JP6448963B2 - Obstacle detection system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an obstacle detection system.

When obstacles (foreign objects) such as railroads, airports, expressways, etc. on the road surface, or damage, depressions, cracks, fragments, etc. are detected on the moving path of a moving object, or when an obstacle is detected This countermeasure is important, and several related technologies have been proposed.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an abnormality detection device that detects a plurality of abnormalities at a level crossing. In this abnormality detection device, when an abnormality is notified from the sensor, it is determined whether an abnormality that requires an emergency stop is detected, for example, a person or a car is left behind in the railroad crossing. If there is an abnormality that needs to be stopped, an emergency stop signal is lit. And, for example, it is not necessary to make an emergency stop such as a decrease in the volume of the level crossing warning sound, a single system failure in the level crossing warning sound generator, a minor failure in the electric level crossing breaker, breakage of the breaking bar, or a decrease in the light intensity of the level crossing warning light. When it is determined that no abnormality is detected, the abnormality detection notification light is turned on.

JP 2008-221961 A

In the abnormality detection device described in Patent Document 1, when a railroad crossing abnormality is detected, it is possible to notify that a minor abnormality is detected in addition to a normal emergency stop signal.
On the other hand, obstacles can occur not only at level crossings but also at other parts of the travel route. For example, at an airport, it may be dangerous if metal fragments or the like of an aircraft that is a moving object fall and exist as an obstacle on a road surface that is a traveling route. In some cases, a crash occurred due to a foreign object present on the runway in use. When such an accident occurs, there is a possibility that the airline will carry a great deal of influence, and it is necessary to notify and warn the observer of foreign objects on the road surface in order to avoid the risk. Further, in recent years, since the interval between take-off and landing of an aircraft has been shortened, it is required to detect foreign matters as soon as possible.
Therefore, if the travel route can be monitored and an obstacle can be detected, safety can be improved. At that time, if various parts of various types of travel routes can be monitored by the same system and an obstacle can be detected, the system design load can be reduced.

The present invention is not limited to crossing, to monitor the monitoring area, such as the travel route of the moving body, provides an obstacle detection system that can detect an obstacle.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the obstacle detection system is installed at a predetermined mutual interval along the travel route, and a plurality of radar devices that respectively scan predetermined sections of the travel route; A determination device that determines the presence or absence of an obstacle on the travel route based on scanning data of a radar device, the determination device based on a change in scanning data obtained at predetermined scanning intervals. The object that moves the travel route in the longitudinal direction of the travel route is excluded from the object of determination as to whether it is an obstacle, and the initial value of the radar reflection intensity measurement value is equal to or greater than the threshold value. The scanning data of the partial area is excluded from the reference data for obstacle detection, and the presence / absence of the obstacle is determined based on the change of the scanning data obtained for each predetermined scanning interval for the other partial areas.

  The determination device may determine that an obstacle exists in the detection area when a change in scan data is detected in a predetermined number or more of the partial areas in the predetermined detection area.

  The determination device is configured to detect a change in the scan data obtained in the first detection region and a change in the scan data obtained in the second detection region adjacent to the first detection region. You may make it determine the presence or absence of approach.

  A first radar device that is one of the plurality of radar devices is disposed on one side of the travel route, and a second radar device that is another of the plurality of radar devices is the travel route. The first radar device and the second radar device may have a scanning range that is overlapped with each other.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to detect an obstacle by monitoring a monitoring area such as a travel route of a moving body as well as a railroad crossing.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the function structure of the obstruction detection system in one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the installation place of the radar apparatus in the embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a division | segmentation of the scanning range in the embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a division of the detection area | region in the embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of the presence or absence of an obstruction in the embodiment. In the same embodiment, it is a graph which shows the 1st example of the radar reflected intensity shown by scanning data. In the same embodiment, it is a graph which shows the 2nd example of the radar reflected intensity shown by scanning data. In the same embodiment, it is a graph which shows the 3rd example of the radar reflected intensity shown by scanning data. In the same embodiment, it is a flowchart which shows the 1st example of the process sequence in which the determination apparatus detects an object about a partial region. In the same embodiment, it is a flowchart which shows the 2nd example of the process sequence in which the determination apparatus detects an object about a partial area. In the same embodiment, it is a flowchart which shows the example of the process sequence in which the determination apparatus determines the presence or absence of the obstruction in a detection area. In the same embodiment, it is a flowchart which shows the example of the process sequence which the determination apparatus determines the possibility of the detection of the moving body as an obstruction in a detection area. It is explanatory drawing which shows another example of the installation place of the radar apparatus in the embodiment.

Hereinafter, although embodiment of this invention is described, the following embodiment does not limit the invention concerning a claim. In addition, not all the combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solving means of the invention.
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a functional configuration of an obstacle detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the obstacle detection system 1 includes a radar device 110, a cable 120, and a determination device 200. The determination apparatus 200 includes an operation input unit 210, a display unit 220, a scanning data acquisition unit 230, a storage unit 280, and a control unit 290. The control unit 290 includes a determination unit 291.

The obstacle detection system 1 detects an obstacle in an area including a travel route.
A plurality of radar devices 110 are installed at predetermined intervals along the travel route, and each scans a predetermined section of an area including the travel route. The travel route here is an area where the mobile body may pass. As an example of the travel route, a route along which the railway vehicle travels, that is, a track can be cited. In the case of an airport, an area monitored by an airport administrator or a system administrator can be set as a monitoring area of the obstacle detection system 1. In this case, a route on which the aircraft travels, that is, a runway can be given as an example of the travel route. In addition, a highway on which a car travels can be cited as an example of a travel route. A range in which each radar device 110 performs scanning is referred to as a scanning range.

Moreover, the moving body here is a moving object. Examples of the moving body include vehicles such as automobiles and railway vehicles, and aircraft.
These vehicles and aircraft may be used for various purposes such as passenger transportation, freight transportation, or work. For example, when the obstacle detection system 1 monitors a runway, an example of a vehicle as a moving body is a maintenance vehicle that checks the runway. Further, when the obstacle detection system 1 monitors a track, examples of a railway vehicle as a moving body include a passenger railway vehicle, a cargo railway vehicle, and a railway maintenance vehicle. Moreover, an animal can be mentioned as an example of a moving body. As an example of an animal as a moving body in the case of a traveling path of a moving body, a riding animal or a freight transport animal such as a riding horse or a horse pulling a loading platform can be given. Moreover, the moving body as an obstacle may be an animal.

Note that the monitoring area of the obstacle detection system 1 may be an area that includes a travel route. The travel route may be the monitoring region of the obstacle detection system 1, or the region including the travel route and the surrounding region may be the monitoring region of the obstacle detection system 1. When the area around the travel route is included in the monitoring area of the obstacle detection system 1, according to the obstacle detection system 1, there is an obstacle on the travel route such as a fallen tree or an animal entering from the periphery of the travel route. The possibility of occurrence can be detected.
The cable 120 connects each of the radar devices 110 and the determination device 200, and transmits scanning data indicating the result of scanning by the radar device 110 to the determination device 200.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the installation location of the radar device 110. In the figure, a plurality of radar devices 110 are installed above a line L901 which is a reference line indicating the position of a travel route, and each of the radar devices 110 is connected to a cable 120.
Each of the radar apparatuses 110 scans the scanning range A11 shown in FIG. 2 with respect to the traveling direction of the moving body (for example, the longitudinal direction in the case of a track). The entire area included in the scanning range A <b> 11 of at least one radar device 110 is the monitoring area of the obstacle detection system 1.
The radar device 110 transmits scan data indicating the scan result to the determination device 200 via the cable 120.

Note that the scanning ranges of the plurality of radar devices 110 may overlap. For example, a part of the scanning range of the adjacent radar device 110 may overlap.
Note that the management company may be able to change at least one of the installation method and the number of the plurality of radar apparatuses based on the scanning range, performance, and cost balance.
For example, the radar device 110 transmits scan data at every time interval required to scan the entire scan range. The time interval at which the radar device 110 transmits the scan data is referred to as a scan interval.

  The cable 120 is an optical fiber cable, for example, and the radar apparatus 110 transmits scanning data to the determination apparatus 200 as an optical signal. However, the communication method between the radar device 110 and the determination device 200 is not limited to the optical communication method. For example, the cable 120 may be a conductor cable, and the radar apparatus 110 may transmit scanning data to the determination apparatus 200 as an electrical signal. Alternatively, the radar apparatus 110 may wirelessly transmit the scan data to the determination apparatus 200.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of division of the scanning range. In the figure, the scanning range A11 of the radar apparatus 110 is divided into a plurality of detection areas A12. For example, the scanning range A11 is divided into four in both the vertical and horizontal directions, and the sixteen detection areas A12 are included in the scanning range A11.
The detection area is a unit for the display unit 220 to display the presence or absence of an obstacle. That is, the display unit 220 displays the presence or absence of an obstacle for each detection area.
However, the size and shape of the scanning range can be any size and shape. Further, the number of divisions of the scanning range may be one or more. For example, one detection area may constitute one scanning range.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of dividing the detection area. In the figure, the detection area A12 is divided into a plurality of partial areas A13. For example, the detection area A12 is divided into 12 parts both vertically and horizontally, and 144 partial areas are included in the detection area.
The partial area is a unit for the radar apparatus 110 to scan. That is, the radar device 110 generates scan data for each partial region.

However, the size and shape of the detection region can be any size and shape. Further, the number of divisions of the detection area may be one or more. For example, one partial area may constitute one detection area.
Note that the size and shape of the partial area can be determined based on the danger of the obstacle and the high priority. For example, when the obstacle detection system 1 monitors an obstacle on a travel route of a railway vehicle, the size of the partial area is set to a size of 6 centimeters (cm), which is a measure of the danger of the obstacle in the railway. The obstacle can be set to a detectable size.

The determination device 200 determines the presence or absence of an obstacle on the travel route based on the scanning data of the radar device 110. The determination apparatus 200 includes a computer, for example.
The operation input unit 210 has an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, for example, and receives user operations.
The display unit 220 has a display screen such as a liquid crystal panel, for example, and displays various images. In particular, the display unit 220 displays the presence or absence of an obstacle on the travel route.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of the presence / absence of an obstacle. In the figure, the display unit 220 displays a detection area A12 set in the travel route. Specifically, in the display example of FIG. 5, a region sandwiched between lines L901 is configured as a travel route, and a plurality of detection regions A12 are covered so as to cover a region including the travel route and the periphery of the travel route. Is set. Moreover, the display part 220 is displaying the area | region where the obstruction was detected among detection area | region A12 by hatching like detection area | region A12-1.

The line L901 may be a reference line indicating the position of the travel route, and various lines can be used in relation to the travel route. For example, when the obstacle detection system 1 monitors a runway, both ends of the runway can be set as a line L901. In this case, it can be considered that the runway is a travel route of the aircraft, and a region sandwiched between the lines L901 is the travel route.
On the other hand, when the obstacle detection system 1 monitors a track, each of the two rails can be a line L901. In this case, it can be considered that the area through which the vehicle body of the railway vehicle passes is the travel route of the railway vehicle. In general, the width of the vehicle body of a railway vehicle is wider than the width of the rail. Therefore, a region including a region sandwiched by the line L901 and a region around it is a travel route.

In addition, the display unit 220 displays an area where the presence of an object is detected in the partial area A13 of the cell. The cell here is an area where the entire monitoring area is divided and the presence / absence of an obstacle is individually determined. As an example of the cell, the detection area A12 can be given.
Since various facilities are installed on the travel route, the detected object is not necessarily an obstacle. Therefore, the determination unit 291 performs processing assuming that an obstacle is detected when a predetermined condition is satisfied as will be described later, when the presence of an object is detected. And the display part 220 is displaying the area | region where the obstruction was detected based on the determination result of the determination part 291 by hatching as mentioned above.
An indication that the presence of an object has been detected is referred to as an object detection display. An indication that an obstacle has been detected is referred to as an obstacle detection indication.

The scanning data acquisition unit 230 communicates with the radar device 110 via the cable 120. In particular, the scan data acquisition unit 230 receives the scan data transmitted by the radar device 110.
The storage unit 280 stores various data. The storage unit 280 includes a storage device that the determination apparatus 200 has.
The control unit 290 controls each unit of the determination apparatus 200 and executes various functions. The control unit 290 is realized by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) included in the determination device 200 reading out a program from the storage unit 280 and executing the program.

  The determination unit 291 determines the presence or absence of an obstacle based on the change in the scan data obtained at each scan interval. In particular, when a change in data is detected in a predetermined number or more of partial areas in the detection area, the determination unit 291 determines that an obstacle exists in the detection area. The predetermined number here may be an arbitrary positive integer of 1 or more. For example, when the predetermined number is 1, the determination unit 291 determines that an obstacle exists in the detection area when a change in data is detected in any partial area in the detection area.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing a first example of radar reflection intensity indicated by scanning data. In the figure, the horizontal axis indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates radar reflection intensity. FIG. 6 shows the radar reflection intensity at each scanning interval in a predetermined partial region.
In the example of the figure, the radar reflection intensity is smaller (weaker) than the threshold value V1 until time T11. In this case, it can be determined that the presence of an object is not detected. On the other hand, at time T12, the radar reflection intensity is equal to or higher than the threshold value V1. In this case, it can be determined that the presence of an object has been detected.

However, not only obstacles but also moving objects such as passing trains, aircrafts, and vehicles may be temporarily detected on the travel route. Therefore, the determination unit 291 determines that an obstacle has been detected when the radar reflection intensity continuously exceeds the threshold value V1 for a predetermined time or more. For example, the determination unit 291 determines that an obstacle has been detected when the radar reflection intensity is continuously equal to or greater than the threshold value V1 three times or more.
In the example of FIG. 6, the radar reflection intensity is continuously equal to or higher than the threshold value V1 twice, but is lower than the threshold value V1 at the third time T13. For this reason, the determination unit 291 determines that no obstacle is detected.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing a second example of the radar reflection intensity indicated by the scan data. In the figure, the horizontal axis indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates radar reflection intensity. FIG. 7 shows the radar reflection intensity for each scanning interval in a predetermined partial region.
In the example of the figure, the radar reflection intensity is smaller than the threshold value V1 until time T21, and is equal to or higher than the threshold value V1 at time T22. In FIG. 7, unlike the example of FIG. 6, the radar reflection intensity is equal to or higher than the threshold value V1 even at the third time T23. Therefore, the determination unit 291 determines that an obstacle has been detected.

Based on the determination result of the determination unit 291, the display unit 220 displays the object detection for the partial region and displays the obstacle detection for the detection region, as in the example of FIG. 5.
Thereafter, at time T24, the radar reflection intensity is lower than the threshold value V1. As described above, when the radar reflection intensity becomes smaller than the threshold value V1, the display unit 220 may end the display of the object detection in the partial area or the display of the obstacle detection in the detection area.

  Alternatively, the display unit 220 continues one or both of the object detection display in the partial area and the obstacle detection display in the detection area until a predetermined user operation (a user operation indicating confirmation) is performed. May be. In particular, the display unit 220 continues to display the obstacle detection, so that, for example, a fail safe when a problem occurs in the radar device 110 can be obtained.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing a third example of the radar reflection intensity indicated by the scan data. In the figure, the horizontal axis indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates radar reflection intensity. FIG. 8 shows the radar reflection intensity at each scanning interval in a predetermined partial region.
In the example of the figure, the radar reflection intensity is equal to or higher than the threshold value V1 continuously from time T30 when the radar device 110 starts scanning. Thus, when the radar reflection intensity is equal to or higher than the threshold value V1 from the beginning, it is considered that there are facilities and structures that do not become obstacles. Therefore, the determination unit 291 excludes the scan data of the partial area where the radar reflection intensity is equal to or higher than the threshold value V1 from the start of scanning from the reference data for detecting the obstacle. Note that, as in the example of FIG. 5, the display unit 220 may display object detection for a partial region where the radar reflection intensity is equal to or higher than the threshold value V1 from the start of scanning.

Next, the operation of the determination apparatus 200 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a first example of a processing procedure in which the determination apparatus 200 detects an object for a partial region. When the determination apparatus 200 is activated with its power supply turned on, the determination apparatus 200 performs the process shown in FIG.
In the process of FIG. 9, the determination unit 291 acquires the initial value of the radar reflection intensity measurement value indicated by the scan data (step S101).

  Then, the determination unit 291 determines whether or not the initial value of the radar reflection intensity measurement value is greater than or equal to a threshold value (step S102). For example, the determination unit 291 acquires a radar reflection intensity measurement value obtained within a predetermined time after the determination unit 291 itself starts processing as an initial value, and all the radar reflection intensity measurement values in the initial value are less than the threshold value. Determine whether it is larger.

When it is determined that the initial value of the radar reflection intensity measurement value is greater than or equal to the threshold (step S102: YES), the process returns to step S102. Thereby, the determination unit 291 excludes the scan data of the partial area where the initial value of the radar reflection intensity measurement value is equal to or greater than the threshold from the reference data for detecting the obstacle.
However, the method in which the determination unit 291 excludes the scan data of the partial region where the initial value of the radar reflection intensity measurement value is equal to or greater than the threshold value from the reference data for obstacle detection is not limited thereto. For example, the determination unit 291 may end the process of FIG. 9 for a partial region in which the initial value of the radar reflection intensity measurement value is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the initial value of the radar reflection intensity measurement value is not equal to or greater than the threshold value (step S102: NO), the determination unit 291 sets the value of the flag indicating the detection status of the object in the partial region to “no detection”. (Step S111).
Further, the determination unit 291 sets the count value to 0 (zero reset) (step S112). This count value is used to count the number of times the radar reflection intensity measurement value is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

Next, the scanning data acquisition unit 230 acquires the radar reflection intensity measurement value in the partial area to be determined, which is transmitted from the radar device 110 as scanning data at every scanning interval (step S113).
Then, the determination unit 291 determines whether or not the radar reflection intensity measurement value obtained in step S113 is greater than or equal to a threshold value (step S114).
When it is determined that the radar reflection intensity measurement value is smaller than the threshold value (step S114: NO), the determination unit 291 sets the value of the flag indicating the detection state of the object in the partial region to no detection (step S141). Thereafter, the process returns to step S112.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the radar reflection intensity measurement value is greater than or equal to the threshold value (step S114: YES), the determination unit 291 increases the count value by 1 (step S121).
Then, the determination unit 291 determines whether or not the count value is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold (step S122).
When it is determined that the count value is smaller than the threshold (step S122: NO), the process returns to step S113.
On the other hand, when it is determined that the count value is equal to or greater than the threshold value (step S122: YES), the determination unit 291 sets the value of the flag indicating the detection state of the object in the partial area to “detected” (step S131). Based on the value of the flag, the display unit 220 displays the presence of an object for the partial area.
After step S131, the process returns to step S113.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a second example of a processing procedure in which the determination apparatus 200 detects an object for a partial region. When the determination apparatus 200 is activated with its power supply turned on, the determination apparatus 200 performs the process shown in FIG.
In the process of FIG. 10, steps S201 to S214 are the same as steps S101 to S114 of FIG.

If it is determined in step S214 that the radar reflection intensity measurement value is smaller than the threshold value (step S214: NO), the process returns to step S212.
On the other hand, when it is determined in step S214 that the radar reflection intensity measurement value is greater than or equal to the threshold value (step S214: YES), the process proceeds to step S221. Steps S221 to S22 are the same as steps S121 to S122 of FIG.

If it is determined in step S222 that the count value is smaller than the threshold value (step S222: NO), the process returns to step S213.
On the other hand, when it is determined that the count value is equal to or greater than the threshold value (step S222: YES), the determination unit 291 sets the value of the flag indicating the detection state of the object in the partial area to be detected (step S231). Based on the value of the flag, the display unit 220 displays the presence of an object for the partial area.

  Next, the determination unit 291 determines whether or not a user operation indicating that the detection of an object has been confirmed has been performed (step S232). If it is determined that the user operation has not been performed (step S232: NO), the process returns to step S232. Note that the user operation indicating that the object detection has been confirmed may be the same as the user operation indicating that the obstacle detection described later with reference to FIG. 11 has been confirmed.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the user operation indicating confirmation of the object detection has been performed (step S232: YES), the determination unit 291 sets the value of the flag indicating the object detection status in the partial region to “no detection”. (Step S241). Thereafter, the process returns to step S212.
As described above, in the process of FIG. 10, when the determination unit 291 determines that an object has been detected, it indicates that an object has been detected until a user operation is performed even if the radar reflection intensity measurement value is less than or equal to the threshold value. It is different from the case of FIG. 9 in that the determination result is held.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure in which the determination apparatus 200 determines the presence or absence of an obstacle in the detection area. When the determination apparatus 200 is activated with the power supply of the determination apparatus 200 turned on, the determination apparatus 200 performs the process of FIG.
In the process of FIG. 11, the determination unit 291 initially sets the value of the flag indicating the detection status of the obstacle in the detection area to indicate that there is no obstacle (step S301).

Next, the determination unit 291 acquires information on the object detection status in each of the partial areas included in the detection area (step S302). For example, the determination unit 291 reads the value of the flag indicating the object detection status in the partial area set in the processing of FIG. 9 or FIG.
Next, the determination unit 291 determines whether or not the object detection status obtained in step S301 satisfies a predetermined condition (step S303). Various conditions can be used here. For example, the determination unit 291 may determine whether or not an object is detected in a predetermined number or more of the partial areas included in the detection area. Further, for example, the determination unit 291 may determine whether an object is detected in any one or more of the partial areas included in the detection area.

If it is determined in step S303 that the predetermined condition is not satisfied (step S303: NO), the process returns to step S302.
On the other hand, when it is determined in step S303 that the predetermined condition is satisfied (step S303: YES), the determination unit 291 sets the value of the flag indicating the detection status of the obstacle in the detection area as having an obstacle. (Step S311). Based on the value of the flag, the display unit 220 performs display indicating that an obstacle has been detected for the detection area.

Next, the determination unit 291 determines whether or not a user operation indicating confirmation of obstacle detection has been performed (step S312). When it is determined that the user operation has not been performed (step S312: NO), the process returns to step S312.
On the other hand, when it is determined that a user operation indicating confirmation of the obstacle has been performed (step S312: YES), the determination unit 291 sets the value of the flag indicating the detection status of the obstacle in the detection area to be no obstacle. (Step S321). Thereafter, the process returns to step S302.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure in which the determination apparatus 200 determines the possibility of detecting a moving object as an obstacle in the detection area. If the determination device 200 detects an obstacle in any of the detection areas (for example, if the flag value is set to “with obstacle” in step S311 of FIG. 11), the determination device 200 performs the process of FIG.
In the process of FIG. 12, the determination unit 291 specifies a detection area where an obstacle is detected (step S401). Hereinafter, the detection region identified in step S401 is referred to as a “processing target detection region”.

  Next, the determination unit 291 acquires an obstacle detection history for each detection region adjacent to the detection region to be processed (step S402). For example, in the process of FIG. 11, the determination unit 291 causes the storage unit 280 to store history information that is a combination of the set time and the set content every time the flag value indicating the detection status of the obstacle in the detection area is set. Keep it. And the determination part 291 reads the said log | history information in step S402.

Next, the determination unit 291 determines whether an obstacle is detected at a time difference from the detection area to be processed in any of the detection areas adjacent to the detection area to be processed (step S403). Specifically, the determination unit 291 determines whether an obstacle is detected prior to the detection area to be processed in any of the adjacent detection areas.
When it is determined that the obstacle is not detected due to the time difference (step S403: NO), the process of FIG.

On the other hand, when it is determined that an obstacle is detected with a time difference (step S403: YES), the determination unit 291 determines that there is a possibility of at least one of moving objects such as animals, vehicles such as trains, and airplanes. (Step S411). The determination result indicates that there is a possibility that at least one of a moving object such as an animal, a vehicle such as a traveling train, or an aircraft moves from the detection area adjacent to the processing target to the detection target area. ing.
Thereafter, the process of FIG.

  Note that the detection area to be processed corresponds to an example of a first detection area. Further, the detection area adjacent to the processing target corresponds to an example of the second detection area. As described above, the determination unit 291 is based on the change in the scan data obtained in the first detection area and the change in the scan data obtained in the second detection area adjacent to the first detection area. It is determined whether or not an animal, a vehicle such as a traveling train, or at least one moving object such as an aircraft has entered.

Note that when the determination unit 291 determines whether or not a moving body as an obstacle has entered, it may be determined whether or not the movement direction of the detected object moves in a predetermined traveling direction.
For example, by setting the threshold value of the count value in step S122 in FIG. 9 to a relatively small positive integer such as 1, the determination unit 291 can detect an object that moves at high speed. For example, when the travel route is a railroad, an object moving in the longitudinal direction of the track is excluded from a determination target of whether or not it is an obstacle by the determination unit 291, so that a rail vehicle that normally travels is regarded as an obstacle. It is possible to prevent erroneous detection. For example, in step S403 in FIG. 12, an object moving in the longitudinal direction of the line is excluded from the object to be determined by the determination unit 291 as an obstacle by excluding a section adjacent in the longitudinal direction of the line. To do.
Thus, the determination part 291 can reduce the misjudgment which determines the mobile body which moves normally as an obstruction by performing determination according to the advancing direction of a mobile body.

As described above, the plurality of radar devices 110 are installed at predetermined intervals along the travel route, and respectively scan a predetermined section (scanning range) of the travel route. And the determination part 291 determines the presence or absence of the obstruction in a driving | running route based on the change of the scanning data obtained for every predetermined scanning interval from the radar apparatus 110. FIG.
Thereby, the determination apparatus 200 can detect an obstacle distinguishing from the installation installed in the travel route. As described above, the determination apparatus 200 can detect an obstacle with high accuracy even when equipment is present, and thus can detect an obstacle in various parts of various types of travel routes. Therefore, according to the obstacle detection system 1, it is possible to detect an obstacle by monitoring a monitoring area such as a travel route of a moving body as well as a railroad crossing.
In particular, the obstacle detection system 1 can detect various obstacles such as falling rocks, earth and sand, and metals that are dangerous foreign substances.

Further, according to the obstacle detection system 1, obstacles can be detected in various parts of the travel route. For example, the obstacle detection system 1 can detect an obstacle in various sections such as a railway section or a track section without a building in the vicinity of a railway station as long as it is a railway.
The obstacle detection system 1 can detect an obstacle on a road surface such as a runway at an airport, and can also detect an obstacle on a road surface of an expressway. Thus, according to the obstacle detection system 1, obstacles can be detected in various types of travel routes such as a travel route of a railway vehicle, a travel route of an aircraft, and a travel route of an automobile.

Further, when a change in scan data is detected in a predetermined number or more of partial areas included in the detection area, the determination unit 291 determines that an obstacle exists in the detection area.
Thereby, the determination unit 291 can detect an obstacle according to the state of the detection region and the accuracy of the radar device 110. Specifically, as the predetermined number is set to be smaller, the determination unit 291 can detect an obstacle with higher sensitivity. In addition, as the predetermined number is set to be larger, it is possible to reduce erroneous detection that the determination unit 291 determines that there is an obstacle even though there is no obstacle.

In addition, the determination unit 291 determines whether the moving object is based on the change in the scan data obtained in the first detection area and the change in the scan data obtained in the second detection area adjacent to the first detection area. It is determined whether or not there is at least one approach.
Here, it is conceivable that the countermeasures differ between the occurrence of an obstacle that does not move and the approach of a moving mobile object. Specifically, an obstacle that does not move may be removed or removed as a countermeasure. On the other hand, for a moving animal, it is conceivable to voluntarily leave the traveling route or to capture the animal and move it out of the traveling route. Further, for example, when the obstacle is a vehicle, it may be considered to leave the traveling route spontaneously. Alternatively, when the vehicle cannot move due to a failure or the like, it may be possible to move the vehicle out of the travel route using a heavy machine or the like. Among the moving objects, the moving object may move to a non-hazardous place with time due to wind or the like. As a countermeasure in this case, for example, it is conceivable to monitor the moving body and confirm that it has moved to a non-hazardous place.
The determination unit 291 determines whether or not the moving body has entered at least one, so that an operator corresponding to the obstacle can perform work on the obstacle with appropriate preparation in advance. The appropriate preparation can be made, so that the burden on the operator can be reduced and the time required for handling the obstacle can be reduced.

The arrangement of the radar device 110 is not limited to the arrangement described with reference to FIG. 2 and can be various arrangements along the travel route.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the installation location of the radar apparatus 110. Unlike the case of FIG. 2, in the example of FIG. 13, one side portion of the monitoring area in which the plurality of radar devices 110 are configured in the area between the reference line L901 indicating the position of the travel route and the surrounding area. The first radar device 110 is disposed on the other side, and the second radar device 110 is disposed on the other side. The scanning ranges overlap between the radar devices 110 facing each other across the travel route.

In this way, the first radar device 110 that is one of the plurality of radar devices 110 is arranged on one side of the travel route, and the second radar device 110 that is the other of the plurality of radar devices 110. Is disposed on the other side of the travel route. The first radar device 110 and the second radar device 110 have overlapping scanning ranges.
In this arrangement, the radar apparatus 110 can be arranged more easily than in the case where the radar apparatus 110 is arranged above the traveling path in that the radar apparatus 110 may be disposed on the side of the traveling path. The radar apparatus 110 can be maintained easily.
Also, the radar devices 110 are arranged on both sides of the travel route, and these radar devices 110 have overlapping scanning ranges, so that one of the radar devices 110 is obstructed by the shape of the obstacle. The other radar device 110 can detect the obstacle even when the signal cannot be detected. In this respect, the obstacle can be detected with high accuracy.

It should be noted that a program for realizing all or part of the functions of the control unit 290 is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium is read into a computer system and executed. You may perform the process of. Here, the “computer system” includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices.
Further, the “computer system” includes a homepage providing environment (or display environment) if a WWW system is used.
The “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a storage device such as a flexible medium, a magneto-optical disk, a portable medium such as a ROM and a CD-ROM, and a hard disk incorporated in a computer system. The program may be a program for realizing a part of the functions described above, and may be a program capable of realizing the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in a computer system.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes design changes and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Obstacle detection system 110 Radar apparatus 120 Cable 200 Determination apparatus 210 Operation input part 220 Display part 230 Scanning data acquisition part 280 Storage part 290 Control part 291 Determination part

Claims (4)

A plurality of radar devices that are installed at predetermined intervals along the travel route and respectively scan a predetermined section of the travel route;
Based on the scanning data of the radar device, a determination device that determines the presence or absence of an obstacle in the travel route,
With
The determination device determines the presence or absence of an obstacle based on a change in scanning data obtained at every predetermined scanning interval, and an object moving along the travel route in the longitudinal direction of the travel route is an obstacle. excluded from Kano determination target, and the scan data of the partial area where the initial value of the radar reflection intensity measurements is equal to or greater than the threshold, to exclude from the reference data for obstacle detection, given the other partial region An obstacle detection system that determines the presence or absence of an obstacle based on a change in scanning data obtained at every scanning interval. The obstacle according to claim 1, wherein the determination device determines that an obstacle exists in the detection area when a change in scan data is detected in a predetermined number of partial areas or more in the predetermined detection area. Detection system. The determination device is configured to detect a change in the scan data obtained in the first detection region and a change in the scan data obtained in the second detection region adjacent to the first detection region. The obstacle detection system according to claim 1, wherein the presence or absence of entry is determined. A first radar device that is one of the plurality of radar devices is disposed on one side of the travel route, and a second radar device that is another of the plurality of radar devices is the travel route. The obstacle detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the obstacle detection system is disposed on the other side of the first radar device and has a scanning range in which the first radar device and the second radar device overlap.

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