WO2019008716A1 - Non-visible measurement device and non-visible measurement method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention detects, with high accuracy, a non-visible object that is in a blind spot due to a wall or similar. A non-visible measurement device 110 has a radar emission unit 101, a radar detection unit 102, an image input unit 103, and an analysis unit 104. The radar emission unit 101 emits electromagnetic waves to an object 111. The radar detection unit 102 detects electromagnetic waves that were reflected by the object 111, and outputs a detection signal for the detected electromagnetic waves. The image input unit 103 acquires topographical image information. The analysis unit 104 analyzes the detection signal that was outputted by the radar detection unit 102 and the image information that was acquired by the image input unit 103, and calculates location information for the object 111. The analysis unit 104 calculates the location information for a non-visible object 111 that is not included in the image information by extracting, on the basis of the image information that was acquired by the image input unit 103, the location of a reflection surface that reflects electromagnetic waves, emitting electromagnetic waves to the extracted reflection surface, and performing a location analysis.

Description

Non-visible measuring device and non-visible measuring method

The present invention relates to an out-of-visible measurement device and an out-of-visible measurement method, and more particularly to a technique effective for measuring an object located in an out-of-visible region.

In recent years, in order to reduce automobile accidents and improve safety, and to realize automatic driving, vehicles and pedestrians entering a poorly visible intersection, etc. or pedestrians in blind spots are not visible. Technologies related to measurement have been developed.

As a technique in this type of non-visible measurement, for example, a radar wave is output to detect a reflected object, a target vehicle to be monitored is extracted from the detected object, and a target vehicle extracted from the detected object is detected. It is known to extract a blind spot object present at a blind spot (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Further, according to Patent Document 2, the vehicles irradiate laser light indicating the presence of the vehicle toward the road surface with the laser light projector, and the laser light reflected on the road surface is recognized by the infrared camera, and the laser light determination is made. When it is determined that the laser light recognized by the means is a laser light irradiated by another vehicle other than the host vehicle, based on at least one of the movement trajectory, the shape, and the lighting state of the recognized laser light It is described that the moving direction and moving speed of the other vehicle are detected.

JP, 2006-349456, A JP 2004-102889 A

However, the technique of Patent Document 1 described above extracts a dead angle object by propagating a radar wave through the floor or window of the vehicle and reaching an object existing in the dead angle generated by the vehicle. is there. Therefore, although it is effective in grasping the situation of the blind spot which is caused by the right turn vehicle, the stop vehicle, or the forward vehicle, the problem that the object which is blind spot by the wall near the intersection or the building can not be detected There is.

Further, in the technology of Patent Document 2, it is a precondition that the laser light projection means is provided by another vehicle other than the own vehicle, and if the laser light projection means does not have it, it becomes a blind spot. Problem of being unable to detect a

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of detecting an unvisible object which is blinded by a wall or the like with high accuracy.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

The outline of typical ones of the inventions disclosed in the present application will be briefly described as follows.

That is, a typical non-visible measurement device includes a radar irradiation unit, a radar detection unit, an image input unit, and an analysis unit. The radar irradiation unit irradiates an object with an electromagnetic wave. The radar detection unit detects an electromagnetic wave reflected by an object, and outputs a detection signal of the detected electromagnetic wave. The image input unit acquires terrain image information. The analysis unit analyzes the detection signal output from the radar detection unit and the image information acquired by the image input unit to calculate position information of the object.

The analysis unit extracts the position of the reflection surface that reflects the electromagnetic wave based on the image information acquired by the image input unit, and applies the electromagnetic wave to the extracted reflection surface to perform the position analysis. Calculating the position information of the non-visible object not included in.

In particular, the analysis unit includes a shape recognition unit, a range analysis unit, a signal analysis unit, and a position analysis unit. The shape recognition unit generates three-dimensional shape information from the image information acquired by the image input unit. The range analysis unit calculates the reflection direction of the electromagnetic wave irradiated by the radar irradiation unit from the shape information generated by the shape recognition unit by reflecting it on the reflection surface and expanding the range information indicating the irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave from the calculated reflection direction Calculate

The signal analysis unit calculates the reflection position of the object based on the detection signal output from the radar detection unit and the range information calculated by the range analysis unit. The position analysis unit calculates position information of the object based on the shape information generated by the shape recognition unit and the reflection position calculated by the signal analysis unit.

The effects obtained by typical ones of the inventions disclosed in the present application will be briefly described as follows.

It is possible to provide a reliable non-visible measuring device.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory drawing showing an example of the configuration of the non-visible position measurement device according to the first embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the front view at the time of mounting the non-visible measurement apparatus of FIG. 1 in a motor vehicle. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a detection of the target object by the non-visible measurement apparatus of FIG. It is an example of the level diamond used for calculation of the signal strength of the reflected wave of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of a detection of the target object by the non-visible measurement apparatus of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a detection of the target object by the non-visible measurement apparatus of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of a detection of the target object by the non-visible measurement apparatus of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the measurement process by the non-visible measurement apparatus of FIG. FIG. 16 is an explanatory drawing showing an example of the configuration of the outside-of-visible measurement device according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 18 is an explanatory drawing showing an example of the configuration of an outside-of-visible measurement device according to Embodiment 3. FIG. 18 is an explanatory drawing showing an example of the configuration of an outside-of-visible measurement device according to Embodiment 4. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the non-visible measurement process by the non-visible measurement apparatus of FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an example of measurement processing in the non-visible measurement device according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 21 is an explanatory drawing showing an example of the configuration of an outside-of-visible measurement device according to the sixth embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the measurement process using the measuring apparatus outside of the visibility of FIG. FIG. 21 is an explanatory drawing showing an example of the configuration of the image input unit of the non-visible-measurement device according to Embodiment 7;

In all the drawings for describing the embodiment, the same reference numeral is attached to the same member in principle, and the repeated description thereof is omitted.

Embodiment 1
Hereinafter, the embodiment will be described in detail.

<Configuration Example of Non-Visible Measurement Device>
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an example of the configuration of the non-visible position measurement apparatus according to the first embodiment.

The non-visible measurement device 110 inputs, via the image input unit 103, image information of the obstacle 115 and the reflective surface 114 that hide the target object 111 to be measured in the measurement range and the periphery thereof, and outputs the image information to the analysis unit 104.

The non-visible measurement device 110 includes a radar irradiation unit 101, a radar detection unit 102, an image input unit 103, and an analysis unit 104. The image input unit 103 is, for example, a digital camera, and in this case, the above-described image information is, for example, image data acquired by the digital camera. Besides, an image by an infrared camera, a map image, or a TOF (Time Of Flight) image may be used.

The radar irradiation unit 101 irradiates, for example, an electromagnetic wave as the irradiation wave 112, reflects the electromagnetic wave on the reflection surface 114, and irradiates the target object 111 to be measured. The electromagnetic wave reflected by the object 111 reaches the radar detection unit 102 as a reflected wave 113 via the reflection surface 114.

The radar detection unit 102 outputs a detection signal representing the intensity of the reflected wave that has arrived and the phase difference between the irradiation wave and the reflected wave or the time difference between the irradiation wave and the reflected wave. Further, the radar irradiation unit 101 inserts and draws an arbitrary angle range.

The radar detection unit 102 performs detection in an arbitrary angle range for each irradiation angle of the radar irradiation unit 101. The angular range at this time may be changed in accordance with the object to be measured and the surrounding conditions based on the image information. In addition, the radar detection unit 102 may calculate and output the arrival direction of the detection signal from the intensity distribution for each irradiation angle of the detection signal.

Based on the image information from the image input unit 103, the analysis unit 104 extracts the size and position of a structure that will be a reflection surface such as a wall or mirror around the object, and emits an electromagnetic wave to the reflection surface. By performing the position analysis, it measures the object outside the visible.

Based on the image information from the image input unit 103, the analysis unit 104 extracts the size and position of a structure serving as a reflection surface such as a wall or a mirror around the object and outputs it as three-dimensional shape information.

The analysis unit 104 includes a shape recognition unit 105, a range analysis unit 106, a position analysis unit 107, and a signal analysis unit 108. The shape recognition unit 105 has an image recognition function, and an image of the image input unit 103 Three-dimensional shape information is created using information, that is, the above-described camera shot image, infrared camera image, stereo shot image, map image, or TOF image.

The range analysis unit 106 calculates range information by calculating the angle at which the irradiation wave is reflected and spread on the reflection surface using electromagnetic field analysis, a ray tracing method, or the like based on the shape information output from the shape recognition unit 105. Do. The range information includes an irradiation angle range θt at which the irradiation wave hits the reflection surface, an arrival range of the irradiation wave spread at the reflection surface, and an arrival angle range θr of the reflection wave estimated to arrive at the radar detection unit 102 from the reflection surface. .

Based on the range information output from the range analysis unit 106, the signal analysis unit 108 determines the range information from the magnitude of the reflected wave that is a detection signal from the radar detection unit 102 and the phase difference or time difference between the irradiation wave and the reflection. The reflection position included in the range is calculated to specify the position where the electromagnetic wave is reflected by the object.

In this way, by limiting the range of analysis of the reflection position to within the range information, calculation of unnecessary regions is reduced, and calculation of irrelevant reflection position information is eliminated, so that it is possible to achieve high accuracy in a short time. It becomes possible to specify the reflection position on the object.

The position analysis unit 107 causes the reflection position output from the signal analysis unit 108 to correspond to the shape information, and outputs position information of the synthesized object. The output destination of the position information is, for example, a head-up display (HUD) 205 shown in FIG. 2, a car navigation system having a monitor, or an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls the automatic brake function in the collision damage reduction brake. Etc.

In addition, the position analysis unit 107 may compare with the position information of the object measured previously, as necessary, to determine whether it is a fixed object or moving and output. Alternatively, an attribute of the object, for example, a pedestrian, a bicycle, a car, or the like may be determined and output from the reflection intensity of the object.

Furthermore, the collision warning signal may be output by predicting the risk of collision from the movement speed of the object and the movement speed of the outside-of-visible measurement device 110. The radar irradiation unit 101 and the radar detection unit 102 may be independent or separated, or may be an integral module.

Further, the modulation method of the radar is not limited, and may be any of an FC pulse method, an FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method known as a frequency modulation method, a two-frequency CW (Continuous Wave) method, etc. . By using the FC pulse method, the distance resolution is improved. On the other hand, the frequency modulation method can improve the SN ratio to detect an object with a longer distance or a smaller scattering cross section.

<Detection example 1 of object>
FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing an example of a front view when the non-visible measurement device of FIG. 1 is mounted on a car.

In this FIG. 2, the example at the time of detecting the pedestrian who is obstructed by the wall of the obstacle 115 and is a blind spot, ie, a visible object, as the measuring object 111 is shown. The object is not limited to a pedestrian, but may be a bicycle, a car or the like.

The shape recognition unit 105 detects the reflection surface 114 or the curve mirror 206 from the image information acquired by the forward monitoring camera, that is, the image input unit 103, and the range analysis unit 106 detects the analysis range of the radar detection signal from the reflection surface Restrict to

The radar detection unit 102 detects the electromagnetic wave reflected by the object 111, and the signal analysis unit 108 estimates the reflection position of the reflected wave.

The position analysis unit 107 integrates the information of the estimated reflection position and the reflection surface to determine whether the reflection position is an object such as a pedestrian or a bicycle or an object such as a wall, for example. The information is output to a monitor or head-up display (HUD) 205 mounted on a car. The monitor or head-up display (HUD) 205 is a display system.

The head-up display 205 or monitor displays the position of the object 111 such as a pedestrian based on the information output from the position analysis unit 107. As a result, the driver is alerted.

Alternatively, the possibility of a collision at an intersection may be predicted from the speed of an object such as the object 111 and the speed of the own vehicle, and the danger of a collision may be displayed on a head-up display 205 etc. Alternatively, the vehicle may be stopped by applying a brake by an ECU or the like that controls the above-described automatic braking function.

As a structure that can be used as a reflective surface, in addition to the reflective surface 114, the front right wall in FIG. 2 may be used as the reflective surface 114a, or a curved mirror 206 installed at intersections or curves with poor visibility. Or the like may be used.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing an example of detection of an object by the outside-of-visible measurement device of FIG.

This FIG. 3 shows the example which looked at target objects 111, such as a motor vehicle entering into the intersection in FIG. 2 and a pedestrian to be measured from above.

The outside-of-visible measurement device 110 is installed, for example, at the center of the front of the car. Here, although the example which installs the non-visible measurement device 110 in the center of the front of a car was shown, for example, you may make it install only the radar irradiation part 101 and the radar detection part 102 in the front center of a car.

In FIG. 3, the car is in a state of traveling and approaching an intersection. The object 111, which is a pedestrian, is located on the roadside of the road on the left side of the intersection, which is closer to the car, with respect to the traveling direction of the car, and proceeds from the roadside to the intersection. Further, the object 111 which is a pedestrian is in a state of being hidden by the obstacle 115.

Here, as an example of non-visible measurement, the road width w on which the car is traveling is about 6 m, and the distance d from the car to the intersection is about 15 m. Further, it is assumed that the car is at a position, for example, about 2 m away from the road shoulder, and the object 111, which is a pedestrian, is about 1 m away from the end of the road.

When the object 111 which is a pedestrian is at a position about 1.6 m away from the intersection, the reflected wave 113 reflected on the radar detection unit 102 via the irradiation wave 112 emitted from the radar irradiation unit 101 and the reflection surface 114 The wave propagation distance is about 21.2 m from the non-visible measurement device 110 to the reflection surface 114 and about 5.1 m from the reflection surface 114 to the object 111 which is a pedestrian.

The signal intensity of the reflected wave from the pedestrian, that is, the object 111 in the arrangement example shown in FIG. 3 was calculated.

FIG. 4 is an example of the level diagram used for calculating the signal strength of the reflected wave of FIG.

As standard specification values of the radar apparatus, for example, Recommendation ITU-R M. 2057-0, “System characteristics of automotive radars operating in the frequency band 76-81 GHz for intelligent transport systems applications”, International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunications Sector, Referring to Radar B described in Table 1 of 2014 Feb., the frequency was 77 GHz to 81 GHz, the detectable distance was 100 m, the resolution was 7.5 cm, the modulation method FMCW, and the frequency band 4 GHz.

In FIG. 4, the solid line is the level diagram calculated for the example of FIG. 3, and the dotted line is the level diagram of the vehicle 100 m ahead within the visible range calculated by the standard specification value.

The output 10 dBm of the radar irradiation unit 101 is amplified to 33 dBm by the antenna gain 23 dBi. The attenuation factor of the propagation path is 63.5 dB from the non-visible measurement device 110 to the object 111 which is a pedestrian.

The reflectance of the reflective surface 114 was 23% because the dielectric constant of concrete is about 8, and the attenuation rate by reflection was 6.4 dB.

The scattering cross section representing the reflectance at the object to be measured 111 was set to standard -15 dBsm. The power of the reflected wave reflected by the object 111 is −51.9 dBm. The propagation attenuation of the reflected wave is also 63.5 dB and the attenuation due to reflection is 6.4 dB as in the case of the irradiation wave.

Furthermore, the attenuation factor during rainfall is known to be -20 dB / km, and the attenuation factor is 1 dB for 52.5 m of the entire path. The reflected wave reaches the radar detection unit 102 through the gain 16 dBmi of the receiving antenna.

Through the above attenuation factor and reflectance, the power of the radio wave reaching the radar detection unit 102 is -117 dBm, and the margin of the radar detection unit 102 is 3 dB with respect to the minimum detection sensitivity of -120 dBm of the radar detection unit 102 It is possible. Further, in the case of a bicycle or an automobile having a larger scattering cross-sectional area than the pedestrian whose object is the object 111, the margin is further increased.

At this time, assuming that the speed of the car is approximately 30 km / h, the distance d = 15 m from the car to the intersection means 0.75 seconds of running distance until the driver senses that the warning is given and the driver steps on the brake. It is the distance that can be stopped including.

In the case of d = 15 m, when braking is applied immediately after transmitting the stop signal which is an alert from the non-visible measurement device 110 to the ECU in charge of controlling the above-mentioned automatic braking function, the speed of the vehicle is about 50 km / h If there is a distance that can be stopped.

In the arrangement example shown in FIG. 3, when the brake is not applied, a pedestrian who is heading to the intersection at about 5 km / hour or more without being aware of the vehicle is likely to collide. Therefore, by mounting the non-visible measuring device 110 in a car, at a crossing where a pedestrian or the like hidden by an obstacle enters, warning or braking is performed to prevent collisions or reduce serious accidents. Can be

Further, in FIG. 3, the reflecting surface 114 is on the left front side of the center line in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle, that is, in the same direction as the position of the object 111. Therefore, the electromagnetic wave is emitted from the radar irradiation unit 101 to the left front side of the center line in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle as illustrated. The irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave in this case is taken as a first range.

The first range is a range having a positive horizontal angle, for example, a horizontal angle of about 90 degrees. Here, the horizontal angle in the left direction is a positive horizontal angle, and the horizontal angle in the right direction is a negative horizontal angle, with respect to the center of the entire irradiation range of the radar irradiation unit 101, in other words, the center line in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle. I assume.

In this case, when detecting the object 111 such as a pedestrian on the road near the automobile at the intersection, the detection range becomes wide.

<Detection example 2 of object>
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing another example of detection of an object by the outside-of-visible measurement device of FIG. 3.

This FIG. 5 differs from FIG. 3 in the position of the object which is a pedestrian. In FIG. 5, the object 111a is located in the roadside zone on the left side of the road on the left side of the intersection with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle.

Further, although in FIG. 3 the reflecting surface 114 is on the left front side of the center line in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle as described above, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the reflecting surface 114a is the center in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle It is a wall on the opposite lane side, not to the right front side of the line, that is, not on the lane side of the vehicle.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the irradiation wave 112 is a road surface on the left side of the intersection on the left side of the intersection with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle with the wall surface on the right in the traveling direction of the vehicle It becomes a path | route which arrives at the target object 111a located in the side zone. Similarly, the reflected wave 113 reflected by the object 111 is a path that reaches the radar detection unit 102 via the reflection surface 114 a.

Therefore, the electromagnetic wave is emitted from the radar irradiation unit 101 on the right front side of the center line in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle. The irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave in this case is taken as a second range. The second range is a range having the above-described negative horizontal angle, for example, a horizontal angle of about -90 °.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to detect the object 111a without the reflecting surface 114 on the left front side of the center line in the vehicle width direction of the automobile. In this case, it is possible to widen the detection range in the case of detecting an object located at a position further away from the intersection, more specifically, on the left side of the object 111a in FIG.

Also, the object may be detected using paths from a plurality of reflecting surfaces.

<Detection example 3 of object>
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an example of detection of an object by the outside-of-visible measurement device of FIG.

In this FIG. 6, the example which measures the target object 111 by the path | route of two electromagnetic waves is shown. One is a path of the electromagnetic wave by the reflecting surface 114 as in FIG. 3, and the reflecting surface 114 is on the left front side of the center line in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle. The other is the electromagnetic wave path by the reflecting surface 114a as in FIG. 5, and the reflecting surface 114a is on the left front side of the center line in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle.

In FIG. 6, the path of the electromagnetic wave by the reflecting surface 114 is indicated by the irradiation wave 112 and the reflected wave 113, and the path of the electromagnetic wave by the reflecting surface 114a is indicated by the irradiation wave 112a and the reflected wave 113a.

In this case, the position of the object 111 is measured a plurality of times from a plurality of paths of the electromagnetic wave by the two reflecting surfaces 114 and 114a. Then, the position of the target object 111 having the highest possibility may be calculated and output from the plurality of measured position information. Thus, the measurement accuracy of the position can be further improved by performing measurement a plurality of times.

<Detection example 4 of object>
FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing another example of detection of an object by the outside-of-visible measurement device of FIG.

Although FIG. 3, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 mentioned above showed the example which installed the non-visible measuring device 110 in the center part of the front of a car, in FIG. 7, the example which mounted two non-visible measuring devices in a car Is shown.

In a car, as shown in FIG. 7, two non-visible measurement devices 110 and 110a are mounted, for example, at both front ends of the car. The connection configuration of the outside-of-visible measurement device 110a is the same as that of the outside-of-visible measurement device 110 in FIG.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the non-visible measurement devices 110 and 110a are mounted in the vicinity of the headlights of a car. In FIG. 7 as well, for example, only the radar irradiation unit 101 and the radar detection unit 102 may be installed at both front end portions of the vehicle.

By mounting the non-visible measurement device 110, 110a in the vicinity of the headlight of the vehicle in this manner, measurement can be performed in a wider range.

For example, when the non-visible measurement device 110 mounted on the right side is used, a wall surface on the left front side or the like with respect to the center line in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle becomes the reflection surface 114 as in FIG. Therefore, the irradiation wave 112 and the reflected wave 113 can be a path shown in FIG. 7 to allow the electromagnetic wave to reach the object 111 at the intersection.

When the non-visible measurement device 110 mounted on the left side is used, a wall surface on the right front side or the like with respect to the center line in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle serves as the reflection surface 114a as in FIG. Therefore, the irradiation wave 112a and the reflected wave 113a become a path | route shown in FIG. 7, and can make electromagnetic waves reach the target object 111a of an intersection.

In this case, since the non-visible measurement device 110a is installed offset to the left with respect to the center of the vehicle, the paths of the irradiation wave 112a and the reflected wave 113a are different from those in FIG. As a result, the electromagnetic waves reach a position farther from the intersection than in FIG. As a result, it is possible to detect an object 111a further away from the intersection.

Further, instead of mounting two non-visible measurement devices, two radar irradiation units 101 and two radar detection units 102 may be provided, and the remaining analysis units 104 may be common.

<Example of detection process>
Then, the measurement technique by non-visible measurement device 110 is explained.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of measurement processing by the outside-of-visible measurement device 110 of FIG.

First, when the non-visible measurement device 110 is activated, the image input unit 103 outputs the acquired image information (step S101). The shape recognition unit 105 recognizes the shape and position of the reflective surface from the image information output from the image input unit 103, and outputs the recognition result as shape information (step S102).

Then, the range analysis unit 106 calculates the irradiation range and the detection range of the electromagnetic wave based on the shape information output from the shape recognition unit 105, and outputs the calculation result as the range information (step S103).

When the radar irradiation unit 101 irradiates an electromagnetic wave (step S104), the radar detection unit 102 detects the electromagnetic wave reflected by the object or the like (step S105). The signal analysis unit 108 outputs, from the detection signal output from the radar detection unit 102, a reflection position analyzed by limiting to the range of the range information (step S106).

The position analysis unit 107 integrates the shape information and the reflection position and outputs the position information of the object (step S107). The position analysis unit 107 determines whether or not the measurement has been completed (step S108). If the measurement has not been completed, the process returns to the process of step S101 to perform measurement again.

Here, in the process of step S106, if the range in which signal analysis is performed is the entire range of the field of view, the analysis time becomes large, and there is a possibility that the analysis may not be made before warning of the danger of collision. Therefore, in the process of step S105, the measurement time can be shortened by the range analysis unit 106 limiting the analysis range to, for example, only the part having the reflection surface. Thereby, analysis can be performed within a practical time.

As described above, the object 111 hidden by the obstacle 115 can be easily detected. In addition, since the reflection position on the object can be identified with high accuracy in a shorter time, the position of the object 111 which is out of visible can be detected at high speed with low calculation load.

Thus, it is possible to provide a highly reliable non-visible measurement device at low cost.

Although the first embodiment shows an example of using the non-visible measurement device 110 in a vehicle to support driving safety for preventing collisions at intersections with poor visibility etc., the application of the non-visible measurement device 110 is It is not limited to driving safety support.

For example, monitoring of conditions of vehicles and robots, safety support for pedestrians and bicycles, virtual reality (VR) / augmented reality (AR) / mixed reality (MR) perimeter monitoring sensors, monitoring devices installed in drone, shape recognition By applying the non-visible measurement device 110 to a gesture recognition device, a monitoring camera device, or the like, it is possible to visualize an object that can not be seen by an obstacle.

In addition, the image information from the image input unit 103, the shape information calculated by the shape recognition unit 105, and the range information calculated by the range analysis unit 106 are accumulated and held as analysis information, and reused at the next measurement. May be The analysis information is accumulated, for example, in a storage unit (not shown) of the non-visible measurement device 110 or the like.

For example, when entering the same intersection, the processing time of the signal analysis unit 108 can be speeded up or the calculation load can be increased by reading out the analysis information acquired earlier from the storage unit described above and performing range analysis and signal analysis. It can be reduced.

Alternatively, the shape recognition unit 105 may calculate shape information by extracting only the difference between the input image information and the past image information. If necessary, analysis information may be accumulated in advance and then position analysis may be performed.

The stored analysis information may be provided and shared via the communication system or a storage medium to the non-visible measurement device mounted on another vehicle. Also, it may be stored in any server system or cloud service via the communication system, and may be shared with other non-visible measurement devices.

By sharing the analysis information by the plurality of non-visible measurement devices in this manner, the non-visible measurement can be performed at high speed with low calculation load.

Furthermore, when there is a risk of collision, the danger position information can be stored and shared with other non-visible measurement devices to warn of the danger without analysis. Thereby, the safety can be improved.

By analyzing the dangerous position information acquired by many non-visible measuring devices, it is possible to clarify intersections and curves having high risk, and it can be used as information on traffic safety measures such as improvement of roads.

According to the above, it is possible to provide the non-visible measurement device that detects the position of an object that is out of view at high speed with lower calculation load using a low-cost radar.

Second Embodiment
<Configuration Example and Operation of Non-Visible Measurement Device>
FIG. 9 is an explanatory drawing showing an example of the configuration of the outside-of-visible measurement device according to the second embodiment.

The non-visible measurement device 110 of FIG. 9 is different from the non-visible measurement device 110 of FIG. 1 of the first embodiment in that a map input unit 109 is newly provided. The other connection configurations are the same as those in FIG.

The map input unit 109 acquires map information from an internal storage device or recording medium (not shown), an external server connected by communication, or the like based on current position information acquired from a satellite positioning system (GPS) or the like, and analyzes it. It is output to the shape recognition unit 105 that the unit 104 has.

The shape recognition unit 105 can estimate the existing position of the reflective surface by using the map information acquired by the map input unit 109. In addition, the positional accuracy of the reflective surface is improved, and the analysis time of the image information can be shortened. The map information acquired by the map input unit 109 may be information including a three-dimensional structure of a building, in which case the calculation time of shape recognition can be further shortened.

On the other hand, the image input unit 103 acquires and outputs image information of the front view in real time. In this way, it is possible to identify a vehicle ahead or an obstacle that is not in the map information, and to estimate the position of the reflecting surface.

Therefore, by performing shape recognition by combining map information and image information, analysis can be performed with high accuracy in a short analysis time.

As described above, by using the map information acquired by the map input unit 109, it is possible to provide the low-speed non-visible measurement device 110 at high speed and low cost.

Third Embodiment
<Configuration Example and Operation of Non-Visible Measurement Device>
FIG. 10 is an explanatory drawing showing an example of the configuration of the outside-of-visible measurement apparatus according to the third embodiment.

The non-visible measurement device 110 shown in FIG. 10 is different from the non-visible measurement device 110 of FIG. 1 of the first embodiment in the irradiation technique by the radar irradiation unit 101. The connection configuration is the same as the outside-of-visible measurement device 110 in FIG.

In this case, the radar irradiation unit 101 irradiates a diffracted wave as the irradiation wave 601. The radar detection unit 102 also detects a diffracted wave as the reflected wave 602. The irradiation wave 601, which is a diffracted wave irradiated from the radar irradiation unit 101, is diffracted by the wall surface of the obstacle 115 and the like, turns around, and reaches the object 111.

For example, in the case of the arrangement example shown in FIG. 3, assuming that the frequency of the electromagnetic wave irradiated by the radar irradiation unit 101 is 2 GHz, the wall surface to be the obstacle 115 has a height of 1.4 m or less of the Fresnel zone radius, The attenuation is less than 15 dB.

The reflected wave 602 of the diffracted wave reflected by the object of measurement 111 is diffracted again by the wall surface of the obstacle 115 or the like to wrap around and reach the radar detection unit 102. At this time, the paths of the irradiation wave and the reflected wave may not be straight.

Attenuation due to diffraction is calculated from the optical path length of the arrival path according to the principle of Fresnel diffraction. The shape recognition unit 105 recognizes and outputs the shape of the obstacle causing the diffraction, and the range analysis unit 106 determines the range in which the irradiation wave arrives by diffraction and the range in which the reflected wave reaches the radar detection unit 102 by diffraction. calculate.

The signal analysis unit 108 analyzes the detection signal reached by the diffraction, and outputs information on the reflection position. The position analysis unit 107 calculates and outputs the position of the object 111 from the reflection position and the shape information.

As described above, the non-visible measurement device 110 shown in FIG. 10 uses the diffracted waves for the irradiation wave 601 and the reflected wave 602 so that it is visible even at an intersection where there is no reflective surface such as a concrete wall or a poor curve. External measurement can be performed.

Embodiment 4
<Configuration Example of Non-Visible Measurement Device>
FIG. 11 is an explanatory drawing showing an example of the configuration of the outside-of-visible measurement device according to the fourth embodiment.

The non-visible measurement device 110 of FIG. 11 differs from that of FIG. 1 of the first embodiment in that range information output from the range analysis unit 106 is output not only to the signal analysis unit 108 but also to the radar irradiation unit 101. It is a point that The other connection configurations are the same as those in FIG.

The radar irradiation unit 101 can limit the irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave based on the irradiation range information output from the range analysis unit 106. By limiting the irradiation range of the radar irradiation unit 101, the measurement time can be shortened and the amount of analysis calculation can be reduced.

<Example of measurement processing>
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the non-visible measurement process by the non-visible measurement device 110 of FIG.

This FIG. 12 differs from the flowchart shown in FIG. 8 of the first embodiment in the processing of steps S204 to S206. The processes of steps S201 to S203 and the processes of steps S207 to S209 are the same as the processes of steps S101 to S103 and steps S106 to of FIG.

First, based on the range information calculated by range analysis in the process of step S203, the radar irradiation unit 101 limits the irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave to, for example, the reflection surface of the wall and the like (step S204). The radar detection unit 102 detects an electromagnetic wave limited to the reflection surface or the like (step S205).

Subsequently, the signal analysis unit 108 determines whether or not the irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave covers the range information (step S206). When the range is covered, the signal analysis is performed (step S207). When not covering, it returns to the process of step S204, changes the irradiation range, and irradiates electromagnetic waves.

Thus, by limiting the irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave and the detection range of the electromagnetic wave, the processing time can be shortened, and low-cost non-visible measurement can be performed at high speed.

Fifth Embodiment
<Example of measurement processing>
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of measurement processing in the non-visible measurement device according to the fifth embodiment.

The process of FIG. 13 shows another example of the process shown in FIG. 12 of the fourth embodiment. Further, the connection configuration of the outside-of-visible measurement device 110 is the same as the outside-of-visible measurement device 110 of FIG.

In the measurement process of FIG. 12 of the fourth embodiment, the processes of steps S204 to S206 are sequentially performed after the range analysis which is the process of step S203. In the measurement process illustrated in FIG. 13, the process of step S304 (irradiation with electromagnetic wave), step S305 (electromagnetic wave detection), and step S306 (determination of range end) which is the same process as step S204 to step S206 of FIG. It is characterized in that it is processed in parallel with the processing of

Also, the processing of steps S301 to S303 is respectively the first step to the third step, step S304 is the fourth step, step S305 is the fifth step, and step S306 is the fourth step. 9 steps.

The processing in steps S301 to S303 is the same as step S201 (image acquisition), step S202 (shape recognition), and step S203 (range analysis) in FIG.
Between the image acquisition in step S301 and the process of performing the range analysis in step S303, the electromagnetic wave irradiation in step S304, the electromagnetic wave detection in step S305, and the range end determination in step S306 are simultaneously performed. The range serving as the reference of the determination in the process of step S306 is the range set in advance by the process of step S303 in the previous measurement.

Thus, processing time can be shortened by simultaneously performing the processing of shape recognition and range analysis and the processing of electromagnetic wave irradiation and electromagnetic wave detection. Thereby, it is possible to enable faster and lower-cost non-visible measurement.

Sixth Embodiment
<Configuration Example of Non-Visible Measurement Device>
FIG. 14 is an explanatory drawing showing an example of the configuration of the outside-of-visible measurement device according to the sixth embodiment.

The non-visible measurement device 110 of FIG. 14 is different from the non-visible measurement device 110 of FIG. 1 of the first embodiment in that a velocity input unit 141 is newly provided. The other connection configurations are the same as those in FIG.

The speed input unit 141 acquires the moving speed of the mounting device on which the outside-of-visible measurement device 110 is mounted. For example, when the non-visible measurement device 110 is mounted on a car, the car becomes a mounting device.

<Operation example>
Hereinafter, the mounting device will be described as a car.

In the case of a car, the speed input unit 141 acquires the moving speed from a speed measuring device or a satellite positioning system provided in the car. Alternatively, the speed input unit 141 may be configured to include a speed measuring device.

Information on the moving speed obtained by the speed input unit 141 is input to the analysis unit 104. The analysis unit 104 sets a measurement range, an analysis range, an irradiation range of the radar, a detection range, and the like based on the moving speed acquired from the speed input unit 141.

For example, when traveling at a high speed on a freeway, only a narrow area of obstacles far from a traveling car is measured. When a car is traveling at a low speed at a residential area where there are many intersections, obstacles in the vicinity of the car can be measured in a wide area.

Further, it is possible to predict the possibility of collision when maintaining the speed of the vehicle from the speed of the vehicle acquired from the speed input unit 141 and the moving direction of the object 111 calculated based on the detection signal by the signal analysis unit 108. it can.

Here, the signal analysis unit 108 records the measurement result of the reflection position of the measurement object 111 obtained from the detection signal of the radar detection unit 102 a plurality of times, and calculates the movement direction and the movement speed of the reflection position.

The position analysis unit 107 calculates the distance from the car to the object from the moving speed of the car and the moving direction of the object and the moving speed, and outputs a collision warning signal when the distance is less than a certain value. . The distance from the car to the object 111 is the distance from the car to the intersection of the moving direction of the car and the moving direction of the object 111.

<Example of measurement processing>
FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing an example of measurement processing using the outside-of-visible measurement device 110 of FIG.

The difference between the process of FIG. 15 and the measurement process of FIG. 12 of the fourth embodiment is that the process of step S401 (speed acquisition) is newly added. The processing of steps S402 to S410 after the processing of step S401 is the same as the processing of steps S201 to S209 of FIG.

In FIG. 15, the speed input unit 141 acquires the moving speed from a speed measuring device of a car that is a mounted device, a satellite positioning system, or the like. The obtained moving speed is a narrow area at high speed traveling and a vicinity at low speed traveling within the range analysis of step S404, the area end determination of step S407, the range of signal analysis of step S408, and the position analysis of step S409. It is used to set a wide area of

Also, in the signal analysis of step S408, the movement direction and movement speed are calculated from the difference between the measured reflection position of the object 111 and the reflection position measured one time ago, and in the position analysis of step S409 the movement of the vehicle The distance from the car to the object 111 at the intersection of the moving direction of the car and the moving direction of the object is calculated from the speed and the moving direction and moving speed of the object 111, and the distance is less than a certain value In case of collision output warning signal.

This makes it possible to detect an object of high importance to the mounting apparatus while shortening the measurement time. In addition, a collision warning signal between the mounting apparatus and the object 111 can be output with high accuracy.

Seventh Embodiment
<Configuration Example and Operation of Image Input Unit>
FIG. 16 is an explanatory drawing showing an example of the configuration of the image input unit 103 included in the outside-of-visible measurement device 110 according to the seventh embodiment.

The non-visible measurement device 110 is assumed to be the same as that shown in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment.

The image input unit 103 includes a light irradiation unit 161, a light detection unit 162, and a control calculation unit 163, as shown in FIG. The light irradiator 161 irradiates, for example, light of a pulse waveform to the object and the periphery thereof in accordance with the light control signal of the control calculator 163.

The light is reflected by an obstacle or a wall or a structure serving as the reflective surface 114, and the reflected light is incident on the light detection unit 162. The light detection unit 162 detects the light of the reflected pulse waveform. In the case of a pulse wave, the control calculation unit 163 uses the TOF (Time Of Flight) method from the time difference ΔT between the irradiated pulse wave and the light detection signal of the reflected pulse wave and the light velocity, and the reflecting surface from the image input unit 103 The distance L to 114 is calculated.

The light to be irradiated may be a continuous wave, and in this case, the control calculation unit 163 may calculate the distance L using a phase difference or a frequency difference. The control calculation unit 163 scans the irradiation direction so as to cover the object and the range around it, and maps the value of the distance L to a two-dimensional image for each irradiation direction, thereby generating image information including distance information. Output

The analysis unit 104 can reduce the calculation load of shape recognition and range analysis by using the image information including the distance information, and as a result, it is possible to realize speeding up of the non-visible measurement.

As mentioned above, by having the image input part 103 which outputs the image information containing distance information, high-speed and low cost non-visible measurement apparatus 110 can be provided.

As mentioned above, although the invention made by the present inventor was concretely explained based on an embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be variously changed in the range which does not deviate from the gist. Needless to say.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments are described in detail to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations.

Also, part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment. . In addition, it is possible to add, delete, and replace other configurations in part of the configurations of the respective embodiments.

<Appendix>
In addition, a part of the contents described in the embodiment will be described below.
(1) A radar irradiation unit for irradiating an object to be measured with an electromagnetic wave, a radar detection unit for detecting an electromagnetic wave reflected by the object and outputting a detection signal of the detected electromagnetic wave, and an image input for acquiring image information Unit, and an analysis unit that analyzes the detection signal output from the radar detection unit and the image information acquired by the image input unit to calculate position information of the object, and the position information calculated by the analysis unit is an image A non-visible measuring device that is position information of a non-visible object not included in the information.
(2) In the non-visible measurement device according to (1), the image input unit is an imaging device for capturing a video, and outputs the captured image data as image information.
(3) The non-visible measurement device according to (1) includes a plurality of radar irradiation units and a plurality of radar detection units.
(4) In the non-visible measurement device according to (1), the analysis unit generates a three-dimensional shape information from the image information acquired by the image input unit, and a radar from the shape information generated by the shape recognition unit. A range analysis unit that calculates the reflection direction by which the electromagnetic wave emitted by the irradiation unit is reflected by the reflection surface and spreads, and calculates range information indicating the irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave from the calculated reflection direction, and detection that the radar detection unit outputs Based on the signal and the range information calculated by the range analysis unit, a signal analysis unit that calculates the reflection position of the object, the shape information generated by the shape recognition unit, and the reflection position that the signal analysis unit calculates When the signal analysis unit calculates the reflection position of the object, the signal analysis unit calculates a plurality of detection signals based on the plurality of detection signals and the range information calculated by the range analysis unit. Calculate reflection position , Position analyzing unit, based on a plurality of reflection positions shape information and the signal analysis unit shape recognition unit is generated by calculating calculates the position information of the object.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Radar irradiation part 102 Radar detection part 103 Image input part 104 Analysis part 105 Shape recognition part 106 Range analysis part 107 Position analysis part 108 Signal analysis part 109 Map input part 110 Non-visible measuring device 110a Non-visible measuring device 141 Velocity input part 161 Light irradiation unit 162 Light detection unit 163 Control calculation unit 205 Head-up display

Claims (15)

1. A radar irradiation unit that irradiates an electromagnetic wave to an object;
   A radar detection unit that detects an electromagnetic wave reflected by the object and outputs a detection signal of the detected electromagnetic wave;
   An image input unit for acquiring terrain image information;
   An analysis unit that analyzes the detection signal output from the radar detection unit and the image information acquired by the image input unit to calculate position information of the object;
   Have
   The analysis unit extracts the position of a reflection surface that reflects the electromagnetic wave based on the image information acquired by the image input unit, and applies the electromagnetic wave to the extracted reflection surface to perform position analysis. The non-visible measurement device, thereby calculating the position information of a non-visible object not included in the image information.
2. In the non-visible measurement device according to claim 1,
   The analysis unit
   A shape recognition unit that generates three-dimensional shape information from the image information acquired by the image input unit;
   A range that indicates the radiation range of the electromagnetic wave from the calculated reflection direction by calculating the reflection direction of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the radar irradiation unit from the shape information generated by the shape recognition unit by reflecting and spreading the electromagnetic wave on the reflection surface. A range analysis unit that calculates information;
   A signal analysis unit that calculates a reflection position of the object based on the detection signal output from the radar detection unit and the range information calculated by a range analysis unit;
   A position analysis unit that calculates position information of the object based on the shape information generated by the shape recognition unit and the reflection position calculated by the signal analysis unit;
   Non-visible measuring device with.
3. In the non-visible measurement device according to claim 1,
   The image input unit is
   A light emitting unit for emitting light;
   A light detection unit that detects the reflected light of the light emitted by the light irradiation unit;
   A control operation unit that generates image information based on the light detection signal detected by the light detection unit;
   Have
   The control calculation unit calculates a reflection distance which is a distance from the image input unit to a reflection position of the light emitted by the light emitting unit, and maps the calculated reflection distance to a two-dimensional image to obtain distance information. The non-visible measuring device which outputs the said image information which has.
4. In the non-visible measurement device according to claim 1,
   The radar detection unit detects a diffracted wave of the electromagnetic wave reflected by the object, and outputs a detection signal of the detected diffracted wave.
   The analysis unit
   A shape recognition unit that generates three-dimensional shape information from the image information acquired by the image input unit;
   A range analysis unit that calculates the diffraction direction of the electromagnetic wave irradiated by the radar irradiation unit from the shape information generated by the shape recognition unit, and calculates range information indicating the irradiation range of the diffracted wave from the calculated diffraction direction When,
   A signal analysis unit that calculates and outputs a reflection position of the object based on the detection signal output from the radar detection unit and the range information calculated by the range analysis unit;
   A position analysis unit that calculates position information of the object based on the shape information generated by the shape recognition unit and the reflection position calculated by the signal analysis unit;
   Non-visible measuring device with.
5. In the non-visible measurement device according to claim 2,
   Has a map input unit to obtain map information,
   The non-visible measurement device, wherein the shape recognition unit generates the shape information based on the map information acquired by the map input unit and the image information acquired by the image input unit.
6. In the non-visible measurement device according to claim 1,
   The non-visible measurement device, wherein the electromagnetic wave irradiated by the radar irradiation unit is a pulse-modulated signal.
7. In the non-visible measurement device according to claim 1,
   The non-visible measurement device, wherein the electromagnetic wave emitted by the radar irradiation unit is a frequency-modulated signal.
8. In the non-visible measurement device according to claim 1,
   The analysis unit
   A shape recognition unit that generates three-dimensional shape information from the image information acquired by the image input unit;
   A range that indicates the radiation range of the electromagnetic wave from the calculated reflection direction by calculating the reflection direction of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the radar irradiation unit from the shape information generated by the shape recognition unit by reflecting and spreading the electromagnetic wave on the reflection surface. A range analysis unit that calculates information;
   A signal analysis unit that calculates and outputs a reflection position of the object based on the detection signal output from the radar detection unit and the range information calculated by a range analysis unit;
   A position analysis unit that calculates position information of the object based on the shape information generated by the shape recognition unit and the reflection position calculated by the signal analysis unit;
   Have
   The signal analysis unit calculates the reflection position of the electromagnetic wave of the object within a range indicated by the range information from the detection signal,
   The non-visible measurement device, wherein the radar irradiation unit sets the irradiation direction of the electromagnetic wave based on the range information output by the range analysis unit.
9. In the non-visible measurement device according to claim 8,
   The range information calculated by the range analysis unit is limited to either a first range or a second range,
   The first range is a range having a positive horizontal angle with reference to the irradiation center of the radar irradiation unit,
   The non-visible measurement device, wherein the second range is a range having a negative horizontal angle with respect to the irradiation center of the radar irradiation unit.
10. In the non-visible measurement device according to claim 2,
    It has a speed input unit for acquiring the moving speed of the non-visible measurement device,
    The position analysis unit calculates a distance to the object from the movement speed acquired by the speed input unit and the movement direction and movement speed of the object, and the calculated distance is less than or equal to a set value. Out-of-visible measurement device that outputs an alert.
11. In the non-visible measurement device according to claim 10,
    The non-visible measuring device, wherein the alert output from the position analysis unit is a control signal that causes the electronic control unit that controls the automatic braking function of a collision damage reducing brake of a vehicle to operate the automatic braking function.
12. In the non-visible measurement device according to claim 10,
    The non-visible measurement device, wherein the alert output from the position analysis unit is a control signal for displaying position information on a display system of a car.
13. A radar irradiation unit that irradiates an object with an electromagnetic wave; a radar detection unit that detects an electromagnetic wave reflected by the object; and outputs a detection signal of the detected electromagnetic wave; an image input unit that acquires image information) And an analysis unit that analyzes the detection signal output from the radar detection unit and the image information acquired by the image input unit, and extracts position information of the object. External measurement method,
    A first step of outputting the image information acquired by the image input unit;
    A second step of the analysis unit recognizing a shape from the acquired image information and generating the shape information;
    A third step of the analysis unit calculating the irradiation range and the detection range of the electromagnetic wave based on the shape information, and outputting the calculation result as range information;
    A fourth step of irradiating the electromagnetic wave by the radar irradiation unit;
    A fifth step of the radar detection unit detecting an electromagnetic wave reflected by the object and outputting a detection signal;
    A seventh step in which the analysis unit calculates a reflection position based on the detection signal and the range information;
    An eighth step of calculating the position of the object based on the calculated reflection position and the shape information.
    Out-of-visible measurement method.
14. In the non-visible measurement method according to claim 13,
    The analysis unit has a ninth step of determining whether the irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave irradiated by the radar irradiation unit covers the range information or not.
    The analysis unit calculates the reflection position based on the detection signal and the range information when it is determined that the irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave covers the range information, and the irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave is the range The non-visible measurement method which changes the irradiation range of the said electromagnetic waves which the said radar irradiation part irradiates, when it determines not covering information.
15. In the non-visible measurement method according to claim 14,
    The non-visible measurement method, wherein the processing of the first step to the third step, the processing of the fourth step, the processing of the fifth step, and the processing of the ninth step are performed in parallel .

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