomous vehicle driving on the road. Another object is to provide an apparatus and a method for recognizing road traffic sign information with minimal confusion.

In addition, according to the present invention, when a road traffic sign information displayed on a road traffic sign is recognized by a vehicle including an autonomous vehicle driving on a road, even if a part of the graphic portion is not accurately recognized due to display failure or recognition error, it is stored. Another object is to detect road traffic sign information having the most similar form of graphic information with reference to GDD information, and provide the information to the vehicle driver and autonomous vehicle.

A road traffic sign information recognition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed in the vicinity of a road, an information receiving unit for receiving road traffic sign information from a road traffic sign board that provides traffic information of the road to a vehicle driving the road and And an information recognition unit for recognizing the received road traffic sign information, and information on the road traffic sign is defined based on GDD.

In addition, it is characterized in that the information on the road traffic sign is wirelessly received through OCC (Optical Camera Communication).

In addition, the information receiving unit is characterized in that the camera including a photo detector for taking and receiving information about the road traffic sign transmitted from the road traffic sign.

In addition, the road traffic sign information recognition device, based on the road traffic sign information received from the information receiving unit by extracting an area for the graphic portion of the road traffic sign image as an image, an image recognition unit for recognizing the graphic portion of the road traffic sign Characterized in that it further comprises.

In addition, the road traffic sign information recognition device, when the image recognition unit extracts an area for the graphic portion of the road traffic sign image as an image, if a partial area for the graphic portion of the road traffic sign plate is not recognized, store An image estimator for checking GDD information closest to an image recognized by the image recognition unit by referring to GDD information previously stored in the unit, and estimating the checked GDD information as an area for a graphic portion of the road traffic signboard. It is characterized by including.

In addition, the method for recognizing road traffic sign information according to an embodiment of the present invention is a road from a road traffic sign board that provides traffic information of a corresponding road to a car installed on the periphery of a road and driving the road in a recognizer provided in the car. And an information receiving step of receiving the traffic sign information and an information recognition step of recognizing the received road traffic sign information, wherein the information on the road traffic sign is defined based on GDD.

In addition, the information on the road traffic sign is characterized in that it is transmitted wirelessly through the OCC.

In addition, the step of receiving information is characterized by taking and receiving information on the road traffic sign transmitted from the road traffic sign through a camera including a photo detector.

In addition, the method for recognizing the road traffic sign information is based on the road traffic sign information received in the information reception step, and extracts an area for the graphic part of the road traffic sign image as an image, thereby recognizing an image for recognizing the graphic part of the road traffic sign. It characterized in that it further comprises a step.

In addition, in the method of recognizing the road traffic sign information, when an area for the graphic part of the road traffic sign is extracted as an image in the image recognition step, when a part of the area for the graphic part of the road traffic sign is not recognized, it is stored. An image estimation step of checking GDD information closest to an image recognized by the image recognition unit by referring to GDD information previously stored in the unit, and estimating the checked GDD information as an area for a graphic portion of the road traffic sign. Characterized in that it further comprises.

According to the road traffic sign information recognition apparatus and method of the present invention as described above, in the state that the road traffic signs are installed at each location on the road based on GDD that defines the road traffic signs as graphic data and pre-configures them. By recognizing road traffic sign information that is displayed or transmitted by a road traffic sign on a vehicle, including an autonomous vehicle driving on the road, it is possible to quickly and accurately recognize the road conditions in front of the driving, thereby allowing the driver of a general vehicle as well as It is effective in promoting safe operation of autonomous vehicles.

In addition, in order to prevent the road traffic sign information from being recognized visually on the road traffic sign board, autonomous driving of road traffic sign information transmitted by invisible radio signals, ultrasonic waves, infrared rays, etc., as well as visible LiFi / OCC / VLC signals By receiving and recognizing the vehicle including the vehicle, there is an effect that can minimize the occurrence of confusion due to misrecognition or recognition of road traffic signs.

In addition, even if a part of the graphic part of the road traffic sign is not accurately recognized due to display obstacles or recognition errors in a vehicle including an autonomous vehicle driving on the road, the road with the most similar form of graphic information is referred to by referring to the previously stored GDD information. By detecting the traffic sign information, the recognition rate of the road traffic sign information is improved, and as a result, there is an effect that a driver of a general vehicle and a self-driving vehicle can perform a safe operation in preparation for a road condition.

In addition, the present invention has an effect of preventing accidents due to misrecognition in advance by recognizing duplicates by a plurality of different communication means or methods and selecting and taking the most reliable signal.

1 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a road traffic sign information recognition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a road traffic sign information recognition process to which the present invention is applied.
3 is a view showing in detail the configuration of a road traffic sign information recognizer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram showing an example of a road direction sign defined in GDD used in the present invention.
5 is a flowchart illustrating in detail a process of recognizing road traffic sign information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the road traffic sign information recognition apparatus and method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in each drawing denote the same members. In addition, specific structural or functional descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention are exemplified for the purpose of describing the embodiments according to the present invention, and unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms. These have the same meaning as those generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Terms such as those defined in a commonly used dictionary should be interpreted as having meanings consistent with meanings in the context of related technologies, and should not be interpreted as ideal or excessively formal meanings unless explicitly defined herein. It is desirable not to.

1 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a road traffic sign information recognition device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention defines a road traffic sign installed on the periphery of a road as GDD, and recognizes that information on a road traffic sign is visually displayed on the road traffic sign on a vehicle passing through the road traffic sign, or transmits the information on the road traffic sign. When the visibility is not secured, the radio signal transmitted from the road traffic sign is recognized to help the vehicle operation by minimizing the confusion caused by misrecognition or unrecognition of the road traffic sign in the general vehicle driver or autonomous vehicle. .

As shown in FIG. 1, the road traffic sign includes road traffic sign information according to GDD, and the road traffic sign information transmitter 100 transmits a signal encoding the road traffic sign information, and then the road traffic sign information of the vehicle. The recognizer 200 recognizes the road traffic sign information and the vehicle runs.

In addition, the road traffic sign information transmitter 100 and the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 are connected to a wireless network, and the road traffic sign information installed in each vehicle is transmitted to the road traffic sign information transmitter 100. It can be received by the recognizer 200.

Here, the provision of a plurality of visible or invisible wireless communication means is to prevent a misrecognized or unrecognized situation by receiving road traffic sign information from each vehicle in a multiplexed environment including redundancy or triplexing.

When an error occurs in recognizing road traffic sign information, it leads to a large accident, and thus, in the present invention, the error rate of reception and recognition is reduced by duplexing with a plurality of communication means. When a plurality of road traffic sign information is simultaneously recognized by a plurality of communication means, there is no problem if the information recognized by each communication means is the same, but if they do not match, wireless communication signals such as WiFi, 5G, LTE, and visible signals , It uses the method of assigning the weight to the signal in the order of high reliability by designating the confidence level for the ultrasonic and infrared signals. In the case of 5G, the vehicle wireless network supports a low-latency and highly reliable network slice to support a service for a connected car as a use case.

2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a road traffic sign information recognition process to which the present invention is applied.

As shown in FIG. 2, the present invention uses a GDD configured in advance by defining a road traffic sign of a road traffic sign as graphic data that is installed around the road to provide traffic information of the road to a vehicle driving the road. When the information on the road traffic sign defined by the GDD is converted into a wireless signal and then transmitted to a vehicle including an autonomous vehicle driving around, the vehicle including the autonomous vehicle may not recognize or recognize the road traffic sign. It is intended to assist in driving a vehicle by stably recognizing it while minimizing confusion.

That is, the present invention recognizes graphic information visually displayed on the road traffic sign in a vehicle including an autonomous vehicle driving on the road, or wirelessly based on GDD defined as a unique code for graphic information displayed on the road traffic sign. By receiving and recognizing the information on the road traffic sign transmitted to, the general driver or autonomous vehicle that has confirmed the road condition in front through the recognized road traffic sign is to perform safe driving and high-speed driving.

For example, the present invention is arranged at least one along the outer periphery of the graphic portion of the road traffic sign (ie cross-shaped intersection, T-shaped intersection, straight ahead, etc.) through a camera in a car passing a road traffic sign as shown in FIG. 2. The LED flashes or photographs the light on the graphic part of the road traffic sign displayed on the electric signboard, analyzes the captured image, and recognizes the graphic information visually displayed on the road traffic sign or recognizes GDD information included in the captured image You can check which road traffic sign it is.

At this time, in a car passing a road traffic sign, the information on the road traffic sign is first checked by the image recognition method, and if it is not recognized by the image recognition method, the image information captured by the camera is analyzed to analyze the light emitted from the LED or the electric signboard. By recognizing the GDD information included in the light displayed on, it is possible to sequentially perform a method of checking information on a road traffic sign. Of course, it is also possible to apply the method of checking the information on the road traffic signs through mutual comparison after simultaneously processing the two processing methods described above.

To this end, in the present invention, the LED-based road traffic sign applying a visible light communication method including LiFi / OCC / VLC, which supports fast transmission speed, has no harm to the human body, and has various advantages such as low cost, stability, and security. An information recognizer 200 is provided.

In addition, the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 provided in the vehicle including the autonomous driving vehicle receives information on the road traffic sign transmitted from the road traffic sign information transmitter 100 using the light of the LED to the road traffic sign. Recognizes the information on the road, and checks the road conditions in front of the general vehicle driver or autonomous vehicle based on the recognized road traffic signs. That is, the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 includes an OCC camera, receives the visible light signal transmitted from the road traffic sign information transmitter 100 through the OCC camera, decodes it, and appears on the corresponding road traffic sign. The GDD data defined by the unique code is checked for the graphic information. As described above, when the GDD data is obtained from the road traffic sign information recognizer 200, it is possible to recognize what road traffic sign information is based on the information defined in the GDD data. In addition, the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 may recognize the road traffic sign information by directly recognizing the graphic portion visually displayed on the road traffic sign plate as an image in addition to receiving and checking the GDD information transmitted wirelessly as described above.

At this time, the present invention has been described as an example of using a visible light communication method including LiFi / OCC / VLC when transmitting and receiving information on a road traffic sign indicated on the road traffic sign as a wireless signal, but is not limited thereto. In addition, any type of communication method currently used may be used. For example, in the process of periodically transmitting information on the road traffic sign through the LiFi / OCC / VLC in the road traffic sign information transmitter 100 provided on the road traffic sign board, if there is bad weather or surroundings such as fog, rain, snow, etc. In case the information on the road traffic sign is not accurately transmitted due to the vehicle, information on the road traffic sign can be transmitted by simultaneously using or replacing a broadband communication network such as WiFi or LTE. That is, according to the present invention, a method of transmitting information on road traffic signs through LiFi / OCC / VLC and a method of transmitting through a broadband communication network may be used in combination or selectively.

Meanwhile, the road traffic sign information transmitter 100 encodes the road traffic sign indicated on the road traffic sign board based on GDD defined as graphic data, and then converts the information on the encoded road traffic sign into a LiFi / OCC / VLC signal. It is converted and transmitted through LEDs to vehicles driving around. In other words, information about road traffic signs is transmitted to the surrounding cars wirelessly through the OCC. At this time, the OCC is a form of optical communication using omni-directional visible light, infrared light or ultraviolet light for signal transmission.

At this time, the road traffic sign information transmitter 100 uses the most commonly known on-off keying method when wirelessly transmitting information on a road traffic sign encoded based on GDD predefined as graphic data through OCC. Can be easily handled. Here, it is needless to say that various methods currently known in addition to the on-off keying method can be applied.

As described above, when information about road traffic signs transmitted through LiFi / OCC / VLC or the like is recognized through the LED of the present invention, information on a sign on a moving vehicle is slow due to a slow communication speed, which is a problem in RF communication used in the past. It is possible to solve the failure to accurately and quickly deliver, and accordingly, the driver of the general vehicle as well as the autonomous vehicle can safely and perform high-speed driving.

In addition, the road traffic sign information transmitter 100 may be installed in two types, and the road traffic sign information transmitter in which the converted OCC signal (that is, information on the road traffic sign) based on GDD data is installed in two forms. It is transmitted to a general vehicle or an autonomous vehicle that runs around the area through (100).

One installation method is to install the LED-based road traffic sign information transmitter 100 on the existing road traffic sign. This is the simplest way to install, and has the advantage of being applied to all existing road traffic signs, and can reduce the cost required to build a system. The difference from the existing road traffic signs is that only the data encoded on the road traffic signs is transmitted wirelessly.

Another installation method is somewhat complicated compared to the above method. It is a method to make each road traffic sign with LED parts. The advantage of this type is that the newly designed road traffic signs are more visually improved for both drivers and autonomous vehicles compared to the existing road traffic signs. In addition, a newly designed road traffic sign made of LED transmits specially encoded GDD data. Accordingly, it is possible to easily check information on a specific road traffic sign based on the recognition of GDD data received from the road traffic sign board through the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 in the vehicle and autonomous vehicle of a general driver driving around.

On the other hand, the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 may be added to an existing camera system provided in a vehicle or may be newly manufactured and installed, and transmitted from the OCC camera including an image sensor and the road traffic sign information transmitter 100 It includes a configuration for decoding a signal. That is, the road traffic sign information transmitter 100 detects the information on the road traffic sign wirelessly transmitted through the OCC through the image sensor provided in the OCC camera, decodes it, and checks the GDD data, thereby identifying the road traffic sign information. Is to recognize correctly.

In addition, the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 is a method of directly recognizing a graphic portion visually displayed on the road traffic sign board in addition to a method of receiving and confirming GDD information wirelessly transmitted from the LiFi transmitter 100. You can check road traffic sign information.

In addition, the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 recognizes a visual display on the road traffic sign or recognizes GDD information by receiving a radio signal transmitted from the road traffic sign information transmitter 100 of the road traffic sign, The information on the recognized road traffic sign is output to a navigation device or a display device provided in the vehicle to be checked by the vehicle driver. At this time, the information on the road traffic sign may be provided as voice information in addition to visual information.

In addition, the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 provides information on the recognized road traffic sign to the central processing unit that manages the operation of the vehicle when the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle, thereby maintaining an accurate route based on automatic control of the vehicle. And safe operation in accordance with road regulations.

3 is a view showing the configuration of the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 in more detail, and FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of a road direction defined in GDD used in the present invention.

3, the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 includes an information receiving unit 210, an information recognition unit 220, a storage unit 230, an information output unit 240, and an image recognition unit 250. , An image estimation unit 260, a control unit 270, and the like. In addition, although not shown in the drawing, a power supply unit for supplying power used by the road traffic sign information recognizer 200, an input unit for setting operation of the road traffic sign information recognizer 200, and the like may be additionally provided.

The information receiving unit 210 receives road traffic sign information from a road traffic sign that is installed around the road and provides traffic information of the road to a vehicle driving the road. That is, the information receiving unit 210 receives information on the road traffic sign transmitted through the OCC from the road traffic sign board.

At this time, the information receiving unit 210 photographs the graphic portion visually displayed according to the blinking of the LED light source on the road traffic sign plate, or the GDD information defining the road traffic sign in the road traffic sign information transmitter 100 flashes the LED light source. It may be a camera including a photo detector for photographing a wireless signal that is modulated and transmitted through light.

For example, the information receiving unit 210 photographs light output from the road traffic sign through a camera image sensor at a constant frame rate to generate a video composed of a plurality of still images (ie frames), By providing this to the information recognizing unit 220, it is possible to recognize visually displayed on the road traffic sign or to check information on a crossroad traffic sign defined based on GDD.

The information recognizing unit 220 analyzes road traffic sign information related to traffic information of the corresponding road received from the information receiving unit 210 to recognize which road traffic sign is information.

For example, the information recognition unit 220 decodes the image information (that is, an image composed of a plurality of frames) received from the information receiving unit 210, extracts GDD information included in the image information, and stores it 230 It is to interpret which road traffic sign the extracted GDD information is by referring to the GDD information stored in advance.

The storage unit 230 stores various motion programs used by the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 to receive information on road traffic signs from the road traffic sign board, and defines the road traffic signs as graphic data. Stores and manages GDD information configured in advance.

At this time, the GDD information stored in the storage unit 230, as shown in FIG. 4, graphic parts such as straight, straight and left turn, straight and right turn, as defined by the road traffic sign, and unique code values determined according to the graphic parts This includes information that defines information on all types of road traffic signs. In addition, the GDD information may include specific section information of a road affected by a road traffic sign, a starting point, a length, an ending point of a road, or a combination of the specific sections.

In addition, when the GDD information related to various road traffic signs is newly added or changed, the storage unit 230 may receive and update newly added or changed GDD information from a server managing it.

The information output unit 240 outputs the information on the road traffic sign recognized by the information recognition unit 220 as graphic data to a navigation device or a display device provided in the vehicle, so that the vehicle driver can confirm the information.

At this time, the information output unit 240 may convert the information on the road traffic sign into visual signals, and output the information through a speaker or the like.

In addition, the information output unit 240 maintains the route and provides road rules by providing information on the road traffic signs recognized by the information recognition unit 220 to the central processing unit that manages the operation of the vehicle when the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle. Make sure to perform safe operation in accordance with

The image recognition unit 250 performs a function of recognizing the graphic portion of the road traffic sign by extracting an area for the graphic portion of the road traffic sign image as an image based on the road traffic sign information received from the information receiving unit 210. do.

That is, the image recognition unit 250 is a cross-shaped intersection, a T-shaped intersection based on the image information obtained by photographing the graphic portion visually displayed according to the blinking of the LED light source disposed on the graphic portion of the road traffic sign in the information receiving unit 210 , By extracting a specific form of the road traffic sign, such as a left confluence road, a double-curved road, or a slippery road, as an image, information on the road traffic sign can be recognized.

When the image estimating unit 260 extracts an area for the graphic portion of the road traffic sign from the image recognition unit 250 as an image, a display error of the road traffic sign or recognition by the image recognition unit 250 When some areas of the graphic portion of the road traffic sign are not recognized due to an error, the image recognition unit 250 is the closest to the image recognized by the GDD information previously stored in the storage unit 230. Check GDD information, and perform the function of estimating the checked GDD information as an area for a graphic portion of the road traffic sign.

The control unit 270 is a part that comprehensively controls various functions performed by the road traffic sign information recognizer 200, and controls the reception of road traffic sign information from the road traffic sign plate in the information receiving unit 210, Analysis of wireless signal reception information from the information recognition unit 220 and control of information recognition for road traffic signs, and various operation programs and road traffic used for transmission of information about road traffic signs in the storage unit 230 It defines the front cover as graphic data and controls the storage and update management of GDD information that is pre-configured.

In addition, the control unit 270 controls the output of information on the road traffic sign in the information output unit 240, and the graphic portion displayed on the road traffic sign plate in the image recognition unit 250 through an LED light source. Controls the image extraction of the region for, and controls the estimation of the graphic portion based on pre-stored GDD information when some region of the graphic portion of the road traffic sign is not recognized by the image estimator 260. .

On the other hand, the control unit 270, the information receiving unit 210 for receiving the road traffic sign code, the image recognition unit 250, or a wireless communication unit (not shown) of the wireless communication unit (not shown), or a combination thereof received Match results so that they can be taken selectively. For example, in the case of receiving an important and urgent signal requiring redundancy, it is necessary to receive visible and invisible signals in duplicate.

In this way, the control unit 270 includes a function of determining which result to use by receiving the received road traffic sign information in a double or triple manner through a plurality of information receiving units or an image recognition unit.

 That is, when a plurality of road traffic sign information is received, the control unit 270 checks the consistency of the recognition result of the received road traffic sign information and finally determines a road traffic sign information to be displayed. The overall control is to perform the information recognition and display mechanism. When road traffic sign information is input through multiple routes, it must be processed and checked for consistency, and it should be determined what reliable information is. This mechanism is provided in the present invention.

Meanwhile, the road traffic sign board has a communication (serial) port (not shown) for directly controlling the operation of the road traffic sign information transmitter, and a user interface for simply setting the operation conditions of the road traffic sign information transmitter ( (Not shown). The user interface may include a control panel or a computer keyboard interface.

Next, an embodiment of the method for recognizing road traffic sign information according to the present invention configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5. At this time, each step according to the method of the present invention can be changed in order by the environment or those skilled in the art.

5 is a flowchart illustrating in detail a process of recognizing road traffic sign information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 is a road traffic sign information recognizer 200 in a state in which the road traffic sign installed in the periphery of the road is defined as graphic data and stores preconfigured GDD information. GDD data defined for the road traffic sign information encoded from the traffic sign information transmitter 100 is received as a visible and invisible signal (S100). At the same time, the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 acquires an image by photographing (scanning) the road traffic sign image on which the road traffic sign information transmitter 100 is located (S200). Here, the road traffic sign information transmitter 100 modulates the GDD data for the encoded specific road traffic sign into a visible or invisible signal and transmits it to a vehicle including an autonomous vehicle in operation. For example, using the light emitted from the LED placed along the periphery of the graphic portion of the road traffic sign, or, if the road traffic sign is implemented as a billboard, the road using the light of the graphic portion of the road traffic sign displayed on the billboard It is to transmit traffic sign information to automobiles including autonomous vehicles.

At this time, the road traffic sign information transmitter 100 checks whether or not the information on the road traffic sign is transmitted, transmits a visible or invisible signal containing GDD data, or continuously transmits a visible or invisible signal wirelessly. do.

As described above, when the road traffic sign information transmitter 100 modulates and transmits GDD data for a specific road traffic sign with a visible or invisible signal, the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 provided in a vehicle including an autonomous vehicle is a camera. It is determined whether the visible light signal is received. That is, it is determined whether information on the road traffic sign transmitted through the OCC is received from the road traffic sign board.

When a visible light signal is received through camera shooting as a result of determination, the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 decodes the received visible light signal to extract GDD data defined in relation to traffic information of the corresponding road (S300), and the extracted GDD The data is matched with the GDD information stored in advance to determine which road traffic sign is used and to determine what the extracted road traffic sign information is (S400).

Meanwhile, the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 first recognizes an image obtained by photographing (scanning) the road traffic sign image, matches the recognized result and whether the GDD data matches, and then uses the road as a basis for the result. Check and determine the traffic sign information (S400).

Thereafter, the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 displays information on the identified road traffic signs on a navigation or display device provided in the vehicle or outputs a voice signal through a speaker to allow a general vehicle driver to check or autonomous driving In the case of a vehicle, information on road traffic signs is provided to a central processing unit that manages the operation of the vehicle, so that the road conditions in front can be checked quickly and accurately, so that route maintenance and safe operation in accordance with road regulations can be performed ( S500). In addition, when the new road traffic sign is recognized, the driving information of the vehicle is updated to update the result again (S600).

That is, the road traffic sign information recognizer 200 recognizes the GDD information included in the light emitted from the LED provided on the road traffic sign or the light displayed on the electronic signboard as described above to check the information on the road traffic sign. The method and a method of confirming information on the road traffic sign by applying the light emitted from the LED provided on the road traffic sign or the light displayed on the electronic signboard as an image can be applied. .

As described above, the present invention defines road traffic signs as graphic data and corresponds to road traffic sign information displayed or transmitted by road traffic signs in a state in which road traffic signs are installed at each location on the road based on GDD configured in advance. By recognizing the vehicle on the road, it is possible to promote the safe operation of the autonomous vehicle as well as the driver of the general vehicle through quick and accurate recognition of the road condition in front of the vehicle being driven.

In addition, in order to prevent the road traffic sign information from being recognized visually well, the road traffic sign information transmitted through a wireless signal such as LiFi is received and recognized by the car driving the road. The occurrence of confusion due to inability to recognize can be minimized.

In addition, even if a part of the graphic part of the road traffic sign is not accurately recognized due to a display obstacle or recognition error, the road traffic sign information having the most similar type of graphic information is detected by referring to the pre-stored GDD information. Therefore, the recognition rate of the road traffic sign information is improved, and accordingly, the driver and the autonomous vehicle of the general vehicle can perform a safe operation in preparation for the road situation.

As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiment shown in the drawings, but this is only exemplary, and those skilled in the art to which the art pertains have various modifications and other equivalent embodiments You will understand that it is possible. Therefore, the technical protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the following claims.

100: road traffic sign information transmitter 200: road traffic sign information recognizer
210: information receiving unit 220: information recognition unit
230: storage unit 240: information output unit
250: image recognition unit 260: image estimation unit
270: control unit

Claims (8)

Road traffic sign information defined based on a graphic data dictionary (GDD) including a graphic part meant by the road traffic sign and a unique code value determined according to the graphic part is received from the road traffic sign and extracts the unique code value Information receiving unit; And
And an information recognition unit for recognizing the road traffic sign information by matching the extracted unique code value with the information of the GDD. The method according to claim 1,
The information receiving unit,
And receiving the information on the road traffic sign through a communication means including a plurality of visible or invisible wireless communication means in a multiplexed environment including redundancy or triplexing.
When a plurality of road traffic sign information is simultaneously recognized by the plurality of communication means, and when the information recognized by each communication means does not coincide with each other, wireless communication signals including WiFi, 5G, LTE, visible signals, ultrasonic waves, infrared signals, etc. The apparatus for recognizing road traffic sign information, comprising assigning a weight to the signal in the order of high reliability by specifying a confidence level for the road traffic sign information. The method according to claim 1,
The road traffic sign information recognition device,
An image recognition unit for recognizing the graphic portion of the road traffic sign by extracting an area for the graphic portion of the road traffic sign image as an image based on the road traffic sign information received from the information receiving unit; And
When the area for the graphic portion of the road traffic sign is extracted as an image when the image recognition unit does not recognize a part of the region for the graphic portion of the road traffic sign, refer to GDD information previously stored in the storage unit. And an image estimator for checking GDD information closest to the image recognized by the image recognition unit and estimating the checked GDD information as an area for a graphic portion of the road traffic sign. Cover information recognition device. The method according to claim 1,
The information receiving unit,
It is characterized in that it comprises receiving and recognizing the road traffic sign information transmitted through LiFi from another car driving the corresponding road, in case the road traffic sign information is not visually well recognized in the road traffic sign board. Road traffic sign information recognition device. In the road traffic sign information recognition apparatus, road traffic sign information defined based on a graphic data dictionary (GDD) including a graphic part meant by the road traffic sign and a unique code value determined according to the graphic part is received from the road traffic sign board Information receiving step;
Extracting the unique code value from the received road traffic sign information; And
And an information recognizing step of recognizing the road traffic sign information by matching the extracted unique code value with the information of the GDD. The method according to claim 5,
The step of receiving the information,
And receiving the information on the road traffic sign through a communication means including a plurality of visible or invisible wireless communication means in a multiplexed environment including redundancy or triplexing.
When a plurality of road traffic sign information is simultaneously recognized by the plurality of communication means, and when the information recognized by each communication means does not coincide with each other, wireless communication signals including WiFi, 5G, LTE, visible signals, ultrasonic waves, infrared signals, etc. A method of recognizing road traffic sign information, comprising assigning a weight to the signal in the order of high reliability by specifying a confidence level for. The method according to claim 5,
The road traffic sign information recognition method,
An image recognition step of recognizing a graphic portion of the road traffic sign by extracting an area for the graphic portion of the road traffic sign image as an image based on the road traffic sign information received in the information receiving step; And
When extracting an area for the graphic portion of the road traffic sign as an image in the image recognition step, if some area for the graphic portion of the road traffic sign is not recognized, refer to GDD information stored in the storage unit. And checking the GDD information closest to the image recognized by the image recognition unit and estimating the checked GDD information as an area for the graphic portion of the road traffic sign. How to recognize cover information. The method according to claim 5,
The step of receiving the information,
It is characterized in that it comprises receiving and recognizing the road traffic sign information transmitted through LiFi from another car driving the corresponding road, in case the road traffic sign information is not visually well recognized in the road traffic sign board. How to recognize road traffic sign information.

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