Road accessory installation support device, road accessory installation support method, program

Abstract

This road appurtenance installation assistance device comprises: a road information acquisition means for acquiring road information including a road image captured by a vehicle-mounted camera; an image analysis means for analyzing the road image to calculate the positive visibility of a location indicated by the road image; a determination means for determining whether a road appurtenance needs to be installed at the location on the basis of the result of the calculation of the positive visibility; and a report means for reporting location information pertaining to the location in accordance with the result of the determination made by the determination means.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a road accessory installation support apparatus, a road accessory installation support system, a road accessory installation support method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] On a road, shielding objects such as walls and signboards installed at locations along the road may obstruct the view of drivers of vehicles traveling on the road. For this reason, at points where the driver's view is not good, road accessories such as mirrors for covering blind spots from the driver, signs prompting drivers to stop or slow down, guardrails for protecting surrounding pedestrians in the event of a traffic accident, and the like are installed. Such road accessories are managed by local governments such as the national government, prefectures, and municipalities. The number of road accessories managed by each local government is large, and the management thereof takes time and effort. For this reason, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a road environment determination device including a state determination unit that determines such visibility deterioration of road accessories, and a notification unit that transmits position information of signs or mirrors with poor visibility. Accordingly, by transmitting the position information of signs or mirrors with poor visibility to the manager, the manager can appropriately manage road accessories.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Incidentally, road infrastructure such as mirrors, signs, and guardrails are sometimes installed in locations where they are not currently present. The installation of new road infrastructure may be triggered, for example, by an increase in traffic accidents, patrols conducted by local governments or schools, or requests from local residents. In practice, before installing new road infrastructure, the administrator must investigate the site conditions and then decide whether or not to proceed with the installation. As described above, the current situation is that installing new road infrastructure requires a great deal of effort in selecting the location, conducting surveys, and making considerations. Therefore, there is a need to reduce the effort involved in installing new road infrastructure.

[0005] Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to provide a road accessory installation support device, a road accessory installation support system, a road accessory installation support method, and a program that solve the above-mentioned problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The road accessory installation support device of this disclosure comprises: road information acquisition means for acquiring road information including road images captured by an in-vehicle camera; image analysis means for analyzing the road images and calculating the visibility of a point indicated by the road images; determination means for determining whether or not it is necessary to install a road accessory at the point based on the calculation result of the visibility; and notification means for notifying point information regarding the point in accordance with the determination result of the determination means.

[0007] The road accessory installation support system of this disclosure comprises an on-board camera for capturing road images and a road accessory installation support device as described above.

[0008] The road accessory installation support method of this disclosure acquires road information including road images taken by an in-vehicle camera, analyzes the road images to calculate the visibility at a point indicated by the road images, determines whether or not it is necessary to install a road accessory at the point based on the calculation result of the visibility, and notifies the point information relating to the point according to the determination result of whether or not it is necessary to install a road accessory.

[0009] The program of this disclosure causes a road accessory installation support device to acquire road information including road images captured by an in-vehicle camera, analyze the road images to calculate the visibility at a point indicated by the road images, determine whether or not the installation of road accessories is necessary at the point based on the calculation result of the visibility, and notify the device of point information regarding the point according to the determination result of whether or not the installation of road accessories is necessary. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The road accessory installation support device, road accessory installation support system, road accessory installation support method, and program disclosed herein make it possible to reduce the effort required to install new road accessories. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This figure shows the configuration of the road accessory installation support system in the first embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 2] This figure shows the hardware configuration of the road accessory installation support device in the first embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a road image acquired by the road information acquisition unit in the first embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of information regarding locations where the installation of road appurtenances is determined to be necessary, as displayed by the information display device in the first embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows the process of capturing road images with an in-car camera. [Figure 6]This is a flowchart showing the flow of the installation support method for the first embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart showing the flow of displaying location information related to candidate locations in the information display device according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 8] This figure shows the minimum configuration of the road accessory installation support device in the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Multiple embodiments of this disclosure are described below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] [First Embodiment] Figure 1 shows the configuration of the road accessory installation support system according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the road accessory installation support system 1A includes an on-board camera 10, a road accessory installation support device 20A, and an information display device 50.

[0014] The vehicle-mounted camera 10 is attached to a mobile vehicle that can move along the road where road accessories are to be installed, such as an automobile. Examples of mobile vehicles include automobiles, motorcycles, mopeds, and bicycles that can travel on roads. The vehicle-mounted camera 10 consists of a shooting unit 11 and a GPS (Global Positioning System) Signal receiving unit 13, control unit 14, storage unit 15, output unit 16 It has at least the following features.

[0015] The imaging unit 11 captures images of the surroundings of the moving object, for example, the front in the traveling direction, the rear, the lateral direction, or all directions. The imaging unit 11 captures a road image of a range including the road on which a road accessory is to be installed and the surroundings of the road. The imaging unit 11 captures the road image as a moving image or a still image. When capturing the road image as a moving image, the imaging unit 11 captures, for example, an image with a preset number of frames per second. When capturing the road image as a still image, the imaging unit 11 repeatedly captures the road image at preset time intervals, for example.

[0016] The GPS signal receiving unit 13 receives a GPS signal for detecting the position of the moving object. The received GPS signal includes latitude / longitude information as position information indicating the position of the moving object when the GPS signal is received, and time information.

[0017] The control unit 14 controls each function of the in-vehicle camera 10. The control unit 14 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. which is a computer comprising

[0018] The storage unit 15 temporarily stores road images and the like captured by the imaging unit 11. The storage unit 15 stores each of the plurality of road images captured by the imaging unit 11 in association with position information and time information when each road image is captured. The storage unit 15 may be configured using a storage device built in the in-vehicle camera 10, or may be configured using a portable storage device such as an SD (Secure Digital) card that is detachably attached to the in-vehicle camera 10.

[0019] The output unit 16 outputs road information, including multiple road images stored in the storage unit 15, to the road accessory installation support device 20A. The road information output by the output unit 16 includes each of the multiple road images that are associated with each other, as well as location and time information when each road image was taken. The output unit 16 uses, for example, a public wireless communication network, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. No The road information is transmitted to the road accessory installation support device 20A via the communication network. The output unit 16 may also transfer the road information to the road accessory installation support device 20A via a portable storage device such as an SD card that stores the road information.

[0020] As an in-vehicle camera 10 functionally equipped with the above-described shooting unit 11, acceleration sensor 12, GPS signal receiving unit 13, storage unit 15, and output unit 16, for example, a dashcam, smartphone, or tablet device can be used. Alternatively, a dedicated device equipped with each of the above-described functions may be prepared as the in-vehicle camera 10. Such an in-vehicle camera 10 may be mounted inside or outside the mobile vehicle.

[0021] Furthermore, the in-vehicle camera 10 described above collects road information, including road images, by moving the mobile body equipped with the camera 10 along the road where the road accessories are to be installed, and photographing the road and its surroundings. The in-vehicle camera 10 may be attached to each of multiple mobile bodies. In this case, road information can be collected efficiently by moving multiple mobile bodies equipped with the in-vehicle cameras 10 along the road where the road accessories are to be installed. For example, the in-vehicle camera 10 may be attached to official vehicles or private vehicles used by employees of the administrators of local governments, etc., who manage the roads.

[0022] Figure 2 shows the hardware configuration of the road infrastructure installation support device. As shown in Figure 2, the road accessory installation support device 20A includes a CPU 61, ROM 62, RAM 63, storage 64 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and a communication module 65, among other components. It is a computer equipped with software.

[0023] As shown in Figure 1, the road accessory installation support device 20A includes a road information acquisition unit 21, an image analysis unit 22, a determination unit 23, a database 24, and a notification unit 25, through which the CPU 61 of the road accessory installation support device 20A executes a program that is pre-stored in the device.

[0024] The road information acquisition unit 21 acquires road information from the in-vehicle camera 10, including road images captured by the in-vehicle camera 10. The road information acquired by the road information acquisition unit 21 includes each of the multiple road images captured by the shooting unit 11, as well as location information and time information for each road image. When road information is output from the output unit 16 of the in-vehicle camera 10 via a communication network, the road information acquisition unit 21 is, in hardware terms, a communication module 65. The road information acquisition unit 21 acquires road information by receiving the road information output (transmitted) from the in-vehicle camera 10 via the communication network. Furthermore, when road information is output from the output unit 16 of the in-vehicle camera 10 via a portable storage device such as an SD card storing the road information, the road information acquisition unit 21 is, in hardware terms, a storage medium reading unit (not shown) provided in the road accessory installation support device 20A. In this case, the road information acquisition unit 21 acquires road information by reading the road information from the storage device attached to the storage medium reading unit.

[0025] Figure 3 shows an example of a road image acquired by the road information acquisition unit. The road information acquired by the road information acquisition unit 21 includes, for example, a road image 100 taken by the on-board camera 10, as shown in Figure 3. This road image 100 includes the road 101 and surrounding objects 102 located around the road 101, such as a sidewalk 103 and buildings 104. The road image 100 also includes other roads 105 that intersect with road 101, where other vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, etc., may enter from the side.

[0026] The image analysis unit 22 analyzes the road image 100 acquired by the road information acquisition unit 21. The image analysis unit 22 detects (recognizes) the road 101 and surrounding objects 102 located around the road 101 from the road image 100 using an appropriate image processing algorithm. Furthermore, the image analysis unit 22 detects other roads 105 that intersect with road 101, where other vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, etc., may enter from the side. The image analysis unit 22 extracts points where road 101 and other roads 105 intersect, where other pedestrians are expected to enter road 101 from the surrounding area in the road image 100, as candidate points X for installing road accessories. The image analysis unit 22 also detects whether or not road 101 is curved. If road 101 is curved, the image analysis unit 22 detects the degree of curvature of road 101, etc., from the road image 100.

[0027] The image analysis unit 22 detects obstructions 108 from among the detected surrounding objects 102 that could obstruct the view of a pedestrian on the road 101 (driver of a vehicle traveling on the road 101). From among the detected surrounding objects 102, the image analysis unit 22 detects the distance D between the surrounding object 102 and the road 101, and the height H of the surrounding object 102, for surrounding objects 102 located before the point where the road 101 and another road 105 intersect (candidate point X). The image analysis unit 22 detects those surrounding objects 102 that meet pre-set conditions as obstructions 108. For example, the conditions for detecting an obstruction 108 include the distance D between the surrounding object 102 and the road 101 being below a predetermined threshold, and the height H of the surrounding object 102 being above a pre-set standard value. Examples of obstructions 108 detected in this way include walls, fences, signs, trees, etc. of buildings located around (to the side of) the road 101.

[0028] Furthermore, the image analysis unit 22 detects road accessories that have already been installed from the road image 100. Examples of road accessories include mirrors (curve mirrors), signs and billboards that prompt pedestrians to "stop" or "slow down," road markings, guardrails, and traffic lights.

[0029] The image analysis unit 22 calculates the visibility of the point indicated by the road image 100 based on the detection result of the obstruction 108 from the road image 100. Here, the point indicated by the road image 100 may be a point captured in the road image 100, or it may be the point where the in-vehicle camera 10 is located when the road image 100 was taken. Furthermore, the point may represent a single geographical point, or it may represent a predetermined range that includes a single geographical point.

[0030] The image analysis unit 22 calculates the visibility of a point indicated in the road image 100 from the perspective of a driver of a vehicle traveling on the road 101, based on the distance D between the detected obstruction 108 and the road 101, the height H of the obstruction 108, etc. The visibility of a point indicated in the road image 100 is quantified based on a pre-set algorithm, for example, based on the distance D between the detected obstruction 108 and the road 101, the height H of the obstruction 108, etc. Furthermore, the calculation of visibility quality in the image analysis unit 22 may use a model trained by machine learning. The model for estimating visibility quality is, for example, a model that takes the distance D between the road 101 and the obstruction 108 as input and estimates the visibility quality as a value between 0 and 1. Visibility quality may be expressed numerically, but is not limited to this. For example, visibility quality may be expressed as a two-level scale such as good / poor, or as a scale of three or more levels. In addition, the model trained by machine learning may be retrained from the data accumulated daily and updated to improve the estimation accuracy.

[0031] Database 24 stores various types of information necessary for the determination process in the determination unit 23, which will be described later. For example, Database 24 stores road-related information such as the location information, traffic volume, speed limit, width, number of accidents, road type (e.g., school route), and registration information of dangerous points owned by the road manager of each road 101 managed by the local government using this road accessory installation support system 1A. In addition, Database 24 stores information such as opinions received from residents, records of places where residents have had dangerous experiences on each road 101, and information about the circumstances of those experiences, as road-related information for each road 101.

[0032] The determination unit 23 determines whether or not road accessories are necessary for candidate location X, based on the results of the visibility assessment performed by the image analysis unit 22. The determination unit 23 evaluates how good the visibility is at that location from the driver's perspective, based on the results of the analysis performed by the image analysis unit 22. The evaluation result by the determination unit 23 may be a simple binary evaluation such as good visibility / poor visibility. Alternatively, the evaluation result by the determination unit 23 may be a quantitative value calculated from the degree of proximity based on the distance D between the road 101 and the obstruction 108, or from the ratio of the proportions that the road 101 and the obstruction 108 each occupy within the image area of ​​the road image 100. Based on the evaluation result regarding visibility at candidate location X, the determination unit 23 determines how good the visibility is from the driver's perspective and whether or not road accessories are necessary.

[0033] Furthermore, the determination unit 23 obtains road-related information about candidate point X in the road image 100 from the database 24 based on the location information. The determination unit 23 may also determine whether or not road accessories are necessary for candidate point X based on the results of the visibility assessment performed by the image analysis unit 22 and the various road-related information obtained from the database 24. For example, the determination unit 23 may determine whether or not road accessories are necessary based on factors such as traffic volume, speed limit, whether or not the sidewalk 103 on the side of the road 101 is a school route frequently used by children, the presence and number of past accidents, the presence and number of people who have had dangerous experiences at that location, the presence and number of opinions that road accessories should be installed, etc. The determination unit 23 may use any one of these pieces of road-related information to determine whether or not road accessories are necessary. The determination unit 23 may also use road-related information relating to at least one of the traffic volume and speed limit of the road 101 to determine whether or not road accessories are necessary. In other words, the determination unit 23 can determine that the need for road appurtenances increases as the traffic volume and speed limit of road 101 increase. The determination unit 23 may also use multiple pieces of this road-related information to determine whether or not the installation of road appurtenances is necessary. When using multiple pieces of road-related information, an evaluation score may be set for each piece of road-related information, and the determination of whether or not the installation of road appurtenances is necessary may be made based on the total score, etc.

[0034] The determination result from the determination unit 23 may be a binary determination such as whether or not road accessories should be installed. Alternatively, the determination result from the determination unit 23 may be a value such as an installation priority calculated by weighting factors such as visibility and traffic volume. Here, the values ​​of each weight used for weighting may be pre-set values, or the user of the road accessory installation support device 20A may set the values ​​of each weight. Furthermore, the calculation of the installation priority in the determination unit 23 may use a model trained by machine learning. The model for calculating the installation priority is, for example, a model that takes estimated visibility values ​​and traffic volume as input and estimates the installation priority as a value between 0 and 1. In addition, the model trained by machine learning may be retrained from the data accumulated on a daily basis and updated to improve the estimation accuracy.

[0035] Furthermore, if the vehicle-mounted camera 10 captures road images 100 multiple times on the same road, there may be multiple road images 100 for the same candidate location X. In such cases, the determination unit 23 may statistically process the determination results obtained based on each of the multiple road images 100, regarding whether or not the installation of road appurtenances is necessary. For example, rain, snow, fog, etc., may affect the capture of road images 100 by the vehicle-mounted camera 10 and the analysis of road images 100. For this reason, if, for example, multiple road images 100 are captured over multiple days at a candidate location X, the determination unit 23 checks the distribution of installation priority on each day. If, as a result, the installation priority is clearly higher or lower on only one day compared to the other multiple days, the determination unit 23 may exclude the data for that installation priority and adopt only the installation priority for the other multiple days. Alternatively, the determination unit 23 may calculate the average value of the installation priority over multiple days and determine whether or not the installation of road accessories is necessary based on the calculated average value. Furthermore, the determination unit 23 may calculate other appropriate statistical values ​​as representative values, such as the mode of the installation priority over multiple days, and determine whether or not the installation of road accessories is necessary based on the calculated representative value (statistical value). For example, the determination unit 23 may make a determination based on the maximum or minimum value of the installation priority.

[0036] Furthermore, since the road images 100 captured by the in-vehicle camera 10 are obtained by dividing the video frame by frame, multiple road images 100 capturing the same candidate location X will be generated. In contrast, the determination unit 23 may extract multiple road images 100 taken within a certain section (e.g., 10m) that are assumed to have captured the same candidate location X, based on the location information associated with each road image 100. The determination unit 23 may then calculate statistical values ​​such as the maximum value, average value, and mode of the installation priority obtained from each of the extracted multiple road images 100, and determine whether or not the installation of road accessories is necessary.

[0037] The notification unit 25 notifies the information display device 50 of location information regarding the location (candidate location X) according to the determination result in the determination unit 23. The notification unit 25 may also notify, as location information, at least information indicating whether or not road appurtenances are required at candidate location X. Furthermore, if the notification unit 25 determines that road appurtenances are required at candidate location X, it may also notify the location information (latitude and longitude information) of candidate location X as location information for the road appurtenances to be newly installed. If the notification unit 25 determines that road appurtenances are required at candidate location X, it may also notify, as location information, information for displaying candidate location X on a map including the area of ​​candidate location X on the information display device 50, based on the location information of candidate location X. Furthermore, the notification unit 25 may also notify the road image 100 captured at candidate location X as location information for the road appurtenances to be newly installed.

[0038] Furthermore, if the notification unit 25 determines that it is necessary to install a road accessory at candidate site X, it may record the location information of candidate site X in the database 24 as location information for the road accessory to be newly installed.

[0039] The notification unit 25 transmits location information to be notified to the information display device 50 via a communication network, such as a public wireless communication network, Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, etc. The notification unit 25 may also transmit location information to the information display device 50 via the communication network when a request is received from the information display device 50.

[0040] The information display device 50 is used, for example, by the administrator of the local government or other entity that manages Road 101. Specific users of the information display device 50 include, for example, the person in charge of conducting on-site surveys of candidate site X, the person in charge of deciding on the installation of road appurtenances at candidate site X, and the person in charge of actually installing road appurtenances at candidate site X.

[0041] The information display device 50 is a computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, communication module, etc. More specifically, the information display device 50 may be a personal computer used by these personnel in the office. Alternatively, the information display device 50 may be a portable device such as a smartphone, tablet, or notebook personal computer that can be carried by the personnel when they actually go to candidate location X to check the site conditions. Furthermore, the information display device 50 may be a car navigation system installed in a vehicle used by the personnel when they actually go to candidate location X to check the site conditions.

[0042] As shown in Figure 1, the information display device 50 comprises at least a location information acquisition unit 51, a control unit 52, and a display unit 53. The location information acquisition unit 51 acquires location information notified from the notification unit 25. , From a hardware perspective, it's a communication module. The control unit 52 controls each function of the information display device 50.

[0043] The display unit 53 is a display device such as a liquid crystal monitor provided in the information display device 50. The display unit 53 displays information based on location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 51 in a manner that is visible from the outside. Based on the location information, the display unit 53 displays information about locations (candidate locations X) where it has been determined that the installation of road appurtenances is necessary.

[0044] Figure 4 shows an example of information displayed on an information display device regarding locations where the installation of road appurtenances has been determined to be necessary. As shown in Figure 4, the display unit 53 of the information display device 50 displays, for example, an icon P indicating the location of candidate location X on a map M that includes the area where it has been determined that road appurtenances are required.

[0045] When a user of the information display device 50 selects an icon P by tapping, clicking, or the like, the location information of candidate location X may be displayed, for example, the latitude and longitude information of candidate location X, information indicating the necessity of installing road appurtenances at candidate location X, and a road image 100 of candidate location X (see Figure 3). As information indicating the necessity of installing road appurtenances at candidate location X, for example, information regarding installation priority, visibility, or obstructions may be displayed.

[0046] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the process of capturing road images with an in-vehicle camera. As shown in Figure 5, first, a mobile body equipped with an on-board camera 10 is moved along the road where the road accessory is to be installed, and road images including the road and its surrounding area are captured (step S11).

[0047] The captured road image is associated with the latitude, longitude, and time information contained in the GPS signal received by the GPS signal receiving unit 13, and is temporarily stored in the storage unit 15 (step S12).

[0048] Subsequently, after the acquisition of road images 100 while moving along the road to which the road accessories are to be installed is completed, the output unit 16 outputs road information, including the multiple road images stored in the storage unit 15, to the road accessory installation support device 20A (step S13). The road information output by the output unit 16 includes each of the multiple road images that are associated with each other, as well as location information and time information when each road image was taken.

[0049] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the road accessory installation support method in the road accessory installation support system. In the road accessory installation support device 20A, the road information acquisition unit 21 acquires road information, including road images 100, output from the on-board camera 10 (step S21).

[0050] Next, the image analysis unit 22 analyzes the acquired road image 100 and detects (recognizes) road 101 in the road image 100 and other roads 105 that intersect road 101 (step S22).

[0051] The image analysis unit 22 determines whether or not road accessories should be installed on the detected road 101 (step S23). Based on the curvature of the road 101 in the road image 100, the image analysis unit 22 determines that if the detected road 101 is a curve with poor visibility, then the road 101 should have road accessories installed. In addition, if the image analysis unit 22 detects another road 105 intersecting road 101 from which other vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, etc. may enter from the side, then the road 101 should have road accessories installed.

[0052] If, as a result of the determination in step S23, there are no locations on road 101 in the analyzed road image 100 where road accessories should be installed (step S23: No), the processing for that road image 100 is terminated, and the processing from step S21 is executed for the next road image 100. If, as a result of the determination in step S23, the image analysis unit 22 determines that road accessories should be installed on road 101 in the analyzed road image 100 (step S23: Yes), then the curve point of road 101 and the point where it intersects with other roads 105 are set as candidate points X for installing road accessories (step S24).

[0053] In step S25, following step S24, the image analysis unit 22 detects from the road image 100 whether or not there are any road accessories already installed. Examples of road accessories detected here include mirrors, signs, guardrails, etc. In step S25, if road accessories that have already been installed are detected in the road image 100 (step S25: Yes), the image analysis unit 22 terminates processing for that road image 100 and executes the processing from step S21 onwards for the next road image 100. Furthermore, if no road accessories that have already been installed are detected from the road image 100 in step S25 (step S25: No), the image analysis unit 22 detects surrounding objects 102 located around the road 101 from the road image 100 (step S26).

[0054] In step S27, following step S26, the image analysis unit 22 detects from among the detected surrounding objects 102 whether or not there are any obstructions 108 that would obstruct the view of pedestrians on the road 101 (step S27). More specifically, the image analysis unit 22 detects from among the detected surrounding objects 102 the distance D between the surrounding object 102 and the road 101, and the height H of the surrounding object 102 for surrounding objects 102 located before the point where road 101 intersects with another road 105 (candidate point X), and surrounding objects 102 located around the curves of road 101. The image analysis unit 22 detects among the surrounding objects 102 that meet the pre-set conditions as obstructions 108.

[0055] If, as a result of the determination in step S27, no obstruction object 108 is detected in the road image 100 (step S27: No), the image analysis unit 22 terminates processing for that road image 100 and executes the processing from step S21 onwards for the next road image 100.

[0056] Furthermore, if, as a result of the determination in step S27, an obstruction 108 is detected from the road image 100 (step S27: Yes), the image analysis unit 22 calculates the visibility at the point indicated by the road image 100 according to the detection result of the obstruction 108 from the road image 100 (step S28). The image analysis unit 22 calculates the visibility at the point indicated by the road image 100 from the perspective of a driver of a vehicle traveling on the road 101, according to the distance D between the detected obstruction 108 and the road 101, the height H of the obstruction 108, etc.

[0057] In step S29, following step S28, the determination unit 23 determines whether or not road appurtenances are necessary for candidate point X, based on the results of the visibility assessment performed by the image analysis unit 22 (step S29). At this time, the determination unit 23 obtains road-related information concerning candidate point X from the database 24 based on the location information of candidate point X in the road image 100. The determination unit 23 determines whether or not road appurtenances are necessary for candidate point X, based on the results of the visibility assessment performed by the image analysis unit 22 and the various road-related information stored in the database 24.

[0058] If the determination in step S29 determines that the installation of road appurtenances is not necessary for candidate location X (step S29: No), the determination unit 23 terminates processing for that road image 100 and executes the processing from step S21 onwards for the next road image 100.

[0059] Furthermore, if the determination in step S29 determines that the installation of road appurtenances is necessary for candidate site X (step S29: Yes), the notification unit 25 notifies the information display device 50 of the site information regarding candidate site X according to the determination result in the determination unit 23 (step S30). The determination unit 23 also stores the information regarding candidate site X, which has been determined to require the installation of road appurtenances, in the database 24.

[0060] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of displaying information about candidate locations on an information display device. As shown in Figure 7, in the information display device 50, the location information acquisition unit 51 acquires location information notified from the notification unit 25 (step S31). Next, the display unit 53 displays the information based on the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 51 in a way that is visible from the outside, for example, as shown in Figure 4 (step S32). The user (person in charge) can view the information displayed on the display unit 53 and perform various tasks, such as conducting surveys to determine whether or not to install road infrastructure at candidate location X.

[0061] The road accessory installation support device 20A of this embodiment, as described above, includes a road information acquisition unit 21 that acquires road information including road images 100 captured by an on-board camera 10, an image analysis unit 22 that calculates the visibility at a point indicated by the road image 100, and a determination unit 23 that determines whether or not it is necessary to install a road accessory at the point based on the calculation result of visibility. With such a road accessory installation support device 20A, it is possible to determine whether or not it is necessary to install a road accessory based on the road images 100 captured by the on-board camera 10. Therefore, the effort required to install a new road accessory can be reduced.

[0062] Furthermore, the road accessory installation support device 20A of this embodiment detects surrounding objects 102 located around the road 101, detects obstructing objects 108 from among the detected surrounding objects 102, and calculates the visibility quality at the point indicated by the road image 100 according to the detection result of the obstructing objects 108. With such a road accessory installation support device 20A, it is possible to detect obstructing objects 108 from the road image 100 captured by the on-board camera 10 and automatically calculate the visibility quality at that point. This makes it possible to evaluate visibility quality easily and with stable evaluation criteria.

[0063] Furthermore, the road accessory installation support device 20A of this embodiment calculates the visibility at a point indicated by the road image 100 based on the detection result of at least one of the following: the distance D between the obstruction 108 and the road 101, and the height H of the obstruction 108. With such a road accessory installation support device 20A, the visibility obstructed by the obstruction 108 can be evaluated efficiently.

[0064] Furthermore, the road accessory installation support device 20A of this embodiment extracts candidate points X from the surrounding area of ​​the road 101 in the road image 100 where it is anticipated that other pedestrians may enter the road 101, and calculates the visibility of the extracted candidate points X. With such a road accessory installation support device 20A, it is possible to efficiently evaluate visibility at points where ensuring good visibility is important.

[0065] Furthermore, the road accessory installation support device 20A of this embodiment detects the presence or absence of existing road accessories at candidate point X, and calculates the visibility score at the point indicated by the road image 100 if no existing road accessories are detected. With such a road accessory installation support device 20A, it becomes unnecessary to calculate the visibility score at points where existing road accessories are installed. Therefore, the burden of calculating the visibility score is reduced, and the effort required to install new road accessories can be further reduced.

[0066] Furthermore, the road accessory installation support device 20A of this embodiment determines whether or not it is necessary to install a road accessory at a given location based on road-related information relating to at least one of the traffic volume and speed limit of the road 101. With such a road accessory installation support device 20A, priority can be given to the installation of road accessories on roads 101 with high traffic volume, roads 101 with high speed limits, etc.

[0067] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if there are multiple visibility quality calculation results for a single location, the road accessory installation support device 20A obtains a representative value of the visibility quality calculation results based on the multiple results, and determines whether or not the installation of a road accessory is necessary at that location based on the obtained representative value of the visibility quality calculation results. With such a road accessory installation support device 20A, a more accurate determination can be made when there is variation in the multiple visibility quality calculation results due to weather conditions, etc., when the road image 100 was taken.

[0068] Furthermore, in the road accessory installation support device 20A of this embodiment, the notification unit 25 notifies the location information of the point where it has been determined that the installation of a road accessory is necessary, as location information. With such a road accessory installation support device 20A, the information display device 50, which has received notification of the location information, can accurately grasp the location of the point where it has been determined that the installation of a road accessory is necessary.

[0069] Furthermore, the road accessory installation support device 20A of this embodiment notifies the location information of a location where it has been determined that road accessories are necessary, by displaying an icon P (information) on the map M as location information. With such a road accessory installation support device 20A, the information display device 50, which has received notification of the location information, can display the locations where it has been determined that road accessories are necessary on the map.

[0070] Furthermore, the road accessory installation support device 20A of this embodiment notifies the user of a road image 100 taken at a location where it has been determined that the installation of a road accessory is necessary. With such a road accessory installation support device 20A, the information display device 50, which has received notification of the location information, can easily confirm the situation at the location where it has been determined that the installation of a road accessory is necessary using the road image 100.

[0071] The road accessory installation support system 1A of this embodiment comprises an on-board camera 10 for capturing road images 100 and a road accessory installation support device 20A. Such a road accessory installation support system 1A can reduce the effort required to install new road accessories.

[0072] Furthermore, the road accessory installation support system 1A of this embodiment further includes an information display device 50 comprising a location information acquisition unit 51 that acquires location information notified from a notification unit 25, and a display unit 53 that displays information regarding locations where it has been determined that road accessories need to be installed based on the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 51. With such a road accessory installation support system 1A, information regarding locations where it has been determined that road accessories need to be installed can be easily confirmed on the information display device 50 side.

[0073] The road accessory installation support method of this embodiment described above acquires road information including road images 100 captured by an on-board camera 10, analyzes the road images 100 to calculate the visibility at the points indicated by the road images 100, determines whether or not road accessories need to be installed at the points based on the calculation results of visibility, and notifies the points of location information according to the determination result of whether or not road accessories need to be installed. With such a road accessory installation support method, the effort required to install new road accessories can be reduced.

[0074] In the above embodiment, part or all of the program executed by the road accessory installation support device 20A can be distributed via a computer-readable recording medium or a communication line.

[0075] [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to Figure 8. Figure 8 shows the minimum configuration of a road accessory installation support device in a second embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 8, the road accessory installation support device 20B only needs to include at least a road information acquisition unit 21B, an image analysis unit 22B, a determination unit 23B, and a notification unit 25B.

[0076] The road information acquisition unit 21B acquires road information, including road images captured by the on-board camera.

[0077] The image analysis unit 22B analyzes the road image and calculates the visibility at the location indicated by the road image.

[0078] Based on the calculation results of visibility, the determination unit 23B determines whether or not it is necessary to install road accessories at the location indicated by the road image.

[0079] The notification unit 25B notifies location information regarding the location indicated by the road image, according to the determination result in the determination unit 23B.

[0080] With this configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not road infrastructure is necessary based on road images captured by an in-vehicle camera. Therefore, the effort required to install new road infrastructure can be reduced.

[0081] Preferred embodiments of this disclosure have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, but it goes without saying that this disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. The shapes and combinations of the components shown in the embodiments described above are examples and can be modified in various ways based on design requirements, etc., without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0082] For example, in the above embodiment, the determination unit 23 determines whether or not it is necessary to install road accessories, but it is not limited to this. For example, in addition to determining whether or not it is necessary to install road accessories, it may also suggest candidates for road accessories to be installed based on the road shape (such as a curve) determined by the image analysis unit 22 and road-related information in the database 24. Specifically, for example, if the road shape determined by the image analysis unit 22 is a T-junction, in addition to a mirror, a "stop" sign or the like may be suggested as a candidate for road accessories to be installed. Such suggestions for road accessories to be installed may be made based on pre-set rules or by using machine learning.

[0083] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, for example, the GPS signal receiving unit 13 receives a GPS signal to detect the position of the moving object, but this is not limited to this. To detect the position of the moving object, other satellite positioning systems (GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System) may be used, for example. Location information may be expressed in a format other than latitude and longitude. For example, location information indicating the position of a moving object may be expressed as the distance traveled along a road route from a predetermined starting point.

[0084] Some or all of the above embodiments may also be described as follows, but are not limited to the following:

[0085] (Note 1) A means for acquiring road information, including road images taken by an in-vehicle camera, An image analysis means for analyzing the aforementioned road image and calculating the visibility at the point indicated by the road image, Based on the calculation results of the visibility, a determination means for determining whether or not it is necessary to install road appurtenances at the aforementioned location, A notification means for notifying location information relating to the location in accordance with the determination result of the determination means, A road infrastructure installation support device equipped with the following features.

[0086] (Note 2) The aforementioned image analysis means is From the aforementioned road image, at least the road and surrounding objects located around the road are detected. From among the detected surrounding objects, an obstruction that would obstruct the view of a pedestrian on the road is detected. Based on the detection results of the aforementioned obstruction, the visibility of the point indicated in the road image is calculated. The road accessory installation support device described in Appendix 1.

[0087] (Note 3) The aforementioned image analysis means is The distance between the obstruction and the road, and the height of the obstruction are detected, Based on the detection results of the aforementioned obstruction, the visibility of the point indicated in the road image is calculated. The road infrastructure installation support device described in Appendix 2.

[0088] (Note 4) The aforementioned image analysis means is Candidate locations are extracted from the surrounding area of ​​the road in the aforementioned road image where it is anticipated that other pedestrians may enter the road. The visibility of the extracted candidate locations is calculated. A road accessory installation support device as described in Appendix 1 or 2.

[0089] (Note 5) The image analysis means detects the presence or absence of existing road appurtenances at the candidate location, The determination means calculates the visibility of the point indicated by the road image if no existing road appurtenances are detected. A road accessory installation support device as described in Appendix 1 or 2.

[0090] (Note 6) The determination means acquires road-related information relating to at least one of the road traffic volume and speed limit, Based on the aforementioned road-related information, it is determined whether or not the installation of road appurtenances is necessary at the aforementioned location. A road accessory installation support device as described in Appendix 1 or 2.

[0091] (Note 7) If there are multiple calculation results for visibility for a single point, the determination means obtains a representative value of the visibility calculation results based on the multiple calculation results. Based on the representative value of the calculated visibility score obtained, it is determined whether or not the installation of road appurtenances is necessary at the location. A road accessory installation support device as described in Appendix 1 or 2.

[0092] (Note 8) The road information acquisition means acquires location information indicating the location of the point where the road image was taken, along with the road image. The notification means notifies, as location information, the location information of the point where it has been determined that the installation of the road appurtenance is necessary, based on the location information acquired by the road information acquisition means. A road accessory installation support device as described in Appendix 1 or 2.

[0093] (Note 9) The notification means notifies, as location information, information for displaying the location on a map including the location of the location. A road accessory installation support device as described in Appendix 8.

[0094] (Note 10) The notification means is a road accessory installation support device as described in Appendix 8, which notifies the road image captured at the location as location information.

[0095] (Note 11) A vehicle-mounted camera that takes road images, A road accessory installation support device as described in Appendix 1 or 2, comprising: Road infrastructure installation support system.

[0096] (Note 12) A location information acquisition means that acquires the location information notified by the notification means, The information display device further comprises: a display means for displaying information about the location where it has been determined that the installation of the road appurtenance is necessary, based on the location information acquired by the location information acquisition means; The road infrastructure installation support system described in Appendix 11.

[0097] (Note 13) We acquire road information, including road images taken by in-vehicle cameras. By analyzing the aforementioned road image, the visibility at the point indicated by the road image is calculated. Based on the calculation results of the visibility quality, it is determined whether or not the installation of road appurtenances is necessary at the aforementioned location. Location information for the aforementioned point will be notified according to the determination result of whether or not the installation of the aforementioned road appurtenance is necessary. Methods for supporting the installation of road infrastructure.

[0098] (Note 14) We acquire road information, including road images taken by in-vehicle cameras. By analyzing the aforementioned road image, the visibility at the point indicated by the road image is calculated. Based on the calculation results of the visibility quality, it is determined whether or not the installation of road appurtenances is necessary at the aforementioned location. The road accessory installation support device is instructed to notify location information regarding the aforementioned location based on the determination result of whether or not the installation of the aforementioned road accessory is necessary. program. [Industrial applicability]

[0099] According to the road accessory installation support device, road accessory installation support system, road accessory installation support method, and program described above, the effort required to install new road accessories can be reduced. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0100] 1A Road Accessory Installation Support System 10 In-car cameras 20A, 20B Road Accessory Installation Support Device 21, 21B Road information acquisition section 22, 22B Image analysis section 23, 23B Judgment section 25, 25B Notification section 100 Road Images 101 Road 102 Surrounding objects 108 Shield

Claims

1. A means for acquiring road information, including road images taken by an in-vehicle camera, An image analysis means for analyzing the aforementioned road image and calculating the visibility of the road at the point indicated by the road image, Based on the calculation results of the visibility, a determination means for determining whether or not it is necessary to install road appurtenances on the road at the said point, A notification means for notifying location information relating to the location in accordance with the determination result of the determination means, A road infrastructure installation support device equipped with the following features.

2. The aforementioned image analysis means is From the aforementioned road image, at least the road and surrounding objects located around the road are detected. From among the detected surrounding objects, an obstruction that would obstruct the view of a pedestrian on the road is detected. Based on the detection results of the aforementioned obstruction, the visibility of the point indicated in the road image is calculated. The road accessory installation support device according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned image analysis means is The distance between the obstruction and the road, and the height of the obstruction are detected, Based on the detection results of the aforementioned obstruction, the visibility of the point indicated in the road image is calculated. The road accessory installation support device according to claim 2.

4. The aforementioned image analysis means is Candidate locations are extracted from the road image above, specifically points around the road where other pedestrians are expected to enter the road or points where the road curves. The presence or absence of obstructions that obstruct the view of passersby is detected at the extracted candidate locations. Based on the detection results of the presence or absence of the aforementioned obstruction, the visibility quality is calculated. The determination means determines whether or not it is necessary to install road appurtenances at the candidate location based on the calculation result of the visibility quality. A road accessory installation support device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The image analysis means detects the presence or absence of existing road appurtenances at the candidate location, If no existing road infrastructure is detected, the visibility of the candidate location is calculated. The road accessory installation support device according to claim 4.

6. The determination means acquires road-related information relating to at least one of the following: road traffic volume and speed limit. Based on the aforementioned road-related information, it is determined whether or not the installation of road appurtenances is necessary at the aforementioned location. A road accessory installation support device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. If there are multiple calculation results for visibility for a single point, the determination means obtains a representative value of the visibility calculation results based on the multiple calculation results. Based on the representative value of the calculated visibility score obtained, it is determined whether or not the installation of road appurtenances is necessary at the location. A road accessory installation support device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The road information acquisition means acquires location information indicating the location of the point where the road image was taken, along with the road image. The notification means notifies, as location information, the location information of the point where it has been determined that the installation of the road appurtenance is necessary, based on the location information acquired by the road information acquisition means. A road accessory installation support device according to claim 1 or 2.

9. We acquire road information, including road images taken by in-vehicle cameras. By analyzing the aforementioned road image, the visibility of the road at the point indicated by the road image is calculated. Based on the calculation results of visibility, it is determined whether or not road appurtenances are necessary on the road at the aforementioned point. Location information for the aforementioned point will be notified according to the determination result of whether or not the installation of the aforementioned road appurtenance is necessary. Methods for supporting the installation of road infrastructure.

10. We acquire road information, including road images taken by in-vehicle cameras. By analyzing the aforementioned road image, the visibility of the road at the point indicated by the road image is calculated. Based on the calculation results of visibility, it is determined whether or not road appurtenances are necessary on the road at the aforementioned point. The computer is instructed to notify location information regarding the aforementioned location based on the result of the determination of whether or not the installation of the aforementioned road appurtenance is necessary. program.

Images