JP7385502B2 - sensing system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sensing system.

As background technology in this technical field, there is Patent Document 1. This bulletin states that the problem is that ``When passing through points where the slope of the road surface changes, such as a step or slope between the sidewalk and the road, the bottom of the vehicle often comes into contact with the road surface. No system has been proposed that can accurately determine whether or not the bottom of the vehicle is in contact with an obstacle or the road surface." Obstacle factor analysis means for analyzing an obstacle factor including at least one of the shape of an obstacle around the vehicle, the shape of a road surface, and a change point of the road surface shape based on the information; Based on the desired ground clearance calculation means, the information regarding the failure factor analyzed by the failure factor analysis means, and the current ground clearance of the vehicle calculated by the ground clearance calculation means, the bottom of the vehicle is It is characterized by comprising a contact determining means for determining whether or not it is possible to pass over the obstacle without contacting the object, and a notification means for issuing a predetermined notification based on the determination result by the contact determining means. ”.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-112317

In Patent Document 1, for example, when the vehicle approaches an obstacle and the obstacle enters the blind spot, the driver determines the timing to steer the vehicle without colliding with the obstacle in the blind spot while the driver is concentrating on driving. There are issues with notification.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a sensing system that allows a driver to know when to steer without colliding with obstacles in a blind spot while remaining concentrated on driving. That's true.

In order to achieve the above object, a sensing system according to the present invention includes a position storage unit that stores position information that associates heights and positions of obstacles around the vehicle; a driving support processing unit that performs driving support when the vehicle approaches a road along a curved route; This includes notifying passengers of the steering timing of the vehicle.

According to the present invention, the driver can know the timing to steer the vehicle without colliding with an obstacle in the blind spot without any troublesome operation.

Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be made clear by the following description of the embodiments.

1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an obstacle detection system in Example 1. FIG. An explanatory diagram of the positional relationship between an obstacle and a vehicle. An explanatory diagram of the positional relationship between an obstacle and a vehicle. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a sensing system in Example 1. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the sensing system in the first embodiment. Explanatory diagram of the route. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a sensing system in Example 2. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the sensing system in Example 2. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a sensing system in Example 3. Explanatory diagram of the route. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a sensing system in Example 4. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the sensing system in Example 4. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a sensing system in Example 5. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a sensing system in Example 6.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the following description of the embodiments, parts having the same functions may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof may be omitted.

ここで、Z[mm]は対象物体までの距離、f[mm]は焦点距離、w[mm/px]は画素ピッチ、B[mm]はカメラ間の距離（基線長）、D[px]は視差を表す。 [Example 1]
A stereo camera system is well known as a means for estimating the three-dimensional position of an object. A stereo camera system arranges cameras at a plurality of positions to image the same target object from a plurality of different viewpoints, and calculates the distance to the target object from the difference in appearance in the obtained images, that is, the parallax. In a typical stereo camera system using two cameras, this conversion is expressed by Equation 1 below.
(Number 1)

Here, Z[mm] is the distance to the target object, f[mm] is the focal length, w[mm/px] is the pixel pitch, B[mm] is the distance between cameras (baseline length), D[px] represents parallax.

To calculate parallax, images taken from a plurality of positions are arranged horizontally, and a position where the same point is imaged in the right image with respect to a specific point in the left image is searched for. In order to efficiently perform this search, parallelization processing is generally performed in advance.

Parallelization means alignment of images in the vertical direction. That is, this is a process of calibrating the images so that the same points in the left and right images are captured at the same height. In a parallelized image, when searching for corresponding points, only one horizontal row needs to be searched, resulting in high processing efficiency.

In the following, an obstacle detection system using a stereo camera system will be described as an example of means for estimating the three-dimensional position of a target object (an obstacle). However, as a means of estimating the three-dimensional position of the target object (obstacle), it is sufficient to be able to estimate the distance (height) and position of the target object (obstacle) by associating the position.For example, infrared sensor, millimeter wave radar , Lidar, etc., any means other than a stereo camera system can be applied.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an obstacle detection system according to a first embodiment. For example, a sensing system 201 including a stereo camera system as an image processing device is installed on the windshield of a vehicle 200. Sensing system 201 is connected to vehicle information ECU 202, and steering device 204 and brake control device 205 can control steering and acceleration/deceleration according to instructions from vehicle information ECU 202. For example, when obstacles 210 and 211 are detected, the sensing system 201 detects the position of the obstacles 210 and 211, and transmits the result of measuring the distance to the obstacles 210 and 211 to the vehicle information ECU 202. If the vehicle is likely to collide with obstacles 210 and 211, the vehicle information ECU 202 is a system that can reduce the damage caused by the collision by instructing the brake control device 205 to brake or instructing the steering device 204 to steer. .

2 and 3 are explanatory diagrams of the positional relationship between the obstacle 301 and the vehicle 200. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the vehicle 200 approaches the obstacle 301 and passes near or over the obstacle 301 with the obstacle 301 entering the blind spot, sensing is performed as described above. The system 201 cannot detect the position or distance of the obstacle 301. However, as shown in FIG. 2, when the vehicle 200 and the obstacle 301 are on a flat road surface 302, even when the vehicle 200 approaches the obstacle 301 and the obstacle 301 enters the blind spot, the obstacle 301 Since the positional relationship of (the bottom surface of) the vehicle 200 does not change from the relationship detected in advance by the sensing system 201 (in other words, the relationship detected in advance by the sensing system 201 can be used as is), If the height of the obstacle 200 to the bottom is lower than the height of the obstacle 301 from the road surface 302 (more specifically, if the height of the obstacle 301 is detected in advance), there will be no collision. However, in an actual road environment, there are irregularities on the road surface 303, as shown in FIG. In particular, entrances and exits of parking lots often have steps and are uneven like the road surface 303, causing the vehicle 200 to lean. Therefore, even if it is determined in advance that there will be no collision based on the detection results of the positional relationship between the obstacle 301 and the vehicle 200 (the bottom of the vehicle 200), when the vehicle 200 approaches the obstacle 301 and the obstacle 301 enters the blind spot. (For example, when the obstacle 301 enters the blind spot due to steering to turn left or right), the positional relationship between the obstacle 301 and (the bottom surface of) the vehicle 200 is detected in advance by the sensing system 201 due to the unevenness of the road surface 303. If the vehicle 200 (the bottom surface thereof) changes from the above, there is a possibility that the vehicle 200 (the bottom surface of the vehicle 200) will collide with the obstacle 301. That is, to determine whether or not the vehicle will collide with the obstacle 301, it is necessary to determine the possibility of collision based on the unevenness of the road surface 303 and the attitude of the vehicle 200.

The sensing system 201 of this embodiment is mainly used when steering the vehicle 200 from a parking lot or side street and entering a road while turning left or right (that is, along a curved route), or when entering a road at an intersection or T-junction. When the vehicle 200 is steered from one road to enter the other road while turning left or right (i.e., along a curved path), an obstacle of a size (height) that falls into the blind spot as described above occurs. This is a system that provides driving support (steering support) to avoid collision with an object 301.

(Configuration explanation)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a sensing system in Example 1. The sensing system 201 mounted on the vehicle 200 includes a CPU 103, a memory 102, an image input section 101, a distance measurement section 100, an object detection section 104, a position storage section 105, a driving support processing section 106, a route estimation section 120, and an external input section. It is composed of an output section 110. Each component constituting the sensing system 201 is communicably connected via a communication line. The CPU 103 executes arithmetic processing described below in accordance with instructions from a program stored in the memory 102.

The image input unit 101 is an interface for inputting data output from an external image data output device (not shown). In the case of a stereo camera, if synchronized images are input so that the left and right images are taken at the same time, the distance can be determined more accurately. Data input by the image input unit 101 is stored in the memory 102.

The distance measurement unit 100 corrects the mounting position and lens distortion so that the left and right images input from the image input unit 101 are parallel, and calculates parallax, which is the difference in appearance between the two cameras, for each pixel. , calculate the distance for each pixel. By measuring the distortion of the camera and the positional relationship between the lens, the image sensor, and the camera in advance, the distance can be calculated from the parallax (Equation 1).

The object detection unit 104 extracts the area of the object (corresponding to the position on the image) from the distance data (distance information) output from the distance measurement unit 100. Methods for extracting object regions include a method of grouping regions that are close to each other, a method of detecting patterns of people and cars from image data input from the image input unit 101, and the like. These calculations are performed by the CPU 103.

Note that the method for acquiring and detecting the distance information of objects (obstacles) around the vehicle 200 is limited to the illustrated example as long as the distance (height) and position of the object (obstacle) can be acquired and detected in association with each other. I can't do it.

The position storage unit 105 stores distance information obtained from the distance measurement unit 100. Here, the position storage unit 105 stores the distance information obtained from the distance measurement unit 100 as position information that associates the distance (height) and position of the object (obstacle). The position storage unit 105 estimates how the own vehicle has moved from vehicle information such as vehicle speed information, steering angle information, yaw rate information, or absolute position information input from the external input/output unit 110, and Update and maintain surrounding distance information. Since the unevenness of the road surface (see FIG. 3) can be reconstructed from this distance information, it is possible to constantly grasp the unevenness information around the own vehicle. For example, when a camera is mounted at the front of a vehicle, nearby areas or directly to the side are outside the field of view of the lens (blind spot). Therefore, by continuing to update the information in the position storage section 105 outside the field of view of the image input section 101, it is possible to determine the unevenness around the vehicle.

The external input/output unit 110 is used for information transmission between the sensing system 201 and other devices. For example, in the case of a car, a CAN (Car Area Network) can be connected to communicate with other devices. By connecting a user notification unit 150 that includes a display device, a speaker device, etc. for the driver, it is possible to urge the driver's attention (described later). Particularly in the case of this embodiment, it is preferable to notify the driver by using a speaker device that emits a warning sound, since the notification can be made without interfering with the driver's confirmation of left and right safety.

Here, the route of vehicle 200 will be explained. FIG. 6 shows an explanatory diagram of the route. In FIG. 6, 702 to 705 indicate the positions of the vehicle at each time, and an example is shown in which the vehicle moves from 702 to positions 702, 703, 704, and 705 as time passes. Reference numeral 720 is an obstacle consisting of a low step, and although it could be photographed by the camera at position 702 at time _T0 , it becomes a blind spot for the camera at position 703 at time _T1 , and the obstacle 720 is not visible to the driver. Reference numeral 701 indicates the route of the own vehicle, and in this example, the route is a trajectory having the width of the vehicle. Reference numeral 710 indicates a dividing line (center line, lane boundary line, etc.) on the road, and the example of FIG. 6 shows an example of a broken white line. 711 is a section on the road into which the route 701 (that is, the own vehicle) enters. In the example of FIG. 6, the own vehicle is steered, turns left, and enters a section 711 defined by a section line 710, moving along a curved path 701 to positions 702, 703, 704, and 705 in this order. An obstacle 720 near the route 701 could be photographed by the camera at position 702 at time _T0 , but becomes a blind spot for the camera at position 703 at time _T1 . Therefore, it is desirable to enter the section 711 on the road by steering the own vehicle to turn left while avoiding a collision with the obstacle 720 in the camera's blind spot at the position 703 at time _T1 .

The route estimation unit 120 of the sensing system 201 determines the position of the own vehicle based on the steering angle of the steering wheel, the state of the direction indicator, the speed of the vehicle, the yaw rate, the absolute position of the vehicle, etc., which are input from the external input/output unit 110. Predict whether it will pass. The route estimating unit 120 determines the position from the current time up to several seconds ahead. Here, a plurality of routes are determined based on the assumption that the steering angle of the steering wheel is changed from the current steering angle. Note that a plurality of routes may be calculated based on the assumption that the speed and yaw rate of the vehicle are changed from the current values. The plurality of routes are collectively stored as possible travel routes in the distance information held by the position storage unit 105.

The driving support processing unit 106 calculates vehicle parameters such as the height of the bottom of the vehicle and the positional relationship between the front and rear wheels, which are stored in the memory 102 in advance, from the distance information (position information) output from the position storage unit 105. Use this to calculate the difference in height between the obstacle and the vehicle. Based on the difference between the position of the obstacle on the route (specifically, on the route stored in the distance information) and the height, the driving support processing unit 106 determines whether there is a possibility of collision with the obstacle (that is, whether the route is obstructed) or not. If there is a possibility of a collision, the external input/output unit 110 issues a warning to the driver via the user notification unit 150 with a warning sound or warning display. The driving support processing unit 106 also determines whether or not there will be no collision with an obstacle even if the steering is started at the same time (that is, whether the route is a route that avoids obstacles). When passing a route near an obstacle, the external input/output unit 110 sends a warning sound or a warning sound to the driver via the user notification unit 150 when it is determined that there will be no collision with the obstacle even if the steering is started. Notification is made with a warning display (in this example, notification is made by turning off the warning sound and warning display). As a result, when the vehicle 200 is steered to enter a road while turning left or right, the driver (passenger) is notified of the steering timing of the vehicle when the vehicle 200 does not collide with an obstacle even after starting the steering. . For example, the route the driver will take is calculated based on the steering angle, etc. (route estimation unit 120), and when the driver approaches an obstacle, a warning sound will sound, and when the warning sound disappears, it will be a signal that it is OK to start steering. The driver can concentrate on checking left and right safety, appropriate speed control, and appropriate steering (steering timing). In particular, by using the distance information (position information) output from the position storage unit 105, even for obstacles that are no longer visible in blind spots, sensors that monitor the sides and the attitude and height of the vehicle can be detected. Collisions can be avoided without the need for additional sensors to measure

(Operation explanation)
A series of operations will be explained using the flowchart in FIG. The camera and subsequent processing shown in FIG. 5 are executed in a predetermined periodic process, and a series of operations thereof will be described.

First, in step S1001, a camera image is acquired from the image input unit 101, and the distance measurement unit 100 calculates the distance of each pixel. Next, in step S1002, the object detection unit 104 detects an object (obstacle) from the distance information generated by the distance measurement unit 100.

Next, in step S1003, the output result (distance information (position information)) of the object detection unit 104 is stored in the position storage unit 105. In step S1003, the position of the obstacle and small irregularities on the road surface are memorized. The unevenness is stored, for example, as three-dimensional position information from a certain starting point every 10 cm square. The starting point may be determined based on current position information obtained from the external input/output unit 110 or when the camera is powered on. These three-dimensional position information point clouds are stored by calculating how far the vehicle has moved from the previous frame based on vehicle information such as vehicle speed, steering angle, yaw rate, and absolute position input from the external input/output unit 110. (Step S1004 (previous position update)). In step S1005, the route estimating unit 120 predicts the vehicle position after time T elapses from vehicle information such as the vehicle speed, steering angle, yaw rate, and vehicle position input from the external input/output unit 110, A route (possible travel route consisting of a plurality of routes) is generated based on these vehicle positions.

In step S1006, the driving support processing unit 106 determines whether the own vehicle has passed the route based on the information updated in step S1004 (updating the previous location) and the route obtained in step S1005 (generating possible routes). The position at which the vehicle will collide with the obstacle is calculated based on the unevenness of the car's tires and the road surface at the time of the collision, and it is determined whether the vehicle will collide with the obstacle (that is, whether the route is a route that avoids the obstacle). The determination of whether a collision will occur is determined by whether the obstacle is higher than the minimum ground clearance on the outside of the vehicle. If there is a possibility of a collision (S1007: Yes), the external input/output unit 110 notifies the user in step S1008. User notification is performed by a user notification unit 150 connected to the external input/output unit 110. For example, the user is notified by emitting a warning sound through a speaker serving as the user notification unit 150. If there is no possibility of a collision even after starting the steering (S1007: No), the external input/output unit 110 notifies the user in step S1009. User notification is performed by a user notification unit 150 connected to the external input/output unit 110. For example, the user is notified by muting the warning sound of the speaker as the user notification unit 150 (stopping the sound).

(Explanation of action and effect)
As described above, the sensing system 201 of this embodiment uses the position storage unit 105 that stores position information that associates the height and position of obstacles around the vehicle, and the position information to and a driving support processing unit 106 that performs driving support when the vehicle approaches a road along a curved route, and the driving support is provided when the route becomes a route that avoids the obstacles. , including notifying a passenger of the steering timing of the vehicle.

According to this embodiment, the driver can know the timing to steer the vehicle without colliding with an obstacle in the blind spot without any troublesome operations. Further, obstacles can be avoided by using only sensors that monitor the front, for example, as sensors that detect obstacles.

[Example 2]
An example of driving assistance when entering a road from a parking lot while taking lane markings into consideration will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

In the second embodiment, in addition to the first embodiment, a partition detection section 107 is added. The section detection unit 107 detects a section 711 defined by a white line that is a section line 710 of the road shown in FIG. 6 and a section line 710 . Methods for detecting lane markings using cameras include methods that extract edges from images and detect straight lines. However, the method of detecting partition lines and partitions is not limited to this. If the division is detected, the driving support processing unit 106 adjusts the route so that it falls within the detected division while avoiding the obstacles, that is, the route moves ahead of the division line on the road as shown in FIG. The external input/output unit 110 notifies the driver via the user notification unit 150 to pass. As a result, when the vehicle 200 is steered to enter a road while turning left or right, when the vehicle 200 does not collide with an obstacle even after starting the steering, the route of the vehicle passing in front of the marking line on the road can be changed. Notifies the driver (passenger) of the steering timing.

The division detection process is performed by the division detection unit 107 at the timing of step S2001 in FIG. 8, for example. That is, in step S1007, it is determined that there is no possibility of a collision (S1007: No), and after the partition detection unit 107 detects a partition in step S2001, the external input/output unit 110 notifies the user in step S2002. User notification is performed by a user notification unit 150 connected to the external input/output unit 110.

As explained above, in the sensing system 201 of the present embodiment, the driving assistance of the driving assistance processing unit 106 is performed when the obstacle is outside the route and the route is ahead of the marking line on the road. This includes notifying passengers of the steering timing of the passing vehicle. Since the route can actually be expressed as an area with a certain width, the area outside the route can be expressed as the area outside the area through which the vehicle passes.

According to this embodiment, by using the detection results of the section detection unit 107, it is possible to avoid the risk of the own vehicle (route) protruding outside the section due to slow steering.

[Example 3]
An example of driving assistance in a case where user notification is divided into two stages to improve route options when entering a road from a parking lot will be described with reference to FIG. 9.

In the third embodiment, in addition to the second embodiment, a route support unit 108 is added. When the vehicle avoids the obstacles and enters the compartment without going outside, depending on the route taken to get close to the obstacles, there may be no solution for the route. For example, as shown in the route 721 in FIG. 10, if the driver approaches the obstacle 720 too close to the road, the timing to start steering to avoid a collision will be delayed due to the difference between the inner wheels of the vehicle, and as a result, the timing of starting steering to avoid a collision will be delayed. There are situations where you can't make a turn without sticking out. Therefore, the route support unit (also referred to as advance notification unit) 108 determines, based on the position of the obstacle and the output result of the division detection unit 107, that the route of the own vehicle can be set as a route 722 in which the vehicle can completely turn into the division and not collide with any obstacles. When the route is more likely to be on the 721 side, the external input/output unit 110 notifies the driver via the user notification unit 150 with a warning sound or a warning display to direct the driver to the route 722 before the obstacle. This notification notifies the driver (passenger) of a position where there are more route options for turning right or left before an obstacle, or it informs the driver (passenger) of a position where there are more route options for turning right or left before an obstacle. passengers). If the driver cannot decide whether to turn right or left without going out of the lane, the driver (passenger) should be informed of the location where there are more options for turning right or left before the obstacle, or if the driver (passenger) The first assistance (i.e., notification to the driver) is performed to guide the driver (passenger) to a position where there are many route options for turning left and right in front of the vehicle, and the driver is able to avoid obstacles and keep the driver in the lane. The second assistance (that is, the same notification to the driver as in Examples 1 and 2) is provided at the timing when the driver can make a right or left turn without going outside the lane, and by combining these assistance, the route is reliably kept within the section. be able to.

As described above, the sensing system 201 of the present embodiment includes the route support unit 108 that notifies or guides the passenger to a position where route options regarding right or left turns increase before the obstacle.

According to this embodiment, by dividing the user notification into two stages and improving (increasing) route options, it is possible to avoid the risk of the own vehicle (route) protruding outside the section.

[Example 4]
An example of driving support when there is another obstacle (moving object) when entering a road from a parking lot will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12.

In the fourth embodiment, in addition to the third embodiment, a mobile object approach prediction unit 109 is added. The moving object entry prediction unit 109 predicts and determines whether a moving object such as a car, a bicycle, or a pedestrian will enter the route within the lane marking. As a prediction method, a moving object (vehicle, pedestrian, etc.) is detected using a camera, and the speed of the moving object is predicted. If this prediction result intersects the route and there is a risk of collision between the vehicle and the moving object, the driving support processing unit 106 outputs a stop instruction instead of a steering instruction. If there is no risk of collision between the own vehicle and the moving object, the driving support processing unit 106 sends a user message from the external input/output unit 110 to the driver so that the route stays within the detected area while avoiding obstacles. Notification is made via the notification unit 150. Note that the method of predicting a moving object is not limited to this.

The moving object collision determination process is executed by the moving object approach prediction unit 109 at the timing of step S4001 in FIG. 12, for example. That is, in step S1007, it is determined that there is no possibility of collision (S1007: No), and after the division detection unit 107 detects the division in step S2001, in step S4001, the mobile object approach prediction unit 109 detects a collision within the division line. Predict and determine whether a moving object will enter the route. If a moving object enters the route within the marking line and there is a possibility of collision with the moving object (S4001: Yes), the external input/output unit 110 notifies the user in step S4002. User notification is performed by a user notification unit 150 connected to the external input/output unit 110. Further, in step S4002, a stop instruction is output from the external input/output unit 110. If the moving object does not enter the route within the marking line and there is no possibility of collision with the moving object (S4001: No), in step S4003, the external input/output unit 110 notifies the user (that is, the first embodiment Notification of steering timing similar to ~3). User notification is performed by a user notification unit 150 connected to the external input/output unit 110.

This makes it possible to avoid a collision even if the driver does not notice an obstacle (moving object) that poses a risk of collision. Furthermore, if the driver receives a steering instruction from the driving support processing unit 106 even though he/she is aware of the danger of a collision, this may lead to confusion or distrust of the system. Therefore, by using it in combination with the mobile object approach prediction unit 109, it becomes possible to provide driving assistance with a more secure feeling.

As described above, the sensing system 201 of this embodiment includes the mobile object entry prediction unit 109 that predicts whether or not a mobile object will enter the route.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to avoid a collision with an obstacle (moving object) and to provide driving support with a more secure feeling.

[Example 5]
An example of providing driving support while reducing the number of operations performed by the driver in a multi-purpose sensing system will be described with reference to FIG. 13.

In the fifth embodiment, in addition to the fourth embodiment, a scene determination section 111 is added. The scene determination unit 111 determines whether driving assistance that avoids obstacles is required based on the position information in the position storage unit 105 and the camera image. For example, this can be done by detecting that the predicted route is close to an obstacle in a blind spot. When the scene determination unit 111 determines that driving assistance is required, it outputs a signal to start driving assistance to the driving assistance processing unit 106, thereby providing driving assistance as in Examples 1 to 4. , and notify the outside of its status. In the case of a system equipped with a side camera module or a display module, the signal from the scene determination unit 111 is automatically displayed as an image, and the driver assistance result for alerting is superimposed on the position of the obstacle in the blind spot, making it clearer. You can tell the driver. In addition, the system automatically makes decisions, eliminating the need for driver intervention, allowing the driver to concentrate on checking left and right safety and operating the accelerator.

As described above, the sensing system 201 of the present embodiment determines whether or not the driving assistance is necessary based on the position information and the route, and if it is determined that the driving assistance is necessary, the sensing system 201 performs the driving assistance. It includes a scene determination unit 111 that outputs a start signal.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to output a signal that matches the conditions and shift to automatic driving support.

[Example 6]
An example of driving support when operating in a system with a small amount of memory will be described with reference to FIG. 14.

In the sixth embodiment, in addition to the fifth embodiment, a position information area selection section 112 is added. If the memory is small, it is effective to reduce the amount of storage in the position storage unit 105. The position information area selection unit 112 limits (selects) information to be stored in the position storage unit 105 to the area around the position of the object (obstacle) detected by the object detection unit 104. Furthermore, the position information area selection unit 112 selects position information around the obstacle position in order of the closest positional relationship between the obstacles and the route estimated by the route estimation unit 120, and stores the selected position information in the memory. In this case, position information around the position of an obstacle that is far away from the route is not stored. Thereby, by limiting and selecting the portion in which position information is stored, it is possible to reduce the amount of storage in the position storage unit 105.

As described above, the sensing system 201 of this embodiment includes the position information area selection unit 112 that selects position information around the position of the obstacle in order of proximity to the route.

According to this embodiment, by reducing the storage capacity of the position storage unit 105 as a memory, it is possible to save memory.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to having all the configurations described. Furthermore, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

In addition, each of the above configurations may be partially or entirely configured by hardware, or may be configured to be realized by executing a program on a processor. Further, the control lines and information lines are shown to be necessary for explanation purposes, and not all control lines and information lines are necessarily shown in the product. In reality, almost all components may be considered to be interconnected.

Reference Signs List 100 Distance Measurement Unit, 101 Image Input Unit, 102 Memory, 103 CPU, 104 Object Detection Unit, 105 Position Storage Unit, 106 Driving Support Processing Unit, 107 Section Detection Unit (Example 2), 108 Route Support Unit (Example 3) ), 109 Mobile object approach prediction unit (Example 4), 110 External input/output unit, 111 Scene determination unit (Example 5), 112 Location information area selection unit (Example 6), 120 Route estimation unit, 150 User notification Department, 200 Vehicle, 201 Sensing system

Claims (7)

a position storage unit that stores position information that associates heights and positions of obstacles around the vehicle;
a driving support processing unit that uses the position information to provide driving support when the vehicle approaches a road along a curved route;
The driving assistance is performed when the obstacle enters a blind spot, and the route is calculated based on the position of the obstacle stored in the position information and the height difference between the obstacle and the vehicle calculated from the position information. A sensing system comprising notifying a passenger of a steering timing of the vehicle when the vehicle is on a route that avoids the obstacle. The sensing system according to claim 1,
The driving assistance includes notifying the passenger of the steering timing of the vehicle when the obstacle is outside the route and the route passes in front of a marking line on the road, and the outside of the route is defined as the Sensing system, which is outside the area through which the vehicle passes. The sensing system according to claim 1,
A sensing system comprising: a route support unit that notifies or guides a passenger of a position where route options for turning right or left increase before the obstacle. The sensing system according to claim 1,
A sensing system comprising a mobile object entry prediction unit that predicts whether or not a mobile object will enter the route. The sensing system according to claim 1,
A sensing system comprising: a scene determining unit that determines whether or not the driving assistance is necessary based on the position information and the route, and outputs a signal to start the driving assistance when it is determined that the driving assistance is necessary. The sensing system according to claim 1,
A sensing system including a position information area selection unit that selects position information around the position of the obstacle in order of proximity to the route. The sensing system according to claim 1,
The driving assistance is to sound a warning sound when the route cannot avoid the obstacle, and to turn off the warning sound when the route is a route that avoids the obstacle. A sensing system that notifies passengers of steering timing.

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