Detector posture / position detection system and detector posture / position detection method

Abstract

The present invention provides a posture / position detection system (100) of a detector (30) mounted on a vehicle (50). The posture / position detection system (100) comprises: a target (TG) for posture / position detection of the detector (30); a change mechanism (12) for relatively changing the position of the vehicle (50) relative to the target (TG); and a posture / position detection device (10) for controlling the change mechanism (12) to maintain the position of the vehicle (50) relative to the target (TG) during a predetermined period, and detecting the posture / position of the detector (30) using the detection result of the detector (30) with respect to the target (TG).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology for detecting the posture and position of a detector mounted on a vehicle for use. Background Art

[0002] In order to obtain appropriate detection results from a detector mounted on a vehicle, a technique for calibrating the vehicle-mounted detector has been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-26551).

[0003] However, in order to realize driving assistance and automatic driving, the types and number of detectors installed in vehicles have increased. There are problems such as posture detection and position detection and calibration of multiple detectors require time, and there are also problems such as appropriate posture / position detection and calibration corresponding to the types of detectors are cumbersome.

[0004] Therefore, it is required to efficiently detect at least one of the postures and positions of a plurality of detectors mounted on a vehicle. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present disclosure can be implemented as the following aspects.

[0006] A first embodiment provides a posture / position detection system of a detector mounted on a vehicle. The posture / position detection system of the first embodiment comprises: a target for posture / position detection of the detector; a change mechanism for relatively changing the position of the vehicle relative to the target; and a posture / position detection device for controlling the change mechanism to maintain the position of the vehicle relative to the target for a predetermined period, and detecting the posture / position of the detector using the detection result of the detector for the target.

[0007] According to the posture / position detection system of the first aspect, the postures / positions of a plurality of detectors mounted on a vehicle can be efficiently detected.

[0008] A second method provides a method for detecting the posture / position of a detector mounted on a vehicle. In the second method for detecting the posture / position of a detector, the position of a target used for posture / position detection of the detector relative to the vehicle is relatively changed, the position of the target relative to the vehicle is maintained for a predetermined period, and the posture / position of the detector is detected using the detection result of the detector.

[0009] According to the second aspect of the method for detecting the posture and position of a detector, it is possible to efficiently detect the postures and positions of a plurality of detectors mounted on a vehicle.

[0010] A third aspect provides a posture / position detection system for a detector mounted on a vehicle. The posture / position detection system for a detector of the third aspect comprises: a target for posture / position detection of the detector; a position determination device for detecting the position of the target relative to the vehicle; and a posture / position detection device for detecting the posture / position of the detector using position information obtained from the position determination device.

[0011] According to the posture / position detection system of the third aspect, the postures / positions of a plurality of detectors mounted on a vehicle can be efficiently detected.

[0012] A fourth method provides a method for detecting the posture / position of a detector mounted on a vehicle. In the method for detecting the posture / position of a detector of the fourth method, the position of the vehicle relative to at least one of a plurality of targets used for posture / position detection of the detector is detected, and the posture / position of the detector is detected using the detected position information.

[0013] According to the detector posture / position detection method of the fourth aspect, the posture / position of multiple detectors mounted on a vehicle can be efficiently detected. In addition, the present disclosure can also be implemented as a detector posture / position detection program or a computer-readable recording medium recording the program. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The above-mentioned object and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent through the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are:

[0015] Figure 1 It is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a posture / position detection system of a detector according to the first embodiment.

[0016] Figure 2 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a vehicle equipped with a detector.

[0017] Figure 3 This is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the detection results of an object by multiple detectors.

[0018] Figure 4 It is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the posture / position detection device in the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a flowchart showing the flow of the posture / position detection process executed by the posture / position detection device according to the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a flowchart showing the flow of control processing of the changing mechanism executed by the posture / position detection device according to the first embodiment.

[0021] Figure 7 This is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an example of a posture / position detection room.

[0022] Figure 8 It is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a posture / position detection system of a detector according to another example of the first embodiment.

[0023] Fig. 9 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a composite target.

[0024] Fig.10 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a composite target.

[0025] Fig.11 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a composite target.

[0026] Fig.12 This is a flowchart showing the flow of a posture / position detection process executed by the posture / position detection device according to the second embodiment.

[0027] Fig.13 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a system for detecting the posture and position of a vehicle.

[0028] Fig.14 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a system for detecting the posture and position of a vehicle.

[0029] Fig.15 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a system for detecting the posture and position of a vehicle.

[0030] Fig.16 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a system for detecting the posture and position of a vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Hereinafter, a posture / position detection system and a posture / position detection method of a vehicle-mounted detector of the present disclosure will be described based on several embodiments.

[0032] First embodiment:

[0033] like Figure 1As shown, the posture / position detection system 100 of the detector of the first embodiment comprises at least a plurality of target TGs, a posture / position detection device 10 and a changing mechanism 12. The plurality of target TGs are physical targets used to detect at least one of the posture and position of each detector 30 mounted on the vehicle 50, and are arranged around the changing mechanism 12. In addition, in this specification, the description of posture / position refers to at least one of the posture and position. For example, a plurality of target TGs are prepared according to the type of detection method of the detector 30, such as a camera, Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging / Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), or millimeter wave radar. The changing mechanism 12 is a rotation mechanism, i.e., a vehicle rotation device, for relatively changing the position of the vehicle 50 relative to the target TG. Figure 1 In the example, a turntable having a rotatable loading portion for loading the vehicle 50 is used as the change mechanism 12. The posture / position detection device 10 controls the change mechanism actuator 11, such as a motor, which rotates the turntable 12, and repeatedly performs the action of rotating the vehicle 50 on the turntable 12 by a predetermined unit angle and then stopping it for a predetermined time. The rotation angle, that is, the rotation position of the turntable 12 can also be detected by a position sensor 13 that detects the rotation angle, and input it into the posture / position detection device 10. The posture / position detection device 10 can be a loading type arranged on the turntable 12 or around the turntable 12, or it can be a portable mobile type. The communication between the posture / position detection device 10 and the change mechanism actuator 11 can be achieved by wired communication via a cable, or it can be achieved by various wireless communications such as wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

[0034] like Figure 2As shown, a vehicle 50 includes a plurality of detectors 30 mounted on a roof 51 via a fixing mechanism 52 and a data processing device 40 connected to the detectors 30. In addition, the detector 30 may be arranged on, for example, a front grille, a front window, a front bumper, a rear window, a rear bumper, a front fender, or a rear fender of the vehicle 50, or may be provided with only one. The data processing device 40 may also be connected to a vehicle control device 55 inside the vehicle 50 via a cable CV. The data processing device 40 generates integrated data by integrating the detection data input from the plurality of detectors 30 and transmits the integrated data to the vehicle control device 55 inside the vehicle 50. The vehicle control device 55 is a control device for executing driving assistance or automatic driving, and controls the output of an internal combustion engine or a motor according to the driver's accelerator pedal operation or independently of the driver's accelerator pedal operation via various actuators not shown, realizes braking by a braking device independently of the driver's brake pedal operation, or realizes steering by a steering device independently of the driver's operation of the steering wheel. The data processing device 40 may include, as part of its functions, a posture / position detection function that is the same as that implemented by the posture / position detection device 10 , or the vehicle 50 may include the posture / position detection device 10 .

[0035] Reference Figure 3 , the detection results of each detector 30 on the object and the deviation of the detection results are described. In the present embodiment, each detector 30 is mounted on the vehicle 50 in such a way that the detection range overlaps the detection range of the adjacent or close detector 30. Figure 3, the detection positions 31f, 31g, 32f, 32g of the object by the first detector and the second detector are schematically shown overlapping with the front field of view FV of the vehicle 50. When the first detector and the second detector are both mounted on the vehicle 50 in a predetermined posture / position, that is, in a predetermined direction and position in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction, the existence position of the object OB overlaps with the detection positions 31g and 32g of the first and second detectors. On the other hand, when the first detector and the second detector are not mounted on the vehicle 50 in a predetermined posture / position, the existence position of the object OB does not overlap with the detection positions 31f and 32f of the first and second detectors. In addition, when the posture / position of either the first detector or the second detector is different from the predetermined posture / position, the detection position 32f of the second detector is obtained relative to the detection position 31g of the first detector, and a deviation occurs between the detection positions of the first and second detectors. Such a deviation in the detection position leads to an erroneous recognition of the position of the object OB relative to the vehicle 50, resulting in a reduction in the execution accuracy of driving assistance and automatic driving with the object OB as the target. Therefore, for example, when the vehicle 50 is offline, when the vehicle 50 is repaired with the disassembly of the detector 30, or when the vehicle 50 is inspected before operation, it is required to detect the posture / position and position of the detector 30 relative to the vehicle 50, and use the detected posture / position to adjust the physical posture / position of the detector 30, or use the difference between the detected posture / position and the predetermined posture / position as a correction value to correct the calibration or correction of the detection data output from the detector. On the other hand, if Figure 2 As shown, a vehicle 50 is equipped with many detectors 30, and it takes time to detect the posture / position of the detectors 30. Therefore, in this embodiment, by reducing the time required for the posture / position detection of the detectors 30, appropriate posture / position detection is performed on the detectors 30 with different detection methods, so that the posture / position detection accuracy is improved.

[0036] like Figure 4As shown, the posture / position detection device 10 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 101 as a computing unit, a memory 102 as a storage unit, an input / output interface 103 as an input / output unit, and a clock generator (not shown). The CPU 101, the memory 102, the input / output interface 103, and the clock generator are connected via an internal bus 104 in a manner capable of bidirectional communication. The memory 102 includes a memory such as a ROM that stores a posture / position detection processing program Pr1 for executing posture / position detection processing in a non-volatile and read-only manner, and a memory such as a RAM that can be read and written by the CPU 101. The posture / position detection processing program Pr1 includes, in addition to the posture / position detection processing of the detector 30 using the detection data from the detector 30, a program for executing a change mechanism control processing for controlling the movement of the change mechanism. The non-volatile and read-only area of ​​the memory 102 includes a target position information storage area 102a for storing target position information indicating the position of each target TG relative to the vehicle when the vehicle 50 is configured at the reference position, and a detection posture / position information storage area 102b for storing the posture / position information of each detector 30 detected. However, the non-volatile and read-only area can also be rewritten when the program is updated or the detection posture / position is recorded. The target position information can be the three-dimensional coordinate information of each target with the center of gravity position of the vehicle 50 as the reference point, or the three-dimensional coordinate information of each target predetermined using each detector 30 or the reference detector 30s mounted on the vehicle 50. In the case where the target position information is information with the center of gravity position of the vehicle 50 as the reference point, since each detector 30 is configured to be away from the center of gravity position, it is preferred to use the difference between the mounting position of each detector 30 and the center of gravity position to correct the coordinate position of each target in order to improve the accuracy of posture detection. In addition, the target position information can be prepared according to the general vehicle type, such as a sedan or an SUV, or it can be prepared for each type of vehicle 50. The CPU 101, i.e., the posture / position detection device 10, functions as a posture / position detection device and a change mechanism control device by expanding the posture / position detection processing program Pr1 stored in the memory 102 in a readable and writable memory and executing it. In addition, the CPU 101 may be a single CPU or a plurality of CPUs that execute respective programs, or a multi-tasking type or a multi-threading type CPU that can execute a plurality of programs simultaneously.

[0037] The input / output interface 103 has an interface function for sending a control signal to the change mechanism actuator 11 and receiving position information of the change mechanism from the position sensor 13, and also has a vehicle interface function for performing transmission and reception with the vehicle 50. In addition, the interface function includes both hardware interface functions such as the terminal shape of the connector and software interface functions such as communication protocol conversion. The detection data detected by the detector 30 is input to the input / output interface 103 via the external interface of the vehicle 50.

[0038] Reference Figure 5 as well as Figure 6 The following describes the posture / position detection processing of the detector performed by the posture / position detection system 100 of the detector of this embodiment. The posture / position detection device 10, i.e., the CPU 101, executes the posture / position detection program Pr1. Figure 5 as well as Figure 6 Each of the processing flows shown in the figure may be automatically started, for example, when an external sensor detects that the vehicle has stopped at a predetermined reference position of the posture / position detection room 200 having the posture / position detection system 100. Figure 5 The process flow shown can also be started manually Figure 5 In this embodiment, a process flow is shown. Figure 7The posture / position detection room 200 is constructed by the layout shown. The posture / position detection room 200 has a plurality of target areas, for example, three target areas AR1 to AR3. In the posture / position detection process in the present embodiment, while the vehicle 50 rotates 360° in the direction of the arrow R1, the detector 30 mounted on the vehicle 50 is opposed to, that is, directly facing, the targets TG arranged in each area AR1 to AR3 in the order of the first area AR1, the second area AR2, and the third area AR3. In order to detect the posture / position of the reference detector 30s relative to the vehicle 50, a first area AR1 is prepared, and a plurality of first targets for detecting the posture / position of the reference detector 30s relative to the vehicle 50 are arranged in the first area. In order to detect the posture / position of other detectors 30o using the detection result of the reference detector 30s, a second area AR2 is prepared, and a plurality of second targets for detecting the posture / position of other detectors 30o using the detection result of the reference detector 30s are arranged in the second area. A third area AR3 is prepared in order to evaluate the posture / position of the detected multiple detectors, and multiple third targets for evaluating the posture / position of the detected multiple detectors are arranged in the third area. In this method, it is sufficient to store the target position information of each target arranged in the first area AR1 in the memory 102. In addition, the first target includes a target TGC for a camera and a target TGL for a lidar, and the second and third targets include a target TGC for a camera, a target TGL for a lidar, a target TGM for a millimeter-wave radar, and a target TGH for a camera and a lidar. Each target TGC, TGM, TGL, and TGH may have different shapes and characteristics in each area AR1 to AR3, or may have the same shape and characteristics. It is preferred that the target TGC for a camera has a black and white pattern in order to detect an edge that becomes a feature point, it is preferred that the target TGL for a lidar has a reflector, and it is preferred that the target TGM for a millimeter-wave radar is formed into a triangular pyramid shape, for example, by a hard material such as metal.

[0039] The posture / position detection device 10, namely, the CPU 101, starts the changing mechanism 12 (step S100). Figure 5 The processing procedure shown in the figure starts with Figure 6The processing procedure shown starts the rotation control of the turntable 12. The CPU 101 controls the change mechanism actuator 11 to rotate the turntable 12 by a predetermined angle (step S200). The predetermined angle is determined according to the posture / position detection accuracy required by each detector 30. The smaller the predetermined angle, the higher the posture / position detection accuracy. On the other hand, the posture / position detection processing requires more time. In order to improve the efficiency of the posture / position detection processing, the predetermined angle is, for example, 5 to 20°, preferably 10°. The CPU 101 waits until the timed time tc (s) after the turntable 12 is rotated by the predetermined angle passes the maintenance time tm (s) (step S202: No). As a result, the turntable 12 stops at the predetermined angle. The maintenance time tm is preferably determined according to the detection method of the detector 30 that is the object of posture / position detection, for example, it is set to 4 (s) in the case of a camera, 10 (s) in the case of a lidar, and 5 (s) in the case of a millimeter wave radar. When Lidar is configured in front, rear, left, and right of the vehicle 50, respectively, the maintenance time tm can be set to 10 (s) as a result of using a maintenance time tm suitable for Lidar. In addition, the minimum maintenance time tm is 1 (s). The longer the maintenance time tm is, the more the detection data can be averaged, and the higher the accuracy of posture / position detection. If the maintenance time tm has passed, that is, if it is determined that tc>tm (step S202: yes), it is determined whether the posture / position detection process is completed (step S204). For example, the end of the posture / position detection process can be determined by detecting that the rotation angle of the turntable 12 reaches 360°, or it can be accepted at Figure 5 The CPU 101 determines the end of the posture / position detection process based on the result of the posture / position detection process that has been performed with the desired accuracy or evaluation in the processing flow. If the CPU 101 determines that the posture / position detection process has not been completed (step S204: No), it moves to step S200 and repeatedly executes steps S202 and S204. If the CPU 101 determines that the posture / position detection process is completed (step S204: Yes), the present processing procedure ends. In addition, the CPU 101 may also, before starting the change mechanism 12, Figure 5 In the processing flow shown, the position of the target TG relative to the vehicle 50, that is, the posture / position of the vehicle 50 is determined. In the present embodiment, the posture / position of the detector 30 is determined on the premise that the vehicle 50 stops at the reference position, that is, the vehicle 50 faces the target TG which is the reference for determining the vehicle posture / position. However, the position of the target TG relative to the vehicle 50 may be determined dynamically as described in the second embodiment.

[0040] When the CPU 101 starts executing the rotation control of the turntable 12, it starts acquiring the detection data output from the detector 30 (step S102). Specifically, the CPU 101 sequentially acquires the detection data output from the detector 30 while maintaining the predetermined angle of the turntable 12, that is, at the timing when the turntable 12 stops. The vehicle 50 is provided with a plurality of detectors 30, and the CPU 101 acquires the detection data from each detector 30. For example, the CPU 101 establishes a correspondence between the acquired detection data and the rotation angle of the turntable 12 and temporarily stores them in the memory 102.

[0041] The CPU 101 detects the posture / position of the reference detector 30s relative to the vehicle 50 using the detection data obtained from the reference detector 30s that serves as the reference among the detectors 30 (step S104). The reference detector 30s is, for example, a lidar or a camera disposed in each direction of the front, rear, left, and right of the vehicle 50, and is preferably a lidar or a camera disposed in the center of the width direction or the front-rear direction of the vehicle 50. When detecting the posture / position of the reference detector 30s, the distortion position of the camera lens may also be calculated. The posture / position of the reference detector 30s relative to the vehicle 50 is determined using the detection data obtained by the rotation angle of the reference detector 30s with the first area AR1 as the detection range. The CPU 101 extracts one or more feature points of each target TG from the detection data, obtains the detection coordinate position of each target TG determined based on the feature points, and compares it with the stored coordinate position of each target TG stored in the memory 102. The coordinate position is represented by three-dimensional coordinates of (x, y, z), and the offset of the detected coordinate position relative to the stored coordinate position can be used to detect the posture / position of the current reference detector 30s relative to the posture / position of the predetermined reference detector 30s as the offset of the coordinate position. The feature point extraction is achieved by extracting the corner points of the target from the detection point cloud obtained by the detector as Lidar, and by extracting the pixels of the corner part of the target from the image obtained by the detector as a camera. For example, Harris's corner detection method is known. In addition, for the detection coordinate position of each target TG determined by the feature point, when there are multiple feature points, each feature point can be compared with the stored coordinate position, or the detected coordinate position and the stored coordinate position can be compared with the average coordinate position of multiple feature points. Alternatively, a correspondence relationship can be established using multiple feature points, and the posture R and position T can be calculated using four or more corresponding points and the formula X'=RX+T. In addition, the posture R is a 3×3 matrix, and the position T is a 3×1 matrix. For example, the corresponding relationship is established using the known nearest neighbor method or Global Nearest Neighbor: Global Nearest Neighbor method. The detection of the posture / position of the reference detector 30s relative to the vehicle 50 is equivalent to a process of making the local coordinates of the reference detector 30s consistent with the external world coordinates using the external target TG where the vehicle 50 exists. The detected posture / position information of the reference detector 30s is stored in the posture / position information storage area 102b.

[0042] When the CPU 101 detects the posture / position of the reference detector 30s relative to the vehicle 50, the posture / position of the other detectors 30o is detected using the reference detector 30s (step S106). The posture / position information of the other detectors 30o detected is stored in the detection posture / position information storage area 102b. In the present embodiment, as described above, each detector 30 is mounted on the vehicle 50 in such a manner that at least a portion of the detection range overlaps. More specifically, the detection range of the reference detector 30s is arranged on the vehicle 50 in such a manner that at least a portion of the detection range of the other detectors 30o overlaps. Therefore, the posture / position of the other detectors 30o can be detected using the posture / position of the reference detector 30s detected. That is, the posture / position of the other detectors 30o relative to the posture / position of the reference detector 30s can be detected as the offset of the coordinate position, that is, the difference in direction and position, using the deviation of the position information of the target obtained by the other detectors 30o relative to the position information of the target TG obtained by the reference detector 30s. The posture / position of the other detectors 30o using the reference detector 30s is determined by the detection data obtained by the reference detector 30s and the other detectors 30o using the rotation angle of the second area AR2 as the detection range. The posture / position of the other detectors 30o using the reference detector 30s is detected by the method of using the feature points described above. That is, any of the methods described above may be performed using the feature points corresponding to the reference detector 30s and the feature points corresponding to the other detectors 30o.

[0043] When the CPU 101 detects the posture / position of the other detectors 30o using the reference detector 30s, the posture / position detection result is evaluated (step S108). The evaluation of the posture / position detection result is determined by the detection data obtained by the reference detector 30s and the other detectors 30o using the rotation angle of the reference detector 30s and the other detectors 30o with the third area AR3 as the detection range. The evaluation of the posture / position detection result is performed in the same manner as the posture / position detection of the other detectors 30o using the reference detector 30s. For each detector 30, the evaluation is performed based on whether the posture / position detection result obtained in step S106 and stored in the detection posture / position information storage area 102b is consistent with the posture / position detection result obtained in step S108, or whether it is within a predetermined range. More specifically, it is determined whether the offset between the coordinate position of the target detected by the reference detector 30s and the coordinate position of the target detected by the other detectors 30o with the second area AR2 and the third area AR3 as the object is consistent or within a predetermined range. When the CPU 101 determines that the posture / position detection result obtained in step S106 is consistent with the posture / position detection result obtained in step S108, or is within a predetermined range, the CPU 101 determines that the evaluation result is appropriate (step S110: Yes), and ends the processing routine. Figure 6 The step S204 shown is determined to be the end of the posture / position detection. On the other hand, when the CPU 101 determines that the posture / position detection result obtained in step S106 is inconsistent with the posture / position detection result obtained in step S108, or is not within a predetermined range, it determines that the evaluation result is inappropriate (step S110: No), and moves to step S102, and executes steps S102 to S108 again.

[0044] According to the detector posture / position detection system 100 of the first embodiment described above, the position of the vehicle 50 relative to the target TG is relatively changed by the change mechanism 12, and the position of the vehicle 50 relative to the target TG is maintained for a predetermined period, and the posture / position of the detector 30 is detected using the detection result of the detector 30 with respect to the target TG, so that the posture / position of the plurality of detectors 30 mounted on the vehicle 50 can be efficiently detected. More specifically, in the detector posture / position detection system 100 of the present embodiment, the posture / position of the reference detector 30s relative to the vehicle 50 can be detected while the vehicle 50 is rotated 360° by the change mechanism 12, and the posture / position of the other detectors 30o can be detected using the posture / position of the reference detector 30s, and the posture / position detection results of the other detectors 30o can be evaluated. Therefore, the posture / position of the detectors 30 arranged in front, rear, left, and right of the vehicle 50 can be easily detected in a limited space, and only by rotating the vehicle 50 relative to the target TG.

[0045] In the detector posture / position detection system 100 of the first embodiment, a turntable for rotating the vehicle 50 is used as the change mechanism 12. Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 , a target rotating device that rotates the target TG around the vehicle 50 may be used as the changing mechanism 121. The target rotating device 121 is driven to rotate by the changing mechanism actuator 11, and the rotation angle can be detected by the position sensor 131. Figure 8In the posture / position detection system 110 of the detector shown, the change mechanism 121 is an annular frame or a tubular frame suspended from the ceiling, and the target TG can be suspended on the annular frame, or the target TG can be installed on the annular frame. In addition, the frame can also be an elliptical shape instead of a perfect circle, and the distance between the vehicle 50 and each target TG can be the same or different. The change mechanism 121 can also have a form in which the target TG is suspended on a moving body such as a wire or chain contained in a track portion suspended from the ceiling. In this case, by making the shape of the guide rail portion an indefinite shape, the distance between the vehicle 50 and the target TG can be set to an arbitrary distance. By using a plurality of target TGs at different distances from the vehicle 50, the detection data of the detector 30 can be discretized, and the reliability of the posture / position detection accuracy of the detector 30 can be improved. In addition, the change mechanism 121 can also have a form in which the target TG is mounted on a wheel platform that moves on a track portion set on the ground. In the posture / position detection system 110, the fixed posture / position detection device 10 can also obtain detection data from the vehicle 50 through wireless communication. In addition, the vehicle 50 may be equipped with the posture / position detection device 10. In this case, the posture / position detection device can be equipped as a part of the vehicle control device 55 or the data processing device 40, or as another device. When the vehicle 50 is equipped with the posture / position detection device 10, the posture / position detection process can be autonomously performed by the vehicle 50 having an automatic driving function.

[0046] In the detector posture / position detection system 100 of the first embodiment, the posture / position of the detector 30 relative to the vehicle 50 is determined only for the reference detector 30s, and the posture / position detection result of the reference detector 30s is used to determine the posture / position of the other detectors 30o. On the other hand, the posture / position of the detector 30 relative to the vehicle 50 may be detected for all the detectors 30. In this case, the posture / position of the detector 30 relative to the vehicle 50 is determined using the posture / position detection result of the reference detector 30s. Figure 7 The second area AR2 and the third area AR3 shown in the figure are sufficient. In addition, in the posture / position detection system 100 of the detector of the first embodiment, the posture / position of the detector 30 is detected by using 360° around the vehicle 50, but each area AR1 to AR3 can also be formed by dividing the range of 180°, 270°, etc., and in particular, when the first area AR1 is not used, the angle allocated to the first area AR1 can also be deleted. Since the area where the detector 30 is arranged is reduced, the relative rotation area between the vehicle 50 and the target TG becomes smaller, so the time required for the posture / position detection processing of the detector can be reduced.

[0047] Although the posture / position detection system 100 of the detector of the first embodiment is limited to detecting the posture / position of each detector 30, the posture / position stored in the detection posture / position information storage area 102b can be used to perform calibration or correction on each detector 30. Calibration or correction can be performed when the vehicle 50 is shipped from the factory, during repairs accompanied by disassembly or frame modification of the detector 30, or during inspections in the operating room of commercial vehicles. Calibration or correction can be performed in hardware by physically correcting the direction of the detector 30 in a manner that offsets the offset of the detected posture / position relative to the expected posture / position of the detector, specifically, offsets the offset in the horizontal and vertical directions, or can be performed in software by correcting the coordinate information in the detection data obtained from each detector 30. When executed in software, correction information may be input from the posture / position detection device 10 to the detection data generation unit of each detector 30, and each detector 30 may output calibrated or corrected detection data, or correction information may be input from the posture / position detection device 10 to the data processing device 40, and the data processing device 40 may calibrate or correct the detection data output from each detector 30 and output it to the vehicle control device 55. Furthermore, correction information may be input from the posture / position detection device 10 to the vehicle control device 55, and the vehicle control device 55 may calibrate or correct the detection data output from each detector 30 and use it for various processing. These methods can be realized regardless of whether the posture / position detection device 10 is mounted on a vehicle or not mounted on a vehicle.

[0048] In the detector posture / position detection system 100 of the first embodiment, the targets TGC, TGL, and TGM are targets dedicated to the camera, Lidar, and millimeter wave radar, respectively. Figures 9 to 11 As shown, one target corresponding to a plurality of detection methods may be used. Fig. 9 The composite target TG1 shown includes a checkered target portion TG11 for a camera, a target portion TG12 having a reflector function for a lidar, and a target portion TG13 formed in a metallic triangular pyramid for a millimeter wave radar. Fig.10 The composite target TG2 shown includes target portions TG21 and TG22 for camera and lidar formed as openings, and a target portion TG23 for millimeter wave radar formed as a metal rod. Fig.11 The composite target TG3 shown is Figure 7 The target TGH shown functions as a target for both camera and lidar, and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a white side surface TG31 and a black side surface TG32. Since the white side surface TG31 and the black side surface TG32 are adjacent to each other, edge detection becomes easy, and the extraction accuracy of feature points is improved.

[0049] Second implementation method:

[0050] The posture / position detection system of the detector of the second embodiment is different from the posture / position detection system of the detector 100 of the first embodiment in that it dynamically determines the position of the target TG relative to the vehicle 50, that is, the posture / position of the vehicle 50 relative to the target TG, that it has a position determination device, and that it does not have a change mechanism 12. In addition, the posture / position detection system of the detector of the second embodiment has the same configuration as the posture / position detection system of the detector 100 of the first embodiment, except that the posture / position detection device dynamically determines the position of the target TG relative to the vehicle 50 when the posture / position detection program Pr1 is executed, so the description is omitted by marking the same figure marks as those used in the first embodiment.

[0051] Fig.12 The processing flow shown is executed by the posture / position detection device 10, i.e., the CPU 101, executing the posture / position detection program Pr1, for example, automatically or manually after the vehicle 50 stops at a predetermined reference position of the posture / position detection room 200 equipped with the posture / position detection system 100. The CPU 101 determines the position of the target TG relative to the vehicle 50, i.e., obtains the posture / position of the vehicle 50 relative to the target TG (step S300). Specifically, by Figure 13 to Figure 16 The posture / position of the vehicle 50 is obtained by any of the methods shown. Fig.13In the figure, the posture / position detection system 100 includes a position determination device 60 and four position detection cameras 614 for detecting each wheel of the vehicle 50 on both sides of the vehicle 50. In addition, a position detection Lidar may be used instead of the position detection camera 61. The four position detection cameras 61 are respectively connected to the position determination device 60. The position determination device 60 includes a sending and receiving unit 602 for receiving detection data from a position determination unit 601 and the position detection cameras 61, and exchanging position data and control instructions with the posture / position detection device 10. The position determination unit 601 extracts the vehicle logo arranged at the center of the wheel based on the shooting data of each wheel obtained from each camera 61, and determines the right front wheel point, the right rear wheel point, the left front wheel point, and the left rear wheel point. The position determination unit 601 determines the posture / position of the vehicle 50 relative to the target using at least any one of the line segment connecting the right front wheel point and the left front wheel point, the line segment connecting the right rear wheel point and the left rear wheel point, the line segment connecting the right front wheel point and the right rear wheel point, and the line segment connecting the left front wheel point and the left rear wheel point, and compares the posture / position with the predetermined reference posture / position. The inclination of the line segment connecting the vehicle logo of the front and rear wheels is predetermined, and the inclination of the vehicle 50 in the front-back direction and the left-right direction is calculated using the calculated inclination of the line segment. The reference posture / position of the vehicle 50 refers to the posture / position of the vehicle 50 when the vehicle 50 faces the reference target and the direction of the vehicle 50 and the reference target is a predetermined direction, in other words, it refers to the predetermined direction and distance of the vehicle 50 relative to the reference target. The reference target is one or more representative targets used to define the reference posture / position of the vehicle 50, for example, when the vehicle 50 moves forward into the posture / position detection room, it is a target TG arranged in front of the vehicle 50. Each detector 30 is mounted on a vehicle 50 , and the accuracy of determining the posture / position of each detector 30 is highest when the vehicle 50 is in a reference posture / position relative to a reference target. Positional deviation of the vehicle relative to the target TG leads to a decrease in the accuracy of detection results of each detector 30 for the target.

[0052] exist Fig.14 In the example of FIG. 1 , the posture / position detection system 100 includes a position determination device 60, a position detection camera 61, and a guide line BL marked on the ground to guide the vehicle 50 to a reference posture / position that should be obtained. Fig.14In the example of FIG. 5 , guide lines BL corresponding to the front and both sides of the vehicle 50 are shown. The position detection camera 61 is arranged on the ceiling of the posture / position detection room, photographs the vehicle 50 from above, and sends the photographing data to the position determination device 60. The position determination device 60, i.e., the position determination unit 601, obtains the distance between the guide line BL and the vehicle 50, calculates the offset from the reference posture / position, and obtains the direction of the vehicle 50 relative to the target TG, i.e., the Yaw. The distance between the guide line BL and the vehicle 50 is, for example, the distance between the guide line BL and the four corners located at the front, rear, left, and right sides of the vehicle 50 and the front bumper of the vehicle 50.

[0053] exist Fig.15 In the example of FIG. 1 , the posture / position detection system 100 includes a position determination device 60 and a Lidar 62 disposed in front of a vehicle 50 and connected to the position detection device 60. Fig.15 In the example of FIG. 5 , the detection point DP of the edge of the front bumper, front grille, or front hood of the vehicle 50 is acquired by the Lidar 62, and the contour line formed by the detection point cloud is defined. In the initial setting, the contour line acquired by correctly stopping the vehicle 50 to obtain the reference posture / position is used as the reference contour line, and the position of the vehicle 50 relative to the target TG is detected by comparing it with the contour line acquired during the following posture / position detection.

[0054] exist Fig.16 In the example of , the posture / position detection system 100 includes a position determination device 60, a position detection camera 61 disposed above the vehicle 50 and photographing the planar posture / position of the vehicle 50, a position detection camera 61 disposed on the side of the vehicle 50 and photographing the vertical posture / position and side shape of the vehicle, a Lidar 62 for detecting the position of the vehicle 50 and the position of the reference target TG2, and a position information database DB for storing the detection results. Fig.16 In the example, the position determination device 60 stops the vehicle 50 at the reference posture / position during the initial setting, and obtains the position of the vehicle 50 relative to the reference target TG2 through the Lidar 62, photographs the planar posture / position and vertical posture / position of the vehicle 50 through the position detection camera 61, establishes a correspondence between the position information and the posture / position, and stores it in the position information database DB as the reference position information. When the position determination device 60 detects the posture / position of the vehicle 50 entering the posture / position detection room through two position detection cameras 61, and compares it with the reference position information obtained from the position information database DB, and determines the position information of the vehicle to be detected in the posture / position, that is, the posture / position relative to the target TG2.

[0055] The CPU 101 starts acquiring detection data (step S302), performs posture / position detection of the detector 30 (step S304), and ends the present processing procedure. In the posture / position detection system 100 of the detector of the second embodiment without the change mechanism 12, one or more target TGs are arranged in front, rear, left, and right of the vehicle 50, respectively, and detection data are acquired from each detector 30 arranged in front, rear, left, and right of the vehicle 50. The posture / position detection of the detector 30 in the second embodiment can use the posture / position detection method using the reference detector 30s described in the first embodiment, or the posture / position detection method using the detection range overlapped between adjacent detectors 30 without using the reference detector 30s.

[0056] According to the posture / position detection system 100 of the detector of the second embodiment described above, the position of the target TG relative to the vehicle 50, that is, the posture / position of the vehicle 50 relative to the target TG is dynamically detected. Therefore, the posture / position of the plurality of detectors 30 mounted on the vehicle 50 can be efficiently detected. Specifically, by correctly grasping the posture / position of the vehicle 50 relative to the target TG, the accuracy of the posture / position detection of the detector 30 relative to the vehicle 50 can be improved, and the effective posture / position of the detector 30 can be detected. Various processes using the detection data from the detector 30 are based on the premise that the vehicle 50 is facing the target TG, that is, the position of the target TG relative to the vehicle 50 is set to be in a predetermined relationship. Therefore, when the posture / position of the vehicle 50 relative to the target TG deviates greatly from the reference posture / position, even if the posture / position of the detector 30 relative to the vehicle 50 is appropriate, there is a possibility that the accuracy of various processes using the detection data from the detector 30 is reduced, or erroneous processing is performed. According to the second embodiment, these inconveniences can be eliminated.

[0057] In the second embodiment described above, a fixed target TG is used, but it is also possible to use Figure 7 In this case, the posture / position detection room 200 may be provided with at least a first area AR1 in which a first target for detecting the position of the target TG relative to the vehicle 50 is arranged, and a second area AR2 in which a second target for detecting the posture / position of the detector 30 is arranged. The posture / position detection device 10 places the vehicle 50 opposite to the target TG arranged in the first area AR1, and then places the vehicle 50 opposite to the target TG arranged in the second area AR2.

[0058] Other implementations:

[0059] (1) The posture / position detection processing of the detector 30 using the change mechanism 12 in the first embodiment and the dynamic determination of the posture / position of the vehicle 50 relative to the target TG in the second embodiment may be combined. That is, a step of dynamically determining the posture / position of the vehicle 50 relative to the target TG may be added before step S100 in the first embodiment, and steps S104 to S106 in the first embodiment may be executed as step S304 in the second embodiment. In this case, the effectiveness of the posture / position detection result of the detector 30 can be improved, and the processing accuracy of the subsequent processing using the detection result can be further improved.

[0060] (2) In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, a target TG having a physical shape is used, but, for example, a target projected onto a wall surface by projection mapping may be used as a target TGC for a camera. In addition, a projection target based on projection mapping of infrared light may be used as a target TGL for a lidar. By generating a multipath by a mirror surface arranged on the wall surface, two point clouds can be obtained from one target TG. By detecting one point cloud beyond the wall surface, the target to be detected can be easily detected from a plurality of target TGs.

[0061] (3) In each of the above embodiments, the overlapping detection range between the detectors 30 is used to perform posture / position detection of other detectors 30o relative to the reference detector 30s. In this case, an infrared filter may be attached to the target TG, and the camera may be used to observe the irradiation light of the Lidar, and perform posture / position detection processing between the camera and the Lidar. In this case, the deviation of the posture / position of the Lidar relative to the camera can be detected based on the inclination of the trajectory of the Lidar irradiation light during scanning captured by the camera.

[0062] (4) In each of the above embodiments, the detection of the posture / position of the detector 30, the control of the action of the change mechanism 12, and the determination of the posture / position of the vehicle 50 relative to the target TG are realized by executing the posture / position detection program Pr1 by the CPU 101, but it can also be realized in hardware by a pre-programmed integrated circuit or discrete element circuit. That is, the control unit and the method thereof in each of the above embodiments can also be realized by a dedicated computer provided by a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions embodied by a computer program. Alternatively, the control unit and the method thereof described in the present disclosure can also be realized by a dedicated computer provided by a processor composed of one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control unit and the method thereof described in the present disclosure can also be realized by one or more dedicated computers composed of a combination of a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions and a processor composed of one or more hardware logic circuits. In addition, the computer program can also be stored as an instruction executed by a computer in a non-transient tangible recording medium that can be read by a computer.

[0063] The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments and variations, but the embodiments of the invention described above are embodiments for facilitating the understanding of the present disclosure and do not limit the present disclosure. The present disclosure can be changed and improved without departing from the scope of the main purpose and claims, and its equivalents are included in the present disclosure. For example, in order to solve part or all of the above-mentioned problems, or to achieve part or all of the above-mentioned effects, the technical features in the embodiments and variations corresponding to the technical features in the various modes recorded in the content of the invention column can be appropriately replaced or combined. In addition, if the technical feature is not described as a necessary feature in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

Claims

1. A posture / position detection system of a detector, which is a posture / position detection system of a detector mounted on a vehicle, wherein: have: A target, used for posture / position detection of the above detector, and comprising a plurality of targets corresponding to the detection mode of the above detector; A changing mechanism for relatively changing the position of the vehicle relative to the target; as well as a posture / position detection device for controlling the change mechanism to maintain the position of the vehicle relative to the target for a predetermined period, and detecting the posture / position of the detector using the detection result of the detector with respect to the target, The vehicle is provided with a plurality of detectors including a reference detector serving as a reference. The targets include: a first target, arranged in a first area, for detecting the posture / position of the reference detector relative to the vehicle; a second target, arranged in a second area different from the first area, for detecting the posture / position of other detectors using the detection result of the reference detector; and a third target, which is arranged in a third area and is used to evaluate the postures / positions of the plurality of detectors detected.

2. A detector posture / position detection system, which is a detector posture / position detection system mounted on a vehicle, wherein: have: A target, used for posture / position detection of the above detector, and comprising a target corresponding to a plurality of detection modes of the above detector; A changing mechanism for relatively changing the position of the vehicle relative to the target; as well as a posture / position detection device for controlling the change mechanism to maintain the position of the vehicle relative to the target for a predetermined period, and detecting the posture / position of the detector using the detection result of the detector with respect to the target, The vehicle is provided with a plurality of detectors including a reference detector serving as a reference. The targets include: a first target, arranged in a first area, for detecting the posture / position of the reference detector relative to the vehicle; a second target, arranged in a second area different from the first area, for detecting the posture / position of other detectors using the detection result of the reference detector; and a third target, which is arranged in a third area and is used to evaluate the postures / positions of the plurality of detectors detected.

3. The posture / position detection system of the detector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The changing mechanism is a vehicle rotating device including a rotatable mounting portion for mounting the vehicle, and the mounted vehicle is rotated relative to the target by rotating the mounting portion. The target is arranged around the vehicle rotating device.

4. The posture / position detection system of the detector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The changing mechanism is a target rotating device that includes the target around the vehicle and rotates the target relative to the vehicle.

5. The posture / position detection system of the detector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: A position determination device is also provided, the position determination device is used to detect the position of the target relative to the vehicle, The posture / position detection device detects the posture / position of the detector using the position information acquired from the position determination device.

6. The posture / position detection system of the detector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The posture / position detection device further calibrates the detector using the detected posture / position of the detector.

7. The posture / position detection system of the detector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The above-mentioned vehicle is provided with the above-mentioned posture / position detection device.

8. A method for detecting the posture / position of a detector, which is a method for detecting the posture / position of a detector mounted on a vehicle, wherein: The position of a target used for posture / position detection of the detector relative to the vehicle is relatively changed, the target includes a plurality of targets corresponding to the detection method of the detector, a plurality of detectors including a reference detector serving as a reference are mounted on the vehicle, the target includes: a first target, arranged in a first area, for detecting the posture / position of the reference detector relative to the vehicle; a second target, arranged in a second area different from the first area, for detecting the posture / position of other detectors using the detection result of the reference detector; and a third target, arranged in a third area, for evaluating the postures / positions of the plurality of detectors detected, maintaining the position of the target relative to the vehicle for a predetermined period of time, Using the detection result of the above detector, the posture / position of the above detector is detected.

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