CN114379562A - Vehicle position detection device and vehicle position detection method - Google Patents

Abstract

The vehicle position detection device includes: a vehicle candidate region extraction unit that extracts a vehicle candidate region including the lighted headlights based on the captured image of the rear side of the host vehicle captured by the imaging unit; a road surface area detection unit that detects a road surface area from which an obstacle is removed from the captured image, based on a detection result obtained by the distance measurement unit; a road surface luminance comparing unit that sets a luminance comparison area in the road surface area further forward than the vehicle candidate area and compares the luminance obtained from the luminance comparison area; a travel area estimation unit that estimates a travel area in which another vehicle behind the vehicle is traveling, based on a comparison result obtained by the road surface brightness comparison unit; and a vehicle position determination unit that determines the position of the other vehicle based on the travel area and the vehicle candidate area.

Description

Vehicle position detection device and vehicle position detection method

technical field

The present application relates to a vehicle position detection device and a vehicle position detection method.

Background technique

Conventionally, there is known a method of determining the presence of headlights based on an image captured of an area including a road, and detecting the position of another vehicle approaching the host vehicle from the rear side at night. However, depending on the direction of the optical axis of the headlamp, whether it is high beam or low beam, and its beam angle, etc., the photographed headlamp may be magnified, and it may be erroneously detected as approaching from behind in an adjacent lane. Other vehicles, or other vehicles approaching from behind in a lane other than two lanes. If a false detection occurs, an unnecessary warning may be issued to another vehicle approaching from behind in a lane other than two lanes.

On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a case in which a vehicle candidate area including the turned-on headlamps is extracted based on an image obtained by an imaging unit that captures the rear side of the host vehicle, and a vehicle candidate area is extracted. The first road surface position on the adjacent lane of the own vehicle and the second road surface position on the lane separated from the adjacent lane by one lane are set further ahead of the area, based on the comparison of the brightness of the above-mentioned first and second road surface positions As a result, the lane in which the other vehicle behind the host vehicle is traveling is determined, and the position of the other vehicle on the determined lane is determined based on the extracted vehicle candidate area. In this way, by combining the vehicle candidate area corresponding to the turned-on headlamps and the luminance (road surface reflection) of the road surface position in front of the vehicle candidate area, it is possible to grasp the driving lanes of other vehicles behind the host vehicle. , so that the positions of other vehicles can be accurately detected.

prior art literature

Patent Literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-55968

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The technical problem to be solved by the invention

However, in Patent Document 1, the object of the brightness comparison regarding the headlights is the area on the adjacent lane. Therefore, when there is only one adjacent lane in the driving lane of the own vehicle, it is regarded as the difference between the driving lane of the own vehicle and the driving lane of the own vehicle. The selected area is not the road surface in the lane, which may cause false detection because the brightness of the area on the adjacent lane is compared.

Also, when an object with high brightness, such as a white vehicle, is present in the lane to be compared for brightness, the brightness comparison between road surfaces is not performed similarly, which may cause erroneous detection.

The present application discloses a technology for solving the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a vehicle position detection device and a vehicle position detection method, which can accurately detect the position of other vehicles based on the brightness reflected from the road surface of the headlights of other vehicles.

technical means for solving technical problems

The vehicle position detection device disclosed in the present application includes: a photographing unit, which is arranged on the vehicle, and photographs the periphery of the vehicle and outputs it; a ranging unit, which is arranged on the vehicle and monitors The surrounding obstacles are detected; the vehicle candidate area extraction unit that extracts the headlamps including the lit headlamps based on the photographed image of the rear side of the vehicle photographed by the photographing unit The vehicle candidate area of the The road surface luminance comparison unit sets a luminance comparison area further ahead of the vehicle candidate area existing in the road surface area in the road surface area, and compares the luminance comparison area obtained from the luminance comparison area to the vehicle candidate area. brightness comparison; a travel area estimation unit for estimating a travel area where other vehicles behind the vehicle are traveling based on the comparison result obtained by the road surface luminance comparison unit; and a vehicle position determination unit, The vehicle position specifying unit specifies the position of the other vehicle based on the travel area and the vehicle candidate area used for estimating the travel area.

Invention effect

According to the vehicle position detection device and the vehicle position detection method disclosed in the present application, the road surface area around the own vehicle is detected, and the target area for brightness comparison is set in the detected road surface area, whereby it is possible to accurately detect the subsequent The position of other vehicles approaching from the side, regardless of the lane.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle position detection device according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of an arithmetic device according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

3 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle position detection device according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

4 is a functional block diagram of a notification unit of the vehicle position detection device according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle position detection device according to the first embodiment.

6 is a flowchart of generating a notification signal to the driver according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

7 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between another vehicle and the host vehicle detected by the vehicle position detection device according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

8 is a diagram showing a positional relationship of light source candidates extracted from an image captured by a camera of the vehicle position detection device according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

9 is a diagram showing a positional relationship of light source candidates extracted from an image captured by a camera of the vehicle position detection device according to Embodiment 1, and a candidate area of another vehicle estimated from the type of light source.

10 is a diagram showing a vehicle candidate area and a luminance comparison area corresponding thereto in an image captured by a camera of the vehicle position detection device according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

11 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between an alert target area and a luminance sample area set by the vehicle position detection device according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

12 is a diagram showing an example of an image generated by an image generation unit of the vehicle position detection device according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

13 is a diagram showing an example of an image generated by the image generation unit of the vehicle position detection device according to Embodiment 1 and displayed on the video output unit.

14 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle position detection device according to Embodiment 2. FIG.

15 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle position detection device according to the second embodiment.

16 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between another vehicle and the host vehicle detected by the vehicle position detection device according to Embodiment 2. FIG.

17 is a diagram showing an example of an image generated by an image generation unit of the vehicle position detection device according to Embodiment 2. FIG.

18 is a diagram showing an example of an image generated by the image generation unit of the vehicle position detection device according to Embodiment 2 and displayed on the video output unit.

19 is a diagram showing another example of an image generated by the image generation unit of the vehicle position detection device according to Embodiment 2 and displayed on the video output unit.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, embodiments of the vehicle position detection device and the vehicle position detection method disclosed in the present application will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same code|symbol represents the same or a corresponding part.

Embodiment 1.

Hereinafter, the vehicle position detection device and the vehicle position detection method according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle position detection device according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

In FIG. 1 , a vehicle 1 includes a camera 2 , a sonar sensor 3 , and a vehicle position detection device 10 . A plurality of sonar sensors 3 are provided in the front, the sides, and the left and right of the vehicle, and these are connected to the sonar controller 12 via the sonar sensor wiring 8 . In addition, in FIG. 1 , four sonar sensors 3 are arranged in the front and rear, and one sonar sensor 3 is arranged in each of the left and right. However, in the present application, as long as there are at least one sonar sensor in the direction of the road surface image acquired by the camera 2 3 is no problem. A plurality of cameras 2 are arranged in the front, rear and left and right sides of the vehicle, but are installed at least at positions capable of photographing the rear side, and are connected to the surveillance camera controller 11 via the camera wiring 7 . In addition, in FIG. 1, although one camera 2 is arrange|positioned at the front, rear, left and right, at least one camera 2 may be arranged at least in a direction capable of photographing the rear side. Therefore, in the present application, the left rear or the rear is preferred. Regarding the installation position, the left and right cameras 2 are shown in the lower part of the current general rearview mirror, and the front and rear cameras 2 are respectively arranged in the center of the bumper in FIG. 1 , but it is not necessarily installed as shown in FIG. For the purpose of this application, the installation location is not limited. In addition to the sonar controller 12 and the surrounding surveillance camera controller 11 , the vehicle position detection device 10 also includes other sensors 13 and an arithmetic device 14 of the vehicle position detection device 10 , which use communication lines 5 , such as CAN (Control Area Network: Controller Area Network, registered trademark), etc.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the computing device 14 includes a processor 1000 and a storage device 2000. Although not shown, the storage device includes a volatile storage device such as a random access memory, and a nonvolatile auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory. . In addition, an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk may be provided instead of the flash memory. The processor 1000 executes the program input from the storage device 2000, and completes a part or all of the operations related to the functional blocks described in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the flowchart described in FIG. 5 . In this case, the program is input to the processor 1000 from the auxiliary storage device via the volatile storage device. In addition, the processor 1000 may output data such as input and output signals, intermediate values of operations, and operation results to the volatile storage device of the storage device 2000, or may save data to an auxiliary storage device via the volatile storage device. In addition to the processor 1000 and the storage device 2000, a logic circuit and an analog circuit may be used in combination. In addition, the arithmetic device 14 completes a part or all of the operations of the functional blocks and flowcharts described in the second embodiment to be described later.

Next, the functional configuration of the vehicle position detection device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the functional block diagrams of FIGS. 3 and 4 , and the operation of the functional configuration will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6 .

In addition, in the first embodiment, as shown in the diagram showing the positional relationship between the other vehicle V2 and the host vehicle V1 in FIG. 7 and the image captured by the camera 2 in FIG. 8 , it is assumed that the driver operates and travels at night. On the rear side of the host vehicle V1 of the present invention, there is another vehicle V2 whose headlights h1 and h2 are turned on.

[Functional structure of the vehicle position detection device]

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the vehicle position detection device 10 according to the first embodiment. In the figure, the vehicle position detection device 10 includes an imaging unit 101, a distance measurement unit 102, a light source extraction unit 103, a light source type determination unit 104, a vehicle candidate area extraction unit 105, a road surface area detection unit 106, an alarm target area setting unit 107, The luminance comparison area setting unit 108 , the luminance sample area setting unit 109 , the road surface luminance comparison unit 110 , the travel area estimation unit 111 , the vehicle position determination unit 112 , the vehicle approach determination unit 113 , and the notification unit 114 .

The imaging unit 101 includes a camera 2 capable of imaging the rear side among the plurality of cameras 2 shown in FIG. 1 , a surveillance camera controller 11 for outputting an image captured by the camera 2 , and a camera wiring 7 connecting them. .

The distance measuring unit 102 detects an obstacle (three-dimensional object) existing around the host vehicle V1, and measures the distance to the obstacle. The distance measuring unit 102 includes the plurality of sonar sensors 3 shown in FIG. 1 , the sonar controller 12 , and the sonar sensor wiring 8 connecting them. Here, as the ranging sensor, a sonar sensor is exemplified for description, but an infrared depth sensor, a millimeter-wave radar, or a LiDAR (light Detection and Ranging) technology may also be used.

The light source extraction unit 103 extracts a light source based on the luminance value of the image of the rear side of the host vehicle V1 captured by the camera 2 of the imaging unit 101 .

When a light source is extracted by the light source extraction unit 103, the light source type determination unit 104 estimates the type of the light source from the color information for each extracted light source, and estimates whether it is a headlamp of another vehicle V2.

Based on the result of the light source type determination unit 104 , the vehicle candidate area extraction unit 105 extracts a vehicle candidate area indicating the position of the vehicle including the turned-on headlamp for the light source estimated to be the headlamp of the other vehicle V2 .

The road surface area detection unit 106 uses the captured image of the rear side of the vehicle V1 captured by the camera 2 of the imaging unit 101 and the obstacles detected by the sonar sensor 3 of the rangefinder 102 to detect the road surface around the vehicle V1. area detection.

The alarm target area setting unit 107 sets an area for determining whether or not to issue an alarm when another vehicle enters. This area is an area set from the side to the rear near the host vehicle V1.

The luminance comparison area setting unit 108 sets a luminance comparison area on the front side of the vehicle candidate area extracted by the vehicle candidate area extraction unit 105 . The brightness comparison area is an area for determining whether or not the road surface is illuminated by the headlights by comparing the brightness.

The luminance sample area setting unit 109 sets a luminance sample area that is extracted as a sample for comparison with luminance values extracted from the respective luminance comparison areas set by the luminance comparison area setting unit 108 . area of brightness. The luminance sample area is set within the road surface area detected by the road surface area detection unit 106 .

The road surface luminance comparison unit 110 compares the luminance between the area set by the luminance comparison area setting unit 108 and the area set by the luminance sample area setting unit 109 .

The travel area estimation unit 111 estimates the area where the other vehicle V2 travels based on the comparison result of the road surface luminance comparison unit 110 .

The vehicle position identifying unit 112 identifies the other vehicle V2 based on the candidate area for the vehicle position extracted by the vehicle candidate area extracting unit 105 and the area that is extracted by the traveling area estimating unit 111 and estimated to be traveled by the other vehicle V2. The lower end part where the road surface meets, and set as the vehicle position.

The vehicle approach determination unit 113 determines that the position of the other vehicle V2 has entered the alarm area based on the alarm area set by the alarm target area setting unit 107 and the vehicle position determined by the vehicle position determination unit 112, and based on the time-series acquired image to determine whether the other vehicle V2 is approaching the own vehicle V1.

The notification unit 114 determines whether or not to notify the driver based on the determination result of the vehicle approach determination unit 113 and performs notification.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the notification unit 114 . In the figure, the notification unit 114 includes an output determination unit 1141 , an image generation unit 1142 , a sound generation unit 1143 , and a vibration control unit 1144 .

The output determination unit 1141 determines whether or not to output a notification to the driver.

Based on the determination result of the output determination unit 1141, the image generation unit 1142 generates an alarm image. The alarm image generated by the image generation unit 1142 is superimposed on the background of the image captured by the camera 2 in the video output unit 115 and output. The video output unit 115 corresponds to a display unit included in the vehicle.

Further, based on the determination result of the output determination unit 1141, the sound generation unit 1143 generates an alarm sound, outputs the alarm sound from the sound output unit 116, and notifies the driver of the alarm content.

Further, based on the determination result of the output determination unit 1141, the vibration control unit 1144 vibrates the steering wheel or the seat of the driver's seat to notify the driver of an alarm.

[Operation of the vehicle position detection device]

Next, the operation of the functional configuration of the vehicle position detection device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6 , and FIGS. 7 to 13 .

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle position detection device according to the first embodiment.

First, in step S101, the camera 2 captures an image of the surroundings of the host vehicle V1. The surrounding image is an image of the rear side of the host vehicle V1. 7 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the other vehicle V2 and the own vehicle V1 detected by the vehicle position detection device according to Embodiment 1, and shows the positional relationship between the vehicle V1 and the vehicle V1 mounted below the right side mirror of the own vehicle V1. The camera 2 captures the image of the area including the rear side of the other vehicle V2. The viewing angle S of the camera 2 is set to 60 degrees. In addition, the viewing angle S of the camera 2 is not limited to 60 degrees. In addition, L1 to L4 in the drawing are white lines indicating lanes in which the vehicle travels.

In step S102, obstacles (three-dimensional objects) around the host vehicle V1 are detected using the sonar sensor 3, and their distances are measured. Here, in the first embodiment, the distance at which the sonar sensor 3 can measure the distance is set to be 3 m from the sonar sensor position. However, the distance at which distance measurement can be performed is not limited to 3 m, and other distance measurement sensors exemplified above may also be used.

In step S103, the light source extraction unit 103 extracts light source candidates from the luminance values of the captured image acquired in step S101. The brightness of the image is represented by 256 levels ranging from 0 (corresponding to black) to 255 (corresponding to white). In Embodiment 1, for example, a portion with a brightness value of 230 or more is extracted as a candidate for the headlight source of another vehicle V2. In addition, the setting of the luminance value of the light source candidate is not limited to 230 .

Here, when extracting as a headlamp light source candidate, two light sources can be handled as a pair when two light sources are shifted close to the ground. In this case, a headlamp of a two-wheeled vehicle is also considered, and even a single light source can be extracted as a headlamp light source candidate. FIG. 8 shows an image obtained by extracting light source candidates from the image captured by the camera 2 in FIG. 7 . As the light source candidates, h1, h2, O1, and O2 are extracted, and h1, h2 and O1, O2 are considered in pairs, respectively. . In addition, in the figure, the road surface illuminated by the headlights of the other vehicle V2 is indicated by R1 and R2.

In step S104 , the light source type determination unit 104 extracts the colors of the captured images of h1 , h2 , O1 , and O2 , which are light source candidates extracted by the light source extraction unit 103 , and determines the light source type. For example, when the color information of red or green is extracted, it is determined that it is signal light or the like, and a process of removing it from the light source candidates is performed. Also, by using the vanishing point in the captured image, the highest point of the road surface area on the image is known. Since the headlamps of the vehicle are located slightly above the road surface (the lower end of the vehicle), the area where the headlamps exist on the image can be determined as the area below the line slightly above the vanishing point. Therefore, a process of calculating the vanishing point from the captured image, determining that the light source located above the vanishing point by a certain pixel amount or more is not a headlamp, and removing it from the light source candidates may be included. In addition, the calculation method of the vanishing point can be estimated from the internal parameters of the lens of the camera 2 and the calibration information of the camera such as the installation position and orientation of the camera 2, or the method detected by optical flow or white line detection. The method of calculating the intersection of the straight lines, etc., no matter which method is used, the effect will not be affected.

In step S105, the vehicle candidate area extraction unit 105 extracts a vehicle candidate area including the headlamps of the vehicle based on the light source candidates determined by the light source type determination unit 104 among the light source candidates extracted by the light source extraction unit 103. the light source candidate.

9 is a diagram for explaining a method of extracting candidate vehicle areas, in which a vehicle candidate area A1 including h1 and h2, which are light source candidates for headlamps, and a vehicle candidate area A2 including O1, O2, which are light source candidates, are set . In fact, since the height of the headlamp and the interval in the horizontal direction have different values for each vehicle type, it can be determined only from the light source candidates h1, h2, O1, and O2 shown in FIG. 8 that There are also other vehicles in the areas shown by A3 and A4 in FIG. 9 . Therefore, the vehicle candidate area extraction unit 105 extracts the four vehicle candidate areas A1, A2, A3, and A4.

In step S106, the road surface area detection unit 106 performs calculation using the captured image obtained by the camera 2 and the obstacle (three-dimensional object) distance measurement result obtained by the sonar sensor 3, and detects the road surface area RS. For the detection of the road surface area RS, for example, the road surface detection method shown in International Publication No. 2019/202627 of the present applicant can be used. In this method, a histogram of color information is calculated based on the surrounding road surface image, and based on the histogram, a vehicle-runable area and an obstacle area are extracted. According to this method, the road surface area RS is approximately an area obtained by removing the area where the obstacle (three-dimensional object) is detected further outside the white line L3 (on the white line L1 side) in the captured image of FIG. 8 .

Based on the detected road surface area RS, the end of the road surface farthest on the road surface on which the host vehicle V1 is traveling is calculated, and the area located further outside is removed from the road surface area RS. The end of the road surface is the white line L1. In FIG. 9, the road surface area|region RS from which the area|region further outside this white line L1 was removed is shown.

In step S107 , in the luminance comparison area setting unit 108 , the luminance is set based on the vehicle candidate areas A1 , A2 , A3 , and A4 extracted by the vehicle candidate area extraction unit 105 and the road surface area RS detected by the road surface area detection unit 106 . Compare areas. Since the vehicle candidate areas located outside the road surface area RS detected by the road surface area detection unit 106 are removed from the candidates, in FIG. 9 , the vehicle candidate areas A2 and A4 are removed, and only the vehicle candidate areas A1 and A3 are left. as a vehicle waiting area. For the vehicle candidate areas A1 and A3, the areas located in front of them are set as luminance comparison areas C1 and C2, respectively.

In FIG. 10 , the vehicle candidate areas A1 and A3 and their corresponding luminance comparison areas C1 and C2 are shown on the image captured by the camera 2 . Here, the luminance comparison regions C1, C2 are set as elliptical regions along the direction of the camera 2, not elliptical shapes along the traveling directions of the host vehicle V1 and the other vehicle V2, because, as shown in FIG. 7 , The areas of the road surfaces R1 and R2 illuminated by the headlights of the other vehicles V2 generally extend in the direction of the camera 2 in the captured image. However, the luminance comparison regions C1 and C2 are not limited to such elliptical shapes. Area setting may also be performed so that the luminance value of the road surface illuminated by the headlights of the other vehicle V2 can be extracted.

In step S108 , the luminance sample area for comparison with the luminance comparison areas C1 and C2 set by the luminance comparison area setting unit 108 is set in the luminance sample area setting unit 109 . As shown in FIG. 11 , the luminance sample area CS for comparison with the luminance comparison areas C1 and C2 shown in FIG. 10 is set from the road surface area RS surrounded by the dotted line. The road surface area RS is an area from which obstacles have been removed, and by setting the luminance sample area CS that is the target of luminance comparison in the road surface area RS, the following problem can be solved: there is an obstacle in the luminance comparison target area of the prior art When there is only one lane other than the driving lane of the own vehicle, the detection of other vehicles may not be performed correctly.

In the present embodiment, since the luminance sample area CS is highly likely to be a road surface, it is set as the area closest to the host vehicle V1 and closest to the traveling direction side within the warning target area W to be described later. In addition, when it is determined that an alarm was issued as a result of the previous time in the notification unit 114 to be described later, that is, when another vehicle V2 intruded into the alarm target area W in the previous captured image, the luminance sample area is It is possible for the CS to be illuminated by the headlights of other vehicles V2. Therefore, the luminance sample area CS is set as another area within the road surface area RS, not within the warning target area W. In addition, although this luminance sample area CS is set as the area|region of about 1m*1m, it is not limited to this range.

In step S109 , in the warning target area setting unit 107 , the warning target area W to be notified to the host vehicle V1 when another vehicle V2 enters the area is set. The warning target area W is, for example, an area 2 m away from the side end of the host vehicle and 5 m rearward from the position of the camera 2 , and is an area shown by the oblique lines in FIG. 11 . In addition, the alarm target area W is not limited to this range.

In step S110, the road surface luminance comparison unit 110 compares the luminance values between the luminance comparison regions C1 and C2 and the luminance sample region CS. Here, the luminance comparison area C1 whose luminance value is greater than the luminance value of the sample luminance area CS by 100 or more is determined as the illumination area of the headlamp. The threshold value (determination criterion) for determining the difference between the luminance values of the illumination of the headlamp is not limited to 100.

In step S111 , in the running area estimation unit 111 , the vehicle candidate area A1 corresponding to the luminance comparison area C1 determined to be illuminated by the headlights in the road surface luminance comparison unit 110 is estimated as an area in which another vehicle V2 is traveling. .

In step S112, the vehicle position specifying unit 112 specifies the position of the other vehicle V2. Specifically, the lower end of the other vehicle V2 is determined. In general, the luminance value of the vicinity of the vehicle with its headlights illuminated at night and the road surface is low. Therefore, the road luminance comparison unit 110 searches for the luminance between the luminance comparison area C1 determined to be illuminated by the headlights and the vehicle candidate area A1 estimated by the travel area estimation unit 111 as the presence of another vehicle V2 traveling. lower value area. For example, a luminance value less than 30 is searched, the lower end LC of the other vehicle V2 is determined, and the vehicle position is determined. In addition, the reference (threshold value) for determining the luminance value of the lower end of the vehicle is not limited to 30, and may be appropriately set according to the road surface state, the weather, and the like. The position of the lower end LC of the other vehicle V2 is illustrated in FIG. 10 .

In step S113 , the vehicle position identifying unit 112 determines whether or not the lower end LC of the other vehicle V2 exists within the warning target area W set by the warning target area setting unit 107 . When the lower end LC of the other vehicle V2 is not within the warning target area W (No in step S113), the processing after step S114 is not performed, and the process returns to step S101, and then the image input from the rear side camera 2 is captured in the same way. image is processed.

In step S113, when the lower end LC of the other vehicle V2 exists in the warning target area W (YES in step S113), the process proceeds to step S114, and the vehicle approach determination unit 113 determines whether or not the other vehicle V2 is approaching the own vehicle V1. On the image captured by the camera 2, the lower end LC of the other vehicle V2 is displayed, and when the lower end LC approaches the own vehicle V1 in time series, it is determined that the other vehicle is approaching the own vehicle. When it is determined that the other vehicle V2 existing behind the host vehicle V1 is approaching the host vehicle V1 (YES in step S114 ), the process proceeds to step S115 , and the output determination unit 1141 of the notification unit 114 determines that the driver be notified. In addition, when it is determined that the other vehicle V2 existing behind the host vehicle V1 is not approaching the host vehicle V1 (NO in step S114 ), the process returns to step S101 , and then the same method is used to monitor the camera 2 on the rear side. The input captured image is processed.

Next, the case where a signal to notify the driver is generated in step S115 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 6 . As the notification signal to the driver, a video signal, a sound signal, and vibration will be described as examples.

In step S115, when the output determination unit 1141 of the notification unit 114 determines that the driver is notified, in step S1151, the image generation unit 1142 included in the notification unit 114 generates a warning image, and in step S1152 This warning image is output to the video output unit 115 .

FIGS. 12 and 13 are diagrams showing an example of an alarm image, in which the alarm subject area W set by the alarm subject area setting unit 107 and the lower end LC of the other vehicle V2 are shown on the image captured by the camera 2 , and The display areas of the warning images WI101 and WI102 are superimposed on the images. In FIG. 12 , it corresponds to the state in which the lower end LC of the other vehicle V2 is determined in step S112, and the lower end LC is not within the warning target area W, so the warning image WI101 is not displayed. 13 shows a state in which it is determined in step S113 that the lower end LC is located within the warning target area W, and in step S114, the lower end LC descends and approaches the host vehicle V1 in the time series, and a notification determination is made in step S115. The alarm image generated in step S1151 is displayed in the alarm image WI102 in FIG. 13 . Thereby, the driver can visually confirm that the warning image WI102 is displayed, and can grasp the fact that the other vehicle V2 is approaching the rear side of the host vehicle V1.

In addition, in step S1151, the images shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 are generated as video signals for notification to the driver, and an alarm image WI102 is displayed when an alarm needs to be notified. Therefore, Fig. 12 does not prompt the driver.

In addition, the warning images WI101 and WI102 are not limited to this, and may be displayed as long as the driver can visually confirm the warning.

In step S115, when the output determination unit 1141 of the notification unit 114 determines to notify the driver, in step S1153, the sound generation unit 1143 of the notification unit 114 generates an alarm sound, and in step S1154 This alarm sound is output to the sound output unit 116 .

The warning sound is a sound signal for notifying the driver, and the driver can grasp the situation that the other vehicle V2 is approaching the rear side of the own vehicle V1 by the output of the warning sound.

Further, both the display of the warning image and the output of the warning sound can be notified to the driver.

When the output determination unit 1141 of the notification unit 114 determines in step S115 to notify the driver, in step S1155 the vibration control unit 1144 included in the notification unit 114 vibrates the steering wheel.

By vibrating the steering wheel, the driver can grasp that the other vehicle V2 is approaching the rear side of the host vehicle V1.

As the warning notification unit for the driver, it is not limited to vibrating the steering wheel, and a vibration device may be incorporated into the seat of the driver's seat or the steering wheel to give the warning in a tactile manner.

In addition, the display of the warning image and the output of the warning sound can be combined and notified to the driver by various notification methods.

The operations of steps S101 to S115 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are repeated while the host vehicle V1 is traveling.

As described above, according to Embodiment 1, the camera 2 and the sonar sensor 3 are used to detect the road surface area RS from which the obstacle behind the own vehicle is removed, and the presence of other vehicles is extracted from the rear image obtained by the camera 2 . In the vehicle candidate areas A1 to A4, the brightness comparison areas C1 and C2 are set in front of the vehicle candidate areas A1 and A3 located in the road surface area RS and in the road surface area RS, and are compared with the brightness set in the road surface area RS. The sample area CS performs a brightness comparison to estimate the travel area of the other vehicle V2 and notify an alarm. Therefore, since the brightness comparison areas C1, C2 and the brightness sample area CS are all within the road surface area RS, and they are compared, thus , the detection accuracy of the other vehicle V2 is improved regardless of the lane, and the conventional false alarm is suppressed.

Therefore, it is possible to realize an accurate warning about the surrounding vehicles approaching the own vehicle at night, and the driver can more accurately grasp the situation around the own vehicle.

Embodiment 2.

Hereinafter, the vehicle position detection device and the vehicle position detection method according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG. 14 , the flowchart of FIG. 15 , and FIGS. 16 to 19 .

[Functional structure of the vehicle position detection device]

14 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the vehicle position detection device 10 according to the second embodiment. . In FIG. 14 , different points from FIG. 3 in Embodiment 1 will be described, and descriptions of corresponding points will be omitted. In FIG. 14 , the vehicle position detection device 10 includes a lane area setting unit 221 and a travel lane estimation unit 222 . In addition, the notification part 214 has the functional structure shown in FIG. 4 similarly to Embodiment 1. FIG.

The lane area setting unit 221 sets which area on the captured image corresponds to which lane area for the lane existing around the host vehicle V1.

The road surface brightness comparison unit 210 compares the respective brightness values of the plurality of brightness comparison areas set by the brightness comparison setting unit 208 . In Embodiment 1, the luminance sample area set by the luminance sample area setting unit 109 is compared with a plurality of luminance comparison areas. However, in Embodiment 2, the luminance sample area setting unit is not provided, and a plurality of luminance comparison areas are compared. The brightness values of the regions are compared with each other.

The driving lane estimation unit 222 estimates the position of the lane in which the other vehicle V2 is traveling based on the results of the lane area setting unit 221 and the road surface luminance comparison unit 210 . FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the host vehicle V1 and the other vehicle V2. The traveling lane estimation unit 222 estimates that the other vehicle V2 is traveling on the lane LN between the white line L1 and the white line L2. That is, the travel lane estimation unit 222 estimates the travel area of the other vehicle estimated by the travel area estimation unit of Embodiment 1 up to the travel lane based on the result of the lane area setting unit 221 .

The vehicle position specifying unit 212 specifies the position of the other vehicle V2 based on the vehicle candidate area extracted by the vehicle candidate area extracting unit 205 and the lane in which the other vehicle V2 is traveling estimated by the traveling lane estimating unit 222 .

[Operation of the vehicle position detection device]

Next, the operation of the functional configuration of the vehicle position detection device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 15 and FIGS. 16 to 19 .

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle position detection device according to the second embodiment.

Step S201 to step S206 are the same as step S101 to step S106 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 in the first embodiment, and therefore are briefly described, and detailed description is omitted.

In step S201, the camera 2 captures a peripheral image of the rear side of the host vehicle V1.

In step S202, the sonar sensor 3 is used to detect obstacles (three-dimensional objects) around the host vehicle V1, and the distance to the obstacles is measured.

In step S203, the light source extraction unit 203 extracts light source candidates from the luminance values of the captured image acquired in step S201.

In step S204, the light source type determination unit 204 extracts the colors of the captured images of the light source candidates extracted by the light source extraction unit 203, respectively, and determines the light source type.

In step S205, the vehicle candidate area extraction unit 205 extracts a vehicle candidate area including the headlamps of the vehicle based on the light source candidates determined by the light source type determination unit 204 among the light source candidates extracted by the light source extraction unit 203. the light source candidate.

In step S206, the road surface area detection unit 206 performs calculation using the captured image obtained by the camera 2 and the obstacle (three-dimensional object) distance measurement result obtained by the sonar sensor 3, and detects the road surface area RS.

In step S207, the lane area setting unit 221 sets which area on the captured image corresponds to which lane area for the lane existing around the host vehicle V1. Specifically, for example, in FIG. 16 , based on the white lines L1 to L3 detected around the host vehicle V1 , the traveling direction of the host vehicle V1 , and the time-series changes in the road surface area detected by the road surface area detection unit 206 , Each lane area around the host vehicle V1 is estimated and set based on the estimated travel direction of the other vehicle and the like.

Step S208 and step S209 are the same as step S107 and step S109 described in Embodiment 1, respectively.

That is, in step S208, the luminance comparison area setting unit 208 sets the luminance comparison area based on the plurality of vehicle candidate areas extracted by the vehicle candidate area extraction unit 205 and the road surface area detected by the road surface area detection unit 206 .

In step S209 , in the warning target area setting unit 207 , the warning target area W to be notified to the host vehicle V1 when the other vehicle V2 enters the area is set.

In step S210, the road surface luminance comparison unit 210 extracts the luminance values of the luminance comparison areas C1 and C2 set by the luminance comparison area setting unit 208, and compares the luminance values. The luminance comparison regions C1 and C2 are the same as those shown in FIG. 10 of the first embodiment. In Embodiment 1, the comparison target of luminance values is compared with the luminance sample area CS extracted by the luminance sample area setting unit 109 , but in Embodiment 2, the luminance comparison area is determined by comparing the luminance comparison areas with each other. Whether it is the illuminated area of the headlamp.

When comparing the luminance comparison area C1 and the luminance comparison area C2, if both include a portion with a luminance value equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, eg, 150, it is determined that both are illuminated areas of the headlamp. In this case, the travel lane estimation unit 222 described later estimates both of the two lanes as the travel lane. When the luminance value of the luminance comparison area C1 is greater than that of the luminance comparison area C2 by, for example, 100 or more, the luminance comparison area C1 is determined as the illumination area of the headlamp. In addition, when the luminance values of the luminance comparison areas C1 and C2 are both 100 or less, it is determined that the vehicle is not a traveling vehicle in the traveling lane estimation unit 222 described later. In the second embodiment, the luminance value of the luminance comparison area C1 is greater than that of the luminance comparison area C2 by, for example, 100 or more, and the luminance comparison area C1 is determined as the illumination area of the headlamp. In addition, the threshold value (determination reference) for determining the difference between the luminance values of the illumination of the headlamp is not limited to 100. The reference for comparison of luminance values can be set in consideration of the weather, the state of the road surface, the speed of the traveling vehicle, and the like.

In addition, in the second embodiment, when there are two lanes on the side of the lane on which the host vehicle is traveling, two luminance comparison areas are set, and the respective luminances are compared. Therefore, when the number of lanes on the side of the lane on which the host vehicle is traveling is one or less, the luminance comparison area is not set, and luminance comparison is not performed. Whether or not the number of lanes on the side of the lane on which the host vehicle is traveling is two or more is estimated from white line detection, road surface area, or the like. Estimation of the number of lanes is not limited to the above method, and neither affects the effect.

Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 10 , the luminance comparison areas C1 and C2 are set within the road surface area RS detected by the road surface area detection unit 206 . By setting the luminance comparison areas C1 and C2 to compare luminances in the road surface area RS, it is possible to solve the following problems in the same manner as in the first embodiment. When there is only one lane other than the vehicle's driving lane, other vehicles may not be detected correctly.

In step S211 , the driving lane estimation unit 222 estimates which of the lanes set by the lane area setting unit 211 corresponds to the lane where the other vehicle V2 is traveling based on the result of the road surface luminance comparison unit 210 . Here, since the road surface luminance comparison unit 210 determines that the luminance comparison area C1 is the illumination area of the headlamp, it is estimated that the other vehicle V2 is traveling on the lane LN in FIG. 16 .

In step S212, the vehicle position identifying unit 212 uses the information on the lane LN of the other vehicle V2 estimated by the traveling lane estimating unit 222, the vehicle candidate area A1 extracted by the vehicle candidate area extracting unit 205, and the road surface luminance comparing unit. 210 is determined to be the luminance comparison area C1 of the illumination area of the headlamp, and the vehicle position, that is, the lower end LC of the vehicle is determined in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

In step S213 , the vehicle position specifying unit 212 determines whether or not the lower end LC of the other vehicle V2 exists within the warning target area W set by the warning target area setting unit 207 . When the lower end LC of the other vehicle V2 is located in the warning target area W (YES in step S213 ), the process proceeds to step S215 , and it is determined that the driver is notified. When the lower end LC of the other vehicle V2 is not within the warning target area W (NO in step S213 ), the process proceeds to step S214 .

In step S214, in the vehicle position determination unit 212, it is determined whether or not the lower end LC of the other vehicle V2 is in the two adjacent lanes of the own vehicle V1. That is, even if the other vehicle V2 does not exist in the warning target area W, since the warning target area W is set on the two adjacent lanes of the host vehicle V1, it is also checked whether the other vehicle V2 exists in the warning target area. Judgment on the lane of area W. When the lower end LC of the other vehicle V2 is located on the two adjacent lanes of the own vehicle V1 (YES in step S214 ), the process proceeds to step S215 , and it is determined that the driver is notified. When the lower end LC of the other vehicle V2 is not in the two adjacent lanes of the own vehicle V1 (No in step S214 ), the subsequent processing is not performed, and the process returns to step S201 , and then the same method is used for the rear side camera 2 . The input captured image is processed.

In addition, in step S211, when the lane LN estimated by the traveling lane estimation unit 222 is different from the lane in the warning target area W, this step S214 can be skipped unless the process proceeds to step S213 (return to step S201).

Next, the case where a signal to notify the driver is generated in step S215 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 6 shown in the first embodiment. As in the first embodiment, the notification signals to the driver are video signals, audio signals, and vibrations.

In step S215, when the output determination unit 1141 of the notification unit 214 determines to notify the driver, in step S1151, the image generation unit 1142 included in the notification unit 214 generates an alarm image, and in step S1152 This warning image is output to the video output unit 115 .

FIGS. 17 to 19 are diagrams showing an example of an alarm image, and the image captured by the camera 2 shows the alarm subject area W set by the alarm subject area setting unit 207 and the lower end LC of the other vehicle V2, The display areas of the warning images WI101 to WI103 are superimposed on the image. 17 corresponds to the state in which the lower end LC of the other vehicle V2 is determined in step S212, and the lower end LC is not in the warning target area W or the same lane as the warning target area W, so the warning image WI201 is not displayed. 18 is a state in which it is determined in step S213 that the lower end LC is not within the warning target area W, and in step S214 it is determined that the lower end LC of the other vehicle V2 is located on two adjacent lanes of the host vehicle V1. In the drawing, the warning image generated in step S1151, that is, an image showing attention is displayed on the warning image WI202. FIG. 19 shows a state in which it is determined in step S213 that the lower end LC is located within the alarm target area W. As shown in FIG. In the figure, the alarm image generated in step S1151 is displayed on the alarm image WI203.

As described above, the driver can visually confirm that the warning image WI203 is displayed, and can grasp that the other vehicle V2 is approaching the rear side of the host vehicle V1.

Furthermore, in the second embodiment, when it is determined that the lane adjacent to the host vehicle V1 matches the travel lane LN of the other vehicle V2, even if the lower end LC indicating the vehicle position does not exist in the warning target area W, the In FIG. 18, the warning image WI202 shows that there is another vehicle in the adjacent lane behind the driving lane of the host vehicle V1. Thereby, the driver's attention can be urged in advance before the warning image WI203 is displayed.

In addition, in step S1151, the images shown in FIGS. 17 to 19 are generated, and when notification of an alarm is required, alarm images WI202 and WI203 are displayed. Therefore, Fig. 17 does not prompt the driver.

In addition, the warning images WI201 to WI203 are not limited to these, and may be displayed as long as the driver can visually confirm the warning.

In step S215, when the output determination unit 1141 of the notification unit 214 determines that the driver is notified, in step S1153, the sound generation unit 1143 of the notification unit 214 generates an alarm sound, and in step S1154 This alarm sound is output to the sound output unit 116 .

At this time, as shown in FIG. 18 , when it is determined that the lower end LC of the vehicle does not exist in the warning target area W, but the adjacent lane of the host vehicle V1 matches the lane LN of the other vehicle V2, a communication indicating “in There is a sound indicating that there is another vehicle V2" in the lane adjacent to the driving lane of the own vehicle. As shown in FIG. 19 , when it is determined that the lower end LC of the vehicle is present in the warning target area W, a message indicating that “there is another vehicle V2 in the vicinity of the host vehicle in the lane adjacent to the driving lane of the host vehicle” is generated. meaning sound.

Furthermore, both the display of the warning image and the display of the output of the warning sound can be notified to the driver.

When the output determination unit 1141 of the notification unit 214 determines in step S215 to notify the driver, in step S1155 the vibration control unit 1144 included in the notification unit 214 vibrates the steering wheel. At this time, as shown in FIG. 18 , when it is determined that the lower end LC of the vehicle does not exist in the warning target area W, but the adjacent lane of the host vehicle V1 matches the lane LN of the other vehicle V2, and as shown in FIG. 19 , When it is determined that the lower end LC of the vehicle exists in the warning target area W, and the intensity (frequency or amplitude) of the vibration increases in the case of FIG. 19 , the degree of urgency is more easily transmitted to the driver. By vibrating the steering wheel, the driver can grasp that the other vehicle V2 is approaching the rear side of the host vehicle V1.

As an alert notification unit for the driver, it is not limited to vibrating the steering wheel, and a vibration device may be incorporated into the driver's seat or the steering wheel to provide an alert in a tactile manner.

In addition, the display of the warning image and the output of the warning sound can be combined and notified to the driver by various notification methods.

The operations of steps S201 to S215 shown in FIGS. 15 and 6 are repeated while the host vehicle V1 is traveling.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be achieved. That is, the camera 2 and the sonar sensor 3 are used to detect the road surface area RS from which the obstacles on the rear side of the own vehicle are removed, and the vehicle candidate areas A1 to A4 where other vehicles exist are extracted from the rear side image obtained by the camera 2, The vehicle candidate areas A1 and A3 located in the road surface area RS are estimated by setting luminance comparison areas C1 and C2 in front of the vehicle candidate areas A1 and A3 in the road surface area RS, and comparing the luminances of these luminance comparison areas C1 and C2 The driving area of the other vehicle V2 is notified and an alarm is notified. Therefore, since the luminance comparison areas C1 and C2 are both within the road surface area RS, and they are compared, the detection accuracy of the other vehicle V2 is improved regardless of the lane. False alarms are suppressed.

Therefore, it is possible to realize an accurate warning about the surrounding vehicles approaching the own vehicle at night, and the driver can more accurately grasp the situation around the own vehicle.

In addition, since the second embodiment detects the lane area and estimates the lane in which the other vehicle V2 is traveling in advance, the detection accuracy of the other vehicle V2 is further improved.

【Other Variations】

In the above-described first and second embodiments, FIGS. 12 and 17 showing the positional relationship between the host vehicle V1 and the detected other vehicle V2 without notifying the driver are not presented to the driver. After the positions are determined in S212, the image generation unit 1142 of the notification units 114 and 214 superimposes the positional relationship of the vehicle on the image captured by the camera 2 and displays it, and displays an alarm when a notification is required. Any of the images WI101 , WI102 , and WI201 to WI203 .

In the above-described Embodiment 1, when it is determined in step S114 that the other vehicle V2 is not approaching the own vehicle V1, the notification is not performed. It is notified that there is another vehicle V2 in the vicinity of the rear side of the host vehicle V1.

Although the vehicle approach determination unit is not provided in the above-described second embodiment, a vehicle approach determination unit may be provided as in the first embodiment, and an alarm may be notified based on the approach state of another vehicle.

In the second embodiment described above, the luminance sample area CS may be set in the road surface area RS and compared with the luminance comparison area.

In the above-described first embodiment, as in the second embodiment, a lane area setting unit may be provided so that a lane can be set.

In the first and second embodiments, FIG. 7 and FIG. 16 show the positional relationship in which the host vehicle V1 and the other vehicle V2 are separated by two lanes. However, this is an example. Of course, the host vehicle V1 and the other vehicle V2 are adjacent to each other. Other vehicles V2 can also be detected with high accuracy in the lane.

While various exemplary embodiments and examples have been described herein, the various features, modes, and functions described in one or more embodiments are not limited to the application of a particular embodiment, but may be implemented individually or in various combinations. applied to the implementation.

Therefore, it can be considered that countless modifications not illustrated are also included in the technical scope disclosed in the specification of the present application. For example, it is assumed that at least one component is modified, added, or omitted, and at least one component is extracted and combined with the components of other embodiments.

Label description

1 vehicle

2 cameras

3 Sonar sensor

5 communication lines

7 Camera wiring

8 Sonar sensor wiring

10 Vehicle position detection device

11 Surveillance camera controller

12 Sonar Controller

13 Other sensors

14 Computing device

101, 201 Photography Department

102, 202 Ranging Department

103, 203 Light source extraction part

104, 204 Light source type determination unit

105, 205 Vehicle candidate area extraction unit

106, 206 Pavement Area Extraction Section

107, 207 Alarm target area setting part

108, 208 Brightness comparison area setting part

109 Brightness sample area setting section

110, 210 Road Brightness Comparison Section

111 Driving area estimation unit

112, 212 Vehicle position determination unit

113 Vehicle approach determination unit

114, 214 Notification Department

115 Video output section

116 Sound output section

221 Lane area setting section

222 Driving Lane Estimation Section

1141 Output judgment part

1142 Image Generation Section

1143 Sound Generation Department

1144 Vibration Control Section

1000 processors

2000 Storage

V1 This vehicle

V2 Other Vehicles

S camera angle of view

L1～L4 white wire

R1, R2 The road surface illuminated by the headlights of other vehicles

h1, h2 Headlamps of other vehicles

O1, O2 light source candidates (light sources other than headlamps)

A1～A4 Vehicle Waiting Area

RS pavement area

C1, C2 Brightness comparison area

CS Luminance Sample Area

Lower end of LC vehicle (vehicle position)

LN Lane where other vehicles exist

W Alarm target area

WI101, WI102, WI201 to WI203 Alarm images.

Claims (12)

1. A vehicle position detecting apparatus, characterized by comprising:

an imaging unit that is provided in a vehicle, and that images and outputs the surroundings of the vehicle;

a distance measuring unit that is provided in the vehicle and detects an obstacle around the vehicle;

a vehicle candidate region extraction unit that extracts a vehicle candidate region including the lighted headlights based on the captured image of the rear side of the vehicle captured by the imaging unit;

a road surface area detection unit that detects a road surface area from which the obstacle is removed from the captured image, based on a detection result obtained by the distance measurement unit;

a road surface luminance comparing unit that sets a luminance comparing area in front of the vehicle candidate area with respect to the vehicle candidate area existing in the road surface area, and compares luminance obtained from the luminance comparing area;

a travel area estimation unit that estimates a travel area in which another vehicle behind the vehicle travels, based on a comparison result obtained by the road surface brightness comparison unit; and

a vehicle position determination unit that determines a position of the other vehicle based on the travel area and the vehicle candidate area used in the estimation of the travel area.

2. The vehicle position detecting apparatus according to claim 1,

the vehicle position determining unit may determine that the other vehicle is located within a warning target area set in advance or in the same lane as the lane in which the warning target area is set.

3. The vehicle position detecting apparatus according to claim 2,

the notification signal is a video signal, and the notification unit includes an image generation unit that generates, as the video signal, an image in which the position of the other vehicle specified by the vehicle position specification unit and an alarm image are superimposed on the captured image captured by the imaging unit.

4. The vehicle position detecting apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,

the notification signal is a sound signal, and the notification unit includes a sound generation unit that generates an alarm sound as the sound signal.

5. The vehicle position detection apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4,

the notification signal is vibration, and the notification unit includes a vibration control unit configured to vibrate a steering wheel of the vehicle or a seat of a driver's seat.

6. The vehicle position detection apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5,

the warning target area is set on a lane adjacent to a lane in which the vehicle is traveling.

7. The vehicle position detection apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6,

the vehicle approach determination unit may be configured to determine whether or not the other vehicle is approaching based on a time-series change in the position of the other vehicle determined by the vehicle position determination unit, and the notification unit may generate a notification signal indicating that the other vehicle is approaching when the vehicle approach determination unit determines that the other vehicle is approaching.

8. The vehicle position detection apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 7,

the road surface brightness comparison unit compares a brightness value of a brightness sample region preset in the road surface region with a brightness value of a brightness comparison region set in the road surface region and located further forward than the vehicle candidate region.

9. The vehicle position detection apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 8,

the vehicle candidate region extraction unit extracts a vehicle candidate region based on information obtained by discriminating a light source and a type thereof from a luminance value and a color of the captured image captured by the imaging unit.

10. The vehicle position detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,

the travel area estimation unit estimates a travel lane on which another vehicle behind the vehicle travels, based on a lane area estimated from the captured image captured by the imaging unit and a comparison result obtained by the road surface brightness comparison unit.

11. A vehicle position detection method characterized by comprising:

a step of photographing the periphery of the vehicle;

detecting an obstacle in the periphery of the vehicle;

extracting a vehicle candidate region including the lighted headlights based on the captured image of the rear side of the vehicle;

detecting a road surface area from which the obstacle detected from the captured image is removed;

setting a brightness comparison area in front of the vehicle candidate area for the vehicle candidate area existing in the road surface area, and comparing brightness obtained from the brightness comparison area;

estimating a travel area in which another vehicle on the rear side of the vehicle travels, based on a result of the luminance comparison in the luminance comparison area; and

a step of determining the position of the other vehicle based on the travel area and the vehicle candidate area used in the estimation of the travel area.

12. The vehicle position detecting method according to claim 11, characterized by further comprising:

setting a warning target area in a lane adjacent to a lane in which the vehicle is traveling; and

and generating a notification signal when the other vehicle whose position is specified is located within the warning target area or on the same lane as the lane in which the warning target area is set.

Images