Emergency vehicle estimation device and emergency vehicle estimation method
The distance and behavior of the emergency vehicle are obtained through sensors such as microphone and camera, and their position and movement direction are estimated, which solves the problem of difficulty in obtaining emergency vehicle information in a communication-free environment, and realizes accurate information acquisition and vehicle control in emergencies.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202110157321.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2020-02-06
- Filing Date
- 2021-02-04
- Publication Date
- 2025-01-03
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-02-04
AI Technical Summary
In the prior art, emergency vehicles cannot estimate their position and movement direction when they cannot use communication, which makes it difficult to obtain emergency information in the case of poor communication environment in the workshop.
Use a microphone to obtain the distance between the vehicle and the first aid vehicle, and obtain the behavior of the vehicle in front through a camera or other sensors, and estimate the position and movement direction of the first aid vehicle within a specific distance.
In a communication-free environment, the position and movement direction of the emergency vehicle can be accurately estimated, which improves the information acquisition ability in emergency situations and enhances the accuracy and safety of vehicle control.
Smart Images
Figure CN113291282B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to an emergency vehicle estimating device and an emergency vehicle estimating method for estimating at least one of a position of an emergency vehicle and a moving direction of the emergency vehicle. Background Art
[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-237792 discloses a driving assistance device that guides the vehicle to retreat according to the behavior of other vehicles in the direction of the approaching emergency vehicle when an inter-vehicle communication device detects that an emergency vehicle is approaching the vehicle. Summary of the invention
[0003] However, the technology of estimating the position and movement direction of an emergency vehicle without using communication has not been fully studied.
[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide an emergency vehicle estimating device and an emergency vehicle estimating method capable of estimating the position and / or movement direction of an emergency vehicle without using communication.
[0005] The emergency vehicle estimation device of the first technical solution of the present invention comprises a distance acquisition unit, a behavior acquisition unit and an estimation unit, wherein the distance acquisition unit acquires the distance between the host vehicle and the emergency vehicle based on the sound outside the host vehicle collected by a microphone; the behavior acquisition unit acquires the behavior of other vehicles located in front of the host vehicle based on the information acquired by the external sensor; when the distance between the host vehicle and the emergency vehicle is less than a specified distance, the estimation unit estimates at least one of the position of the emergency vehicle and the moving direction of the emergency vehicle based on the behavior of the other vehicles.
[0006] The emergency vehicle estimation method of the second technical solution of the present invention comprises a distance acquisition step, a behavior acquisition step and an estimation step, wherein, in the distance acquisition step, the distance between the host vehicle and the emergency vehicle is acquired based on the sound outside the host vehicle collected by the microphone; in the behavior acquisition step, the behavior of other vehicles located in front of the host vehicle is acquired based on the information acquired by the external sensor; in the estimation step, when the distance between the host vehicle and the emergency vehicle is less than a specified distance, at least one of the position of the emergency vehicle and the moving direction of the emergency vehicle is estimated based on the behavior of the other vehicles.
[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an emergency vehicle estimating device and an emergency vehicle estimating method capable of estimating the position and / or movement direction of an emergency vehicle without using communication.
[0008] The above-mentioned objects, features and advantages will be easily understood from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle.
[0010] Figure 2 is a block diagram of the vehicle.
[0011] Figure 3 : is a flowchart showing the flow of emergency vehicle estimation processing performed in the vehicle control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] [First embodiment]
[0013] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of vehicle 10 of the present embodiment. Vehicle 10 is equivalent to the vehicle of the present invention. Vehicle 10 has microphones 12a to 12d for collecting sounds outside vehicle 10. Microphone 12a mainly collects sounds from the left front of vehicle 10. Microphone 12b mainly collects sounds from the right front of vehicle 10. Microphone 12c mainly collects sounds from the left rear of vehicle 10. Microphone 12d mainly collects sounds from the right rear of vehicle 10. Vehicle 10 has camera 14 for photographing other vehicles located in front of vehicle 10. Camera 14 is equivalent to the external sensor of the present invention.
[0014] Figure 2 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment. In addition to the aforementioned microphones 12a to 12d and camera 14, the vehicle 10 also includes a communication module 16, a global positioning satellite system (hereinafter referred to as GNSS) module 18, a map database 20, a drive control device 22, a brake control device 24, a steering control device 26, a display 28, a speaker 30, and a vehicle control device 32.
[0015] The communication module 16 is a module for wireless communication and is used for inter-vehicle communication. The GNSS module 18 acquires information for specifying the position of the vehicle 10. The map database 20 stores map information.
[0016] The drive control device 22 controls the driving force generated by a driving device such as an engine or a driving motor (not shown) of the vehicle 10. The brake control device 24 controls the braking force of a braking device such as a hydraulic brake or a regenerative brake (not shown) of the vehicle 10. The steering control device 26 controls the steering amount of a steering wheel (not shown) of the vehicle 10.
[0017] The display 28 provides information to the occupants of the vehicle 10 by means of video or the like. The speaker 30 provides information to the occupants of the vehicle 10 by means of voice or the like. The display 28 and the speaker 30 correspond to the notification unit of the present invention.
[0018] The vehicle control device 32 includes a processing unit 34 and a memory 36. The vehicle control device 32 corresponds to the emergency vehicle estimation device of the present invention. The processing unit 34 includes a processor such as a CPU (not shown) and a storage medium such as a RAM. The memory 36 is a non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage medium.
[0019] The calculation processing device 34 includes an emergency vehicle distance acquisition unit 38 , a leading vehicle behavior acquisition unit 40 , an emergency vehicle action estimation unit 42 , and a notification control unit 44 .
[0020] The emergency vehicle distance acquisition unit 38 extracts the siren of the emergency vehicle from the sounds outside the vehicle 10 collected by the microphones 12a to 12d. The emergency vehicle distance acquisition unit 38 acquires the distance between the vehicle 10 and the emergency vehicle based on the volume of the extracted siren. Here, the so-called emergency vehicle refers to vehicles such as police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances, and refers to vehicles that sound the siren and turn on the red light. The emergency vehicle is not limited to public vehicles such as police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances, and can also be a vehicle owned by an electric power company, a gas company, etc.
[0021] The front vehicle behavior acquisition unit 40 acquires the behavior of other vehicles based on the images of other vehicles captured by the camera 14. The so-called other vehicles refer to, for example, the front vehicle traveling in the lane where the vehicle 10 is traveling, the oncoming vehicle traveling in the opposite lane relative to the lane, etc. In addition, the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment has a camera 14 as an external sensor, and the front vehicle behavior acquisition unit 40 acquires the behavior of other vehicles based on the images of other vehicles captured by the camera 14. Instead of the camera 14, the vehicle 10 may have a radar, LiDAR, ultrasonic sensor, infrared sensor, etc. as an external sensor, or in addition to the camera 14, the vehicle 10 may also have a radar, LiDAR, ultrasonic sensor, infrared sensor, etc. as an external sensor. In addition, the front vehicle behavior acquisition unit 40 may also acquire the behavior of other vehicles based on the information detected by the radar, LiDAR, ultrasonic sensor, infrared sensor, etc.
[0022] When the distance between the vehicle 10 and the emergency vehicle is less than the first predetermined distance, the emergency vehicle behavior estimation unit 42 estimates the position of the emergency vehicle or the moving direction of the emergency vehicle based on the behavior of other vehicles.
[0023] The notification control unit 44 controls the display 28 and the speaker 30 to notify the occupants of the vehicle 10 of the estimated position of the emergency vehicle or the moving direction of the emergency vehicle.
[0024] The emergency vehicle distance acquisition unit 38 , the leading vehicle behavior acquisition unit 40 , the emergency vehicle action estimation unit 42 , and the notification control unit 44 are implemented by executing a program stored in the memory 36 in the processor.
[0025] [Emergency vehicle presumption processing]
[0026] Figure 3 1 is a flowchart showing the flow of emergency vehicle estimation processing performed in the vehicle control device 32. When a start switch (not shown) of the vehicle 10 is in the on state, the emergency vehicle estimation processing is performed at a predetermined cycle. In addition, the start switch is a switch for starting the vehicle 10. In the case where the vehicle 10 is an engine vehicle, the start switch is equivalent to an ignition switch. In the case where the vehicle 10 is a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle, the start switch is equivalent to a power switch. The vehicle 10 of the present embodiment is an engine vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, etc., and is not particularly limited.
[0027] In step S1, the emergency vehicle distance acquisition unit 38 determines whether the sound outside the vehicle 10 collected by the microphones 12a to 12d includes the siren of an emergency vehicle. If the siren of an emergency vehicle is included, the process proceeds to step S2, and if the siren of an emergency vehicle is not included, the emergency vehicle estimation process ends.
[0028] In step S2 , the emergency vehicle distance acquisition unit 38 acquires the distance between the vehicle 10 and the emergency vehicle based on the volume of the alarm sound collected by the microphones 12 a to 12 d , and then the process proceeds to step S3 .
[0029] In step S3, the emergency vehicle distance acquisition unit 38 determines whether the distance between the vehicle 10 and the emergency vehicle is less than a predetermined distance. If the distance between the vehicle 10 and the emergency vehicle is less than the predetermined distance, the process proceeds to step S4. If the distance between the vehicle 10 and the emergency vehicle is greater than the predetermined distance, the emergency vehicle estimation process is terminated. The case where the distance between the vehicle 10 and the emergency vehicle is greater than the predetermined distance also includes the case where the alarm sound of the emergency vehicle is not collected by the microphones 12a to 12d.
[0030] In step S4 , the leading vehicle behavior acquisition unit 40 acquires the behavior of the leading vehicle, and then the process proceeds to step S5 .
[0031] In step S5, the front vehicle behavior acquisition unit 40 determines the behavior of the front vehicle. If the front vehicle is stopped, the process proceeds to step S6. If the oncoming vehicle is moving in the width direction of the oncoming lane, the process proceeds to step S9. If the front vehicle is not stopped, the oncoming vehicle is not moving in the width direction, or the front vehicle cannot be detected, the process proceeds to step S11.
[0032] In step S6, the emergency vehicle behavior estimation unit 42 determines whether the traffic light at the intersection in front of the vehicle 10 is green. If the traffic light at the intersection is green, the process proceeds to step S7, and if the traffic light at the intersection is not green, the process proceeds to step S11. Instead of determining whether the traffic light at the intersection is green, it may be determined whether the traffic light at the intersection is green, indicating that the vehicle can go forward.
[0033] In step S7, the emergency vehicle behavior estimation unit 42 determines that the emergency vehicle is about to enter the intersection in front of the vehicle 10, and then proceeds to step S8. The emergency vehicle is about to enter the intersection in front of the vehicle 10, which means that the emergency vehicle is located in the intersection in front of the vehicle 10 or near the intersection in front of the vehicle 10. The emergency vehicle is about to enter the intersection in front of the vehicle 10, which means that the emergency vehicle is moving in a direction approaching the intersection in front of the vehicle 10 on any road intersecting with the intersection in front of the vehicle 10.
[0034] In step S8 , the notification control unit 44 controls the display 28 and the speaker 30 to notify the occupant of the vehicle 10 that the emergency vehicle is about to enter the intersection in front of the vehicle 10 , and then ends the emergency vehicle estimation process.
[0035] In step S9 , the emergency vehicle behavior estimation unit 42 determines that the emergency vehicle is moving from the front direction of the vehicle 10 toward the direction in which the vehicle 10 is approaching, and the process proceeds to step S10 .
[0036] In step S10 , the notification control unit 44 controls the display 28 and the speaker 30 to notify the occupants of the vehicle 10 that the emergency vehicle is moving from the front direction of the vehicle 10 toward the vehicle 10 , and then ends the emergency vehicle estimation process.
[0037] In step S11 , the notification control unit 44 controls the display 28 and the speaker 30 to notify the occupants of the vehicle 10 that the emergency vehicle is approaching the vehicle 10 , and then ends the emergency vehicle estimation process.
[0038] [Effects]
[0039] In the prior art, a technology is proposed in which the vehicle 10 obtains the information of the position and moving direction of the emergency vehicle sent by the emergency vehicle through inter-vehicle communication, etc. However, in an environment where inter-vehicle communication, etc. cannot be performed, the vehicle 10 cannot obtain the information of the position and moving direction of the emergency vehicle.
[0040] Therefore, the vehicle control device 32 of the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment has an emergency vehicle distance acquisition unit 38, which acquires the distance between the vehicle 10 and the emergency vehicle based on the sound outside the vehicle 10 collected by the microphones 12a to 12d. In addition, the vehicle control device 32 has a front vehicle behavior acquisition unit 40, which acquires the behavior of the front vehicle based on the image acquired by the camera 14. In addition, in the emergency vehicle behavior estimation unit 42, when the distance between the vehicle 10 and the emergency vehicle is less than a predetermined distance, at least one of the position of the emergency vehicle and the moving direction of the emergency vehicle is estimated based on the behavior of the front vehicle. Accordingly, in an environment where inter-vehicle communication is not possible, the vehicle control device 32 can estimate at least one of the position of the emergency vehicle and the moving direction of the emergency vehicle.
[0041] When the preceding vehicle is stopped, the emergency vehicle behavior estimation unit 42 of this embodiment estimates that the emergency vehicle is about to enter the intersection ahead of the vehicle 10. Thus, the vehicle control device 32 can estimate the position of the emergency vehicle and the moving direction of the emergency vehicle in more detail.
[0042] In addition, the emergency vehicle behavior estimation unit 42 of the present embodiment estimates that the emergency vehicle is about to enter the intersection in front of the vehicle when the signal at the intersection is on indicating that the vehicle can go forward and the vehicle ahead is in a stopped state. Accordingly, the vehicle control device 32 can estimate the position of the emergency vehicle and the moving direction of the emergency vehicle with higher accuracy.
[0043] In addition, when the oncoming vehicle moves in the width direction of the oncoming lane, the emergency vehicle behavior estimation unit 42 of the present embodiment estimates that the emergency vehicle is located in front of the host vehicle and that the emergency vehicle is moving in the direction from the front of the vehicle 10 toward the vehicle 10. Accordingly, the vehicle control device 32 can estimate the position of the emergency vehicle and the moving direction of the emergency vehicle in more detail.
[0044] In addition, the vehicle control device 32 of the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment includes a notification control unit 44 that controls the display 28 and the speaker 30 for notifying the occupants of the vehicle 10. The notification control unit 44 controls the display 28 and the speaker 30 to notify at least one of the position of the emergency vehicle and the moving direction of the emergency vehicle estimated by the emergency vehicle behavior estimation unit 42. Thus, the occupants of the vehicle 10 can recognize at least one of the position of the emergency vehicle and the moving direction of the emergency vehicle.
[0045] [Technical ideas that can be obtained according to the implementation method]
[0046] The following describes the technical ideas that can be grasped from the above-mentioned embodiments.
[0047] The emergency vehicle estimation device (32) comprises a distance acquisition unit (38), a behavior acquisition unit (40) and an estimation unit (42), wherein the distance acquisition unit (38) acquires the distance between the host vehicle (10) and the emergency vehicle based on the sound outside the host vehicle (10) collected by the microphones (12a-12d); the behavior acquisition unit (40) acquires the behavior of other vehicles located in front of the host vehicle based on the information acquired by the external sensor (14); and when the distance between the host vehicle and the emergency vehicle is less than a specified distance, the estimation unit (42) estimates at least one of the position of the emergency vehicle and the moving direction of the emergency vehicle based on the behavior of the other vehicles.
[0048] In the above-mentioned emergency vehicle estimation device, it can also be that: when the other vehicle located in front of the host vehicle is a front vehicle traveling in a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling, and the front vehicle is in a stopped state, the estimation unit estimates that the emergency vehicle is about to enter the intersection in front of the host vehicle.
[0049] In the emergency vehicle estimation device, the estimation unit may estimate that the emergency vehicle is about to enter the intersection ahead of the vehicle when a signal at the intersection ahead of the vehicle indicates that the vehicle can proceed and the ahead vehicle is stopped.
[0050] In the above-mentioned emergency vehicle estimation device, it may also be that: when the other vehicle located in front of the host vehicle is an oncoming vehicle traveling in an opposite lane to the host vehicle, and the oncoming vehicle is moving in the width direction of the opposite lane, the estimation unit estimates that the position of the emergency vehicle is located in front of the host vehicle and the moving direction of the emergency vehicle is from the front of the host vehicle toward the host vehicle.
[0051] The above-mentioned emergency vehicle estimation device may also include a notification control unit (44) that controls a notification unit (28, 39) that notifies an occupant of the vehicle, wherein the notification control unit controls the notification unit to notify at least one of the position of the emergency vehicle estimated by the estimation unit and the moving direction of the emergency vehicle.
[0052] The emergency vehicle estimation method comprises a distance acquisition step, a behavior acquisition step and an estimation step, wherein in the distance acquisition step, the distance between the host vehicle and the emergency vehicle is acquired based on the sound outside the host vehicle collected by a microphone; in the behavior acquisition step, the behavior of other vehicles located in front of the host vehicle is acquired based on the information acquired by an external sensor; in the estimation step, when the distance between the host vehicle and the emergency vehicle is less than a specified distance, at least one of the position of the emergency vehicle and the moving direction of the emergency vehicle is estimated based on the behavior of the other vehicles.
Claims
1. An emergency vehicle estimation device (32), characterized in that: It has a distance acquisition unit (38), a behavior acquisition unit (40) and an estimation unit (42), wherein: The distance acquisition unit (38) acquires the distance between the host vehicle and the emergency vehicle based on the sound outside the host vehicle (10) collected by the microphones (12a-12d); The behavior acquisition unit (40) acquires the behavior of other vehicles based on information detected by the on-vehicle external sensor (14), wherein the other vehicles are at least one of a leading vehicle traveling in a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling and an oncoming vehicle traveling in an oncoming lane relative to the host lane; When the distance between the host vehicle and the emergency vehicle acquired by the distance acquisition unit is less than a predetermined distance, the estimation unit (42) estimates at least one of the position of the emergency vehicle and the moving direction of the emergency vehicle based on the behavior of the other vehicle acquired by the behavior acquisition unit.
2. The emergency vehicle estimation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the other vehicle ahead of the host vehicle is a preceding vehicle traveling in a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling and the preceding vehicle is stopped, the estimating unit estimates that the emergency vehicle is about to enter an intersection ahead of the host vehicle.
3. The emergency vehicle estimation device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The estimating unit estimates that the emergency vehicle is about to enter the intersection ahead of the host vehicle when a signal indicating that the vehicle can proceed is on and the preceding vehicle is in a stopped state.
4. The emergency vehicle estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: When the other vehicle located in front of the host vehicle is an oncoming vehicle traveling in an opposite lane to the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is moving in the width direction of the opposite lane, the estimating unit estimates that the emergency vehicle is located in front of the host vehicle and that the emergency vehicle is moving in a direction from the front of the host vehicle toward the host vehicle.
5. The emergency vehicle estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: A notification control unit (44) is provided, the notification control unit (44) is used to control the notification unit (28, 39) for notifying the occupants of the vehicle. The notification control unit controls the notification unit to notify at least one of the position of the emergency vehicle estimated by the estimation unit and the moving direction of the emergency vehicle.
6. A method for estimating an emergency vehicle, characterized in that: It has a distance acquisition step, a behavior acquisition step and an inference step, wherein: In the distance acquisition step, the distance between the host vehicle and the emergency vehicle is acquired based on the sound outside the host vehicle collected by the microphone; In the behavior acquisition step, the behavior of other vehicles is acquired based on information detected by an onboard external sensor, wherein the other vehicle is at least one of a leading vehicle traveling in a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling and an oncoming vehicle traveling in an oncoming lane relative to the host lane; In the estimation step, when the distance between the host vehicle and the emergency vehicle acquired in the distance acquisition step is less than a specified distance, at least one of the position of the emergency vehicle and the moving direction of the emergency vehicle is estimated based on the behavior of the other vehicle acquired in the behavior acquisition step.