KR20220132247A - Device and method to control traffic light installed associated with crosswalk - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a traffic light control device for controlling a traffic signal associated with a crosswalk, comprising: a traffic light interface configured to communicate with the traffic light; a camera interface configured to receive images captured by a camera installed in association with the crosswalk; and a traffic light controller configured to detect objects in the images received through the camera interface, to track the objects to generate motion vectors of the objects, and to control symbols displayed by the traffic light through the traffic light interface based on motion vectors. The motion vectors include the object's movement speed, and the traffic light controller is configured to calculate the changing rates in movement speed, and to control the symbols of the traffic light according to the calculated change rate. Therefore, the present invention can provide signals adaptive to the movements of nearby pedestrians.

Description

DEVICE AND METHOD TO CONTROL TRAFFIC LIGHT INSTALLED ASSOCIATED WITH CROSSWALK

The present invention relates to an electronic device, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for controlling a traffic light installed in association with a crosswalk.

As life becomes richer and more convenient, the number of cars is increasing, and the traffic volume is increasing with the increase of these cars. As the number of cars increases, the likelihood of a traffic accident may increase.

Pedestrians, especially children, may have lower peripheral judgment than adults, may act abruptly, and thus may have a higher chance of being involved in a traffic accident than adults. Children's traffic accidents are particularly frequent in specific spaces such as school zones and residential alleys, and drivers' attention is particularly required in these spaces. Accordingly, in spaces with a high probability of occurrence of traffic accidents, such as school zones and residential alleys, various signs to induce slow motion, for example, zigzag yellow lines, convex mirrors, light emitting devices that generate specific colors such as red, etc. It has been installed to prevent accidents involving children. However, these structures or devices only indicate that careful driving is required in the corresponding space, but have limitations in that they do not represent information adaptive to the situation during driving.

Accordingly, the development of devices for the safety of pedestrians on the road is also being actively performed. For example, a device for displaying a walking guide signal or generating an alarm by determining whether a pedestrian exists near a crosswalk may be provided. However, these devices have limitations in preventing traffic accidents given that pedestrians, for example, children, may act unexpectedly.

The above description is only for helping the understanding of the background of the technical spirit of the present invention, and therefore it cannot be understood as the content corresponding to the prior art known to those skilled in the art.

SUMMARY Embodiments of the present invention are to provide an apparatus and method capable of providing a signal adaptive to the movement of an adjacent pedestrian.

A traffic light control apparatus for controlling a traffic light installed in connection with a crosswalk according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a traffic light interface configured to communicate with the traffic light; a camera interface configured to receive an image taken by a camera installed in association with the crosswalk; and detecting an object in the image received through the camera interface, generating a motion vector of the object by tracking the object, and controlling a symbol displayed by the traffic light through the traffic light interface based on the motion vector and a traffic light controller configured to do.

The traffic light controller may be configured to receive an alarm signal associated with the transition of the symbol of the traffic light through the traffic light interface, and to initiate detection of the object in the image in response to the alarm signal.

The alarm signal may be received when the symbol of the traffic light changes to a red symbol.

The traffic light controller may be configured to generate a first command to cause the traffic light to display a red symbol when the calculated change amount is higher than a threshold value.

After generating the first command, the traffic light controller may be configured to generate a second command so that the traffic light maintains the red symbol while the object is detected in the image.

The object may include a person object, and the traffic light controller determines a group corresponding to the person object from among a plurality of groups corresponding to each age based on the person object, and according to the determined group and may be configured to adjust the threshold.

The object may include a person object, and the traffic light controller determines a group corresponding to the person object from among a plurality of groups corresponding to each age, based on the person object, and corresponds to the determined group. and apply a weight value to the calculated change amount, and control the symbol of the traffic light according to the change amount to which the weight value is applied.

The object may include a person object, and the traffic light controller determines a group corresponding to the person object from among a plurality of groups corresponding to each age, based on the person object, and corresponds to the determined group. It may be configured to apply a weight value to the moving speed, and calculate the change amount according to the moving speed to which the weight value is applied.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for controlling a traffic light installed in association with a crosswalk. The method includes the steps of detecting an object in an image taken by a camera installed in association with the crosswalk; generating a movement vector of the object by tracking the object, wherein the movement vector includes a movement speed of the object; and controlling the symbol displayed by the traffic light based on the movement vector, wherein the controlling of the symbol displayed by the traffic light includes: calculating an amount of change in the movement speed of the object; and controlling the symbol of the traffic light according to the calculated change amount.

The method may further include receiving an alarm signal associated with a transition of the symbol of the traffic light, and the detecting of the object may be performed in response to the alarm signal.

The alarm signal may be received when the symbol of the traffic light changes to a red symbol.

The controlling of the symbol of the traffic light according to the calculated change amount may include generating a first command so that the traffic light displays a red symbol when the calculated change amount is higher than a threshold value.

The method may further include, after generating the first command, generating a second command so that the traffic light maintains the red symbol while the object is detected in the image.

The object may include a person object, and the generating of the first command may include: determining a group corresponding to the person object from among a plurality of groups corresponding to each age, based on the person object; and adjusting the threshold value according to the determined group.

The object may include a person object, and the method may further include determining a group corresponding to the person object from among a plurality of groups each corresponding to an age, based on the person object, The controlling of the symbol of the traffic light according to the calculated amount of change may include: applying a weight value corresponding to the determined group to the calculated amount of change; and controlling the symbol of the traffic light according to the amount of change to which the weight value is applied.

The object may include a person object, and the method may further include determining a group corresponding to the person object from among a plurality of groups each corresponding to an age, based on the person object, Calculating the amount of change in the moving speed may include: applying a weight value corresponding to the determined group to the moving speed; and calculating the change amount according to the moving speed to which the weight value is applied.

According to embodiments of the present invention, an apparatus and method capable of providing a signal adaptive to the movement of an adjacent pedestrian are provided. For example, the apparatus for controlling a traffic light may detect a person object from an image obtained by a camera, and control the traffic light by monitoring the detected person object.

1 is a block diagram showing devices installed near a crosswalk according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the traffic signal control system of FIG. 1 in more detail.
3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the traffic light controller of FIG. 2 .
4 is a graph showing the movement speed of the pedestrian and the amount of change in the movement speed when the pedestrian moves.
5 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the traffic light controller of FIG.
FIG. 6 is a table showing groups that can be estimated by the age group estimator of FIG. 5 and corresponding weights.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a traffic light according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method for starting the execution of step S110 of FIG. 7 .
9 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of step S130 of FIG. 7 .
10 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of step S320 of FIG. 9 .
11 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of step S410 of FIG. 10 .
12 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of step S320 of FIG. 9 .
13 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of step S310 of FIG. 9 .
14 is a block diagram showing a computer device suitable for implementing the traffic light control device of FIG. 2 .

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in the following description, only parts necessary for understanding the operation according to the present invention are described, and descriptions of other parts will be omitted so as not to obscure the gist of the present invention. Also, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. However, the embodiments described herein are provided to explain in detail enough to be able to easily implement the technical spirit of the present invention to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains.

Throughout the specification, when a part is "connected" with another part, this includes not only the case of being "directly connected" but also the case of being "indirectly connected" with another element interposed therebetween. . The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and not for limiting the present invention. Throughout the specification, when a part "includes" a certain component, it means that other components may be further included, rather than excluding other components, unless otherwise stated. “At least any one of X, Y, and Z” and “at least any one selected from the group consisting of X, Y, and Z” means one X, one Y, one Z, or two of X, Y, and Z or It can be interpreted as any combination of more (eg, XYZ, XYY, YZ, ZZ). Herein, “and/or” includes any combination of one or more of the components.

1 is a block diagram showing devices installed near a crosswalk according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , vehicles are moving along a roadway, and a pedestrian PDST is located in the vicinity of a crosswalk.

A first traffic light TL1 for drivers of vehicles and a second traffic light TL2 for pedestrians PDST are installed in the vicinity of the crosswalk, and the first and second traffic lights TL1 and TL2 are traffic signals It may be controlled by the control system 100 . For example, the traffic signal control system 100 controls the first traffic light TL1 to display predetermined symbols such as a red symbol, an orange symbol, and a green symbol, and controls the second traffic light TL2 to also display a predetermined symbol. can be controlled When the first traffic light TL1 displays a red symbol and the second traffic light TL2 displays a green symbol, the vehicle stops and the pedestrian PDST can cross the crosswalk.

At least one camera (CMR) is installed near the crosswalk. The camera CMR may point to the area where the crosswalk is installed and/or to the area adjacent thereto, and may photograph the directed area. When the pedestrian PDST is located in the corresponding area, the camera CMR may photograph the pedestrian PDST.

The traffic signal control system 100 may communicate with the camera CMR. In embodiments, the traffic signal control system 100 may be connected to the camera CMR by wire and/or wirelessly, and thus may receive an image captured by the camera CMR.

The traffic signal control system 100 extracts a person object corresponding to a pedestrian PDST from an image provided by a camera CMR, detects the movement of the extracted person object, and detects a first traffic light TL1 and a second traffic light ( TL2), it is possible to prevent a traffic accident between a pedestrian (PDST) and a vehicle. However, embodiments of the present invention are not limited to controlling the traffic lights TL1 and TL2 based on a person object. For example, it is possible to extract an object corresponding to a specific non-human object such as a companion animal from an image provided by the camera CMR, and control the traffic lights TL1 and TL2 by detecting the movement of the extracted object. . Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with a focus on controlling the traffic lights TL1 and TL2 based on a human object.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the traffic signal control system of FIG. 1 in more detail.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the traffic signal control system 100 may include a traffic light driver 110 and a traffic light control device 120 .

The traffic light driver 110 may be connected to the first traffic light TL1 and the second traffic light TL2 by wire and/or wirelessly to drive them. The traffic light driver 110 drives the first traffic light TL1 to sequentially display the red symbol, the orange symbol, and the green symbol at predetermined time periods, and drives the second traffic light TL2 to display the green symbol and the orange symbol , and the red symbol may be sequentially displayed at predetermined time periods. For example, when the second traffic light TL2 displays a green symbol, the first traffic light TL1 may display a red symbol.

The traffic light control device 120 may be connected to the traffic light driver 110 . The traffic light control device 120 controls the traffic light driver 110 based on the image VD provided from the at least one camera CMR so that the first traffic light TL1 displays a red symbol. The traffic light control device 120 may include a camera interface 121 , a traffic light interface 122 , and a traffic light controller 123 .

The camera interface 121 provides an interface between the traffic light controller 123 and the camera CMR, so the traffic light controller 123 can communicate with the camera CMR through the camera interface 122 . For example, the traffic signal control system 100 may include a communication module capable of communicating with a camera (CMR) by wire and/or wirelessly, and the camera interface 122 may use such a communication module to communicate with the camera (CMR). ) can communicate with

The traffic light interface 122 provides an interface between the traffic light controller 123 and the traffic light driver 110 , so the traffic light controller 123 can control the traffic light driver 110 through the traffic light interface 122 . For example, the traffic light interface 122 is connected to the traffic light driver 110 by wire and/or wirelessly.

The traffic light controller 123 may receive the image VD from the camera CMR through the camera interface 121 . The traffic light controller 123 generates a movement vector of the person object by tracking the person object included in the image VD, and controls the traffic light driver 110 based on the generated movement vector so that the first traffic light TL1 is red. A symbol (ie, a stop symbol) can be displayed. The traffic light controller 123 may control the traffic light driver 110 based on the amount of change in the moving speed of the human object. This is explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 3 .

3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the traffic light controller of FIG. 2 . 4 is a graph showing the movement speed of the pedestrian and the amount of change in the movement speed when the pedestrian moves.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the traffic light controller 200 may include an image analyzer 210 , a movement characteristic calculator 220 , and a command generator 230 .

The image analyzer 210 may generate a motion vector corresponding to the person object by tracking the person object included in the image VD. To this end, the image analyzer 210 may include an object tracker 211 and a motion vector detector 212 .

The object tracker 211 is configured to detect a human object from the image VD. In embodiments, the object tracker 211 may detect a human object in the image VD through at least one of various human detection algorithms known in the art, and track the detected human object. have. The detected human object corresponds to a pedestrian (PDST, see FIG. 1 ) captured in the image VD.

The motion vector detector 212 is configured to generate a motion vector representative of the motion of the human object being tracked. The motion vector detector 212 may generate a motion vector by tracking the position of the human object. The image VD includes a plurality of frames per unit time (eg, 1 second), among which the position of the human object in the first frame and the position of the human object in the second frame, and the first and second frames According to the time difference therebetween, a motion vector corresponding to the motion of the human object may be determined.

The movement characteristic calculator 220 is configured to calculate a change amount of the movement speed from the movement vector of the human object determined by the movement vector detector 212 . Referring to FIG. 4 together with FIG. 3 , the motion of the human object OBJT may be expressed as a motion vector MV by the motion vector detector 212 . The motion vector MV contains information about the moving speed V. For example, the movement vector may include a direction component of the movement of the human object and a movement speed. If the pedestrian PDST, eg, a child, is stationary before the first time t1, the moving speed V may be a constant speed until the first time t1, for example, the first speed v1. The first speed v1 may be zero. If it is assumed that the pedestrian PDST suddenly starts to run or changes directions from the first time t1, the moving speed V sharply increases from the first time t1 to the second speed at the second time t2. After reaching (v2), the moving speed V may gradually increase to reach the third speed v3 at the third time t3.

The movement characteristic calculator 220 calculates the change amount A of the movement speed. The change amount A of the moving speed is the first acceleration a1, for example, 0, until the first time t1, and then increases rapidly to reach the maximum acceleration a2 at the second time t2, and then decreases Thus, the third acceleration a3 may be exhibited at the third time t3. The third acceleration a3 may be greater than the first acceleration a1 .

The command generator 230 is configured such that the first traffic light TL1 (refer to FIG. 2 ) displays a red symbol (ie, a stop symbol) according to the change amount (A, hereinafter, acceleration) of the moving speed V. The traffic light driver 110 ( FIG. 2 ) see) can be controlled. In embodiments, the command generator 230 may transmit the command CMD to the traffic light driver 110 when the acceleration A of the human object OBJT increases to be higher than the threshold acceleration THA. The threshold acceleration THA may be appropriately adjusted according to embodiments. The traffic light driver 110 drives the first traffic light TL1 to display a red symbol in response to the command CMD.

When the first traffic light TL1 already displays the red symbol, the traffic light driver 110 controls the first traffic light TL1 to continuously maintain the red symbol in response to the command CMD. When the first traffic light TL1 displays the green symbol, the traffic light driver 110 controls the first traffic light TL1 to transition the green symbol to the red symbol in response to the command CMD.

In some embodiments, while the human object OBJT is detected in the image VD by the object tracker 211 , the command generator 230 issues the command CMD so that the first traffic light TL1 keeps the red symbol. It can be created repeatedly. When the human object OBJT is no longer detected, the command generator 230 may stop generating the command CMD.

It is assumed that the command generator 230 simply controls the first traffic light TL1 according to the moving speed V. As shown in FIG. For example, when the moving speed V is higher than the threshold speed THV, the first traffic light TL1 may be controlled to display a red symbol. Considering that a child's movement has a slower speed than that of an adult, if the first traffic light (TL1) is controlled to display a red symbol only when the child's movement speed (V) becomes higher than the threshold speed (THV), a child traffic accident may not be effectively prevented. If the threshold speed THV is set low, the first traffic light TL1 may display a red symbol by an adult's daily movement, which may cause a decrease in traffic flow.

Children are more likely to act abruptly, which can lead to a relatively high probability of being in a car accident. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the command generator 230 may control the traffic light driver 110 according to the acceleration A of the human object OBJT so that the first traffic light TL1 displays a red symbol. Accordingly, when a pedestrian (PDST, see FIG. 1), for example, a child shows a sudden movement such as running in the direction of the road, the first traffic light TL1 may display a red symbol, and the driver 1 You can stop at the red symbol of the traffic light TL1. Accordingly, traffic accidents can be effectively prevented.

5 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the traffic light controller of FIG. FIG. 6 is a table showing groups that can be estimated by the age group estimator of FIG. 5 and corresponding weights.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the traffic light controller 300 may include an image analyzer 310 , a movement characteristic calculator 320 , a command generator 330 , and an age group estimator 340 .

The image analyzer 310 may include an object tracker 311 and a motion vector detector 312 . The object tracker 311 , the motion vector detector 312 , and the motion characteristic calculator 320 are the object tracker 211 , the motion vector detector 212 , and the motion characteristic calculator 320 described with reference to FIG. 3 . are configured in the same way as Hereinafter, overlapping descriptions will be omitted.

The age group estimator 340 is configured to estimate the age group of the person object OBJT (refer to FIG. 4 ) and generate a weight WT corresponding to the estimated age group. The age group estimator 340 is configured to estimate the age group of the human object OBJT using at least one of various image analysis algorithms known in the art.

In embodiments, the age group estimator 340 may include deep learning-based learning data. For example, the age group estimator 340 includes modeling data obtained by learning gaits and/or face shapes of person objects of each age group, and using the learned data, the age group of the person object OBJT. It may include an algorithm for estimating . In the case of estimating the age of the human object (OBJT) using the modeling data obtained by learning the gait of the human object, even if the distance between the camera (CMR, see FIG. 2) and the pedestrian (PDST) is long, the human object ( OBJT) can be estimated.

Referring to FIG. 6 together with FIG. 5 , the age group estimator 340 determines that the person object OBJT belongs to one of the age groups of the first to nth groups GRP1, GRP2, GRP3, ... , GRPn. can do. For example, the first group (GRP1) is the age group of 0-5 years, the second group (GRP2) is the age group of 6-10 years, the third group (GP3) is the age group of 11-15 years old, Group n (GRPn) may represent an age group over 60 years old.

The age group estimator 340 may generate a weight WT corresponding to the estimated age group. The first to nth groups GRP1, GRP2, GRP3, ... , GRPn may correspond to the first to nth weights WT1, WT2, WT3, ..., WTn, respectively. For example, when it is determined that the person object OBJT belongs to the first group GRP1, the age group estimator 340 may generate the first weight WT1. The generated weight may be provided to the command generator 330 . The first to nth weights WT1 to WTn may be sequentially increasing values.

The command generator 330 adjusts the threshold acceleration (THA, see FIG. 4) according to the weight WT received from the age group estimator 340, and adjusts the acceleration (A, see FIG. 4) of the person object OBJT. and compare the threshold acceleration THA to generate a command CMD. For example, the command generator 330 may adjust the threshold acceleration THA by multiplying the threshold acceleration THA by the reciprocal of the weight WT. As such, as the age of the human object OBJT decreases, the threshold acceleration THA may decrease.

Pedestrians of a younger age, such as children, are more likely to make sudden movements, which may mean that the likelihood of accidents is relatively high. According to an embodiment of the present invention, by reducing the threshold acceleration THA as the age group is younger, the first traffic light TL1 is adaptively controlled to the age group of the pedestrian PDST, thereby further reducing the possibility of a traffic accident. .

Also, the command generator 330 may adjust the acceleration A of the person object OBJT according to the weight WT received from the age group estimator 340 . For example, the command generator 330 may adjust the acceleration A by multiplying the acceleration A by the weight WT. The command generator 330 will compare the adjusted acceleration A to a threshold acceleration THA to generate a command CMD. Furthermore, the movement characteristic calculator 320 adjusts the movement speed V of the person object OBJT according to the weight WT received from the age group estimator 340, and the acceleration (V) according to the adjusted movement speed V A) may be calculated, and the calculated acceleration A may be provided to the command generator 330 . As such, by applying the weight WT, which increases as the age group is younger, to the acceleration A or velocity V, and generating a command CMD according to the adjusted acceleration A or velocity V, the first The traffic light TL1 is adaptively controlled according to the age of the pedestrian PDST to further reduce the possibility of a traffic accident.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a traffic light according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 7 , in step S110 , the traffic signal control system 100 detects a human object from the image of the camera CMR. In step S120 , the traffic signal control system 100 tracks the person object to generate a movement vector of the person object. In step S130 , the traffic signal control system 100 controls the symbol displayed by the first traffic light TL1 based on the motion vector.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method for starting the execution of step S110 of FIG. 7 .

1 and 8 , in step S210 , the traffic signal control system 100 performs step S220 according to whether an alarm signal related to the transition of the symbol of the first traffic light TL1 is generated. In embodiments, a device controlling the first traffic light TL1, such as the traffic light driver 110, may provide an alarm signal when the symbol of the first traffic light TL1 transitions to a red symbol (ie, a stop symbol). .

In step S220, the traffic signal control system 100 starts to detect a human object from the image of the camera (CMR). As such, when the symbol of the first traffic light TL1 changes to a red symbol, detection of the human object may be started. However, embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. For example, the traffic signal control system 100 starts detecting a person object regardless of which symbol the first traffic light TL1 displays, and generates a movement vector of the person object, and the generated movement vector Based on the , the first traffic light TL1 may be controlled.

9 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of step S130 of FIG. 7 .

1 and 9 , in step S310 , the traffic signal control system 100 calculates the amount of change in the moving speed, that is, the acceleration from the movement vector of the human object. The movement vector may include a direction component and a movement speed. The traffic signal control system 100 may calculate the acceleration in real time by tracking the moving speed as described with reference to FIG. 4 .

In step S320, the traffic signal control system 100 controls the symbol of the first traffic light TL1 according to the acceleration.

10 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of step S320 of FIG. 9 .

1, 4, and 10 , in step S410 , the traffic signal control system 100 determines whether the acceleration A of the person object OBJT is higher than the threshold acceleration THA. If so, step S420 is performed.

In step S420 , the traffic signal control system 100 controls the first traffic light TL1 to display a red symbol.

In step S430 , the traffic signal control system 100 monitors whether the human object OBJT is continuously detected. If the human object OBJT is continuously detected, step S420 is performed so that the first traffic light TL1 continues to display the red symbol. For example, if a pedestrian, such as a child or the elderly, has not yet crossed the crosswalk, the human object OBJT will continue to be detected from the image of the camera CMR, and in this case, the first traffic light TL1 continues to display a red symbol . Considering that the driver can drive while watching only the first traffic light TL1, a traffic accident can be prevented more efficiently in this way.

In embodiments, the traffic signal control system 100 calculates the time for the pedestrian PDST to cross the crosswalk according to the moving speed of the person object OBJT and the width of the crosswalk, and is longer than or equal to the calculated time. The first traffic light TL1 may be controlled to continuously display the red symbol. For example, a count value corresponding to the calculated time may be displayed in association with the red symbol of the first traffic light TL1, and the count value may gradually decrease over time.

11 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of step S410 of FIG. 10 .

1, 6, and 11 , in step S510 , the traffic signal control system 100 analyzes a person object (OBJT, see FIG. 4 ) to analyze a person object (GRP1 to GRPn) among a plurality of groups (GRP1 to GRPn). OBJT) is estimated. Each of the plurality of groups (GRP1 to GRPn) may represent an age group as described with reference to FIG. 6 . In embodiments, modeling data obtained by learning gaits and/or face shapes of person objects of each age group may be provided, and the age group of the person object OBJT may be estimated using the learned data.

In step S520 , the traffic signal control system 100 may adjust the threshold acceleration THA according to the determined group. For example, the lower the age group, the lower the threshold acceleration THA may be set.

12 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of step S320 of FIG. 9 .

1, 6, and 12, in step S610, the traffic signal control system 100 analyzes a person object (OBJT, see FIG. 4) and a person object (GRP1 to GRPn) among a plurality of groups (GRP1 to GRPn). OBJT) is estimated.

In step S620, the traffic signal control system 100 applies the weight WT corresponding to the determined group to the acceleration of the person object OBJT. For example, the traffic signal control system 100 may adjust the acceleration by multiplying the acceleration by the weight WT.

In step S630 , the traffic signal control system 100 controls the symbol of the first traffic light TL1 according to the acceleration to which the weight is applied. Step S630 may be performed similarly to steps S410 to S430 of FIG. 10 . The traffic signal control system 100 may control the first traffic light TL1 to display a red symbol when the adjusted acceleration is higher than the threshold acceleration THA.

13 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of step S310 of FIG. 9 .

1, 6, and 13 , in step S710 , the traffic signal control system 100 analyzes the person object (OBJT, see FIG. 4 ) to analyze the person object (GRP1 to GRPn) among the plurality of groups (GRP1 to GRPn). OBJT) is estimated.

In step S720, the traffic signal control system 100 may apply the weight WT corresponding to the determined group to the movement speed of the movement vector. For example, the movement speed may be adjusted by multiplying the movement speed of the human object OBJT by the weight WT.

In step S730, the traffic signal control system 100 may calculate the acceleration of the human object OBJT according to the moving speed to which the weight is applied.

In this way, by applying the weight WT, which increases as the age group is younger, to the acceleration or speed, and the first traffic light TL1 displays a red symbol according to the adjusted acceleration or speed, the first traffic light TL1 is a pedestrian (PDST) can be adaptively controlled according to the age group to further reduce the likelihood of traffic accidents.

14 is a block diagram showing a computer device suitable for implementing the traffic light control device of FIG. 2 .

Referring to FIG. 14 , the computer device 1000 includes a bus 1100 , at least one processor 1200 , a system memory 1300 , a storage medium 1400 , and a camera interface 1500 , and a traffic light interface 1600 . includes

The bus 1100 is connected to various components of the computer device 1000 to transfer data, signals, and information. The processor 1200 may be either a general-purpose or dedicated processor, and may control general operations of the computer device 1000 .

The processor 1200 is configured to load program codes and/or instructions that provide various functions when executed into the system memory 1300 and process the loaded program codes and/or instructions. For example, the system memory 1300 may be provided as a working memory of the processor 1200 . In embodiments, the system memory 1300 may include at least one of a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), and other types of computer-readable media.

The processor 1200 loads, into the system memory 1300 , the traffic light control module 1310 including program codes and/or instructions that provide functions of the traffic light controller 123 of FIG. 2 when executed by the processor 1200 . and the loaded traffic light control module 1310 may be executed. In addition, the system memory 1300 may function as a buffer memory of the traffic light control module 1310 .

Program codes and/or instructions to be loaded into the system memory 1300, for example, the traffic light control module 1310 may be loaded from the storage medium 1400, which is a separate computer-readable recording medium.

As an embodiment, the storage medium 1400 may include various types of nonvolatile storage media that retain stored data even when power is cut off, for example, a flash memory, a hard disk, and the like. .

The camera interface 1500 and the traffic light interface 1600 may be provided as the camera interface 121 and the traffic light interface 122 of FIG. 2 , respectively. For example, the camera interface 1500 processes the image VD received from the camera CMR to have a data format that can be processed by the traffic light control module 1310 and/or the processor 1200, and the processed The image VD may be provided to the traffic light control module 1310 and/or the processor 1200 . The traffic light control module 1310 and/or the processor 1200 may transmit a command to the traffic light driver 110 through the traffic light interface 1600 .

Although specific embodiments and application examples have been described herein, these are only provided to help a more general understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains Various modifications and variations are possible from this substrate as it grows.

Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, and not only the claims described below, but also all those with equivalent or equivalent modifications to the claims will be said to belong to the scope of the spirit of the present invention. .

TL1, TL2: first and second traffic lights
CMR: Camera
100: traffic signal control system
110: traffic light driver
120: traffic light control device
121: camera interface
122: traffic light interface
123: traffic light controller

Claims (16)

A traffic light control device for controlling a traffic light installed in connection with a crosswalk, comprising:
a traffic light interface configured to communicate with the traffic light;
a camera interface configured to receive an image taken by a camera installed in association with the crosswalk; and
to detect an object in the image received through the camera interface, generate a motion vector of the object by tracking the object, and control a symbol displayed by the traffic light through the traffic light interface based on the motion vector a traffic light controller comprising:
The movement vector includes the movement speed of the object,
and the traffic light controller is configured to calculate a change amount of the moving speed, and control the symbol of the traffic light according to the calculated change amount. The method of claim 1,
The traffic light controller,
receive an alarm signal associated with the transition of the symbol of the traffic light through the traffic light interface;
a traffic light control device, configured to initiate detection of the object in the image in response to the alarm signal. 3. The method of claim 2,
The alarm signal is received when the symbol of the traffic light changes to a red symbol. The method of claim 1,
and the traffic light controller is configured to generate a first command to cause the traffic light to display a red symbol when the calculated change amount is higher than a threshold value. 5. The method of claim 4,
and the traffic light controller is configured to, after generating the first command, generate a second command so that the traffic light keeps the red symbol while the object is detected in the image. 5. The method of claim 4,
The object includes a human object,
The traffic light controller,
determining a group corresponding to the person object from among a plurality of groups corresponding to each age based on the person object;
a traffic light control device, configured to adjust the threshold value according to the determined group. The method of claim 1,
The object includes a person object,
The traffic light controller,
determining a group corresponding to the person object from among a plurality of groups corresponding to each age based on the person object;
Applying a weight value corresponding to the determined group to the calculated change amount,
and control the symbol of the traffic light according to the amount of change to which the weight value is applied. The method of claim 1,
The object includes a person object,
The traffic light controller,
determining a group corresponding to the person object from among a plurality of groups corresponding to each age based on the person object;
Applying a weight value corresponding to the determined group to the moving speed,
and to calculate the change amount according to the moving speed to which the weight value is applied. A method for controlling a traffic light installed in connection with a crosswalk, comprising:
detecting an object in an image taken by a camera installed in association with the crosswalk;
generating a movement vector of the object by tracking the object, wherein the movement vector includes a movement speed of the object; and
Controlling the symbol displayed by the traffic light based on the motion vector,
The step of controlling the symbol displayed by the traffic light comprises:
calculating a change amount of the moving speed of the object; and
and controlling the symbol of the traffic light according to the calculated change amount. 10. The method of claim 9,
receiving an alarm signal associated with the transition of the symbol of the traffic light;
The step of detecting the object is performed in response to the alarm signal. 11. The method of claim 10,
and the alarm signal is received when the symbol of the traffic light changes to a red symbol. 10. The method of claim 9,
The step of controlling the symbol of the traffic light according to the calculated change amount,
and generating a first command so that the traffic light displays a red symbol when the calculated change amount is higher than a threshold value. 13. The method of claim 12,
after generating the first command, generating a second command so that the traffic light maintains the red symbol while the object is detected in the image. 13. The method of claim 12,
The object includes a person object,
The step of generating the first command comprises:
determining a group corresponding to the person object from among a plurality of groups corresponding to each age, based on the person object; and
and adjusting the threshold value according to the determined group. 10. The method of claim 9,
The object includes a person object,
The method further comprising the step of determining a group corresponding to the person object from among a plurality of groups corresponding to each age, based on the person object,
The step of controlling the symbol of the traffic light according to the calculated change amount,
applying a weight value corresponding to the determined group to the calculated change amount; and
and controlling the symbol of the traffic light according to the change amount to which the weight value is applied. 10. The method of claim 9,
The object includes a person object,
The method further comprising the step of determining a group corresponding to the person object from among a plurality of groups corresponding to each age, based on the person object,
Calculating the amount of change in the moving speed comprises:
applying a weight value corresponding to the determined group to the moving speed; and
and calculating the change amount according to the moving speed to which the weight value is applied.

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