Observation device

Abstract

To improve usefulness.SOLUTION: An observation device 10 includes an observation unit 17, a memory unit 18, and a control unit 19. The observation unit 17 observes a predetermined area. The memory unit 18 stores a viewing distance, which is the maximum distance at which an observed object in the predetermined area can be identified. The control unit 19 identifies the distance to a position where the observed object exists based on the observation results of the observation unit 17. The control unit 19 updates the viewing distance stored in the memory unit 18 based on the identified distance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an observation device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, a safe driving support system has been developed that installs an observation device on the roadside to detect the presence of an observed object such as a vehicle or a pedestrian, and notifies an approaching vehicle of the presence of the observed object according to the distance from the observed object. In places where the safe driving support system is provided, there is a possibility that the driver will rely on the presence notification sent from the observation device. Therefore, in places where the safe driving support system is provided, if there is no presence notification, the driver may think that it is safe.

[0003] The presence notification from the observation device may not be sent to the approaching vehicle not only when the observation target is not actually present within the detection range of the observation device, but also when the observation device is out of operation. Therefore, it has been proposed to notify the approaching vehicle of the operating status of the observation device (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-272598 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] By notifying the operating status of the observation device, even in a situation where a presence notification is not made, the driver is encouraged to drive with the same caution as in a place where a safe driving support system is not provided. However, even when the observation device is in operation, the detection range of the observation device may change depending on changes in the surrounding environment, such as weather, at the location where the observation device is installed. Therefore, it may happen that a presence notification is not made even if the observed object is present within the original detection range of the observation device. If the absence of a presence notification does not correspond to the non-existence of the observed object, the usefulness of the observation device is reduced.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure, made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems in the conventional technology, is to provide an observation device with improved usability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an observation apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises: An observation unit that observes a predetermined area; A storage unit that stores a visibility distance, which is a maximum distance at which an observation target within the predetermined area can be identified; The system further includes a control unit that identifies the distance to the position where the observed object is located based on the observation result of the observation unit, and updates the visibility distance stored in the memory unit based on the identified distance. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the observation device according to the present disclosure configured as described above, the usefulness is improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication system including an observation device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the observation device in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a fixed state of the observation device in FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a table showing type classifications stored in the storage unit of FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 3 is a table showing speed divisions stored in the storage unit of FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 3 is a table showing temperature ranges stored in the memory unit of FIG. 2. [Figure 7] 3 is a flowchart for explaining an update process executed by a control unit in FIG. 2; [Figure 8] 3 is a flowchart for explaining a notification information transmission process executed by a control unit in FIG. 2; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an observation device to which the present disclosure is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] 1 shows an example of the configuration of a communication system 11 including an observation device 10 according to an embodiment. The communication system 11 is, for example, a safe driving support communication system of an intelligent transport system (ITS). The safe driving support communication system is also called a safe driving support system or a safe driving support wireless system.

[0012] The observation device 10 may be a device that observes an observation target such as a vehicle, object, or person on a road. The observation device 10 is, for example, a roadside device, a surveillance camera device, or the like. In this embodiment, the observation device 10 is a roadside device that may be placed near an intersection where multiple roads 12 (carriageways) intersect and observe the road surface. For example, the observation device 10 may observe the road surface from the intersection in the extension direction of the roads connected to it. The observation device 10 may be placed on the side of the road other than at the intersection.

[0013] In the communication system 11, the observation device 10 and a vehicle 13, such as an automobile, traveling on a road 12 may perform wireless communication with each other. A plurality of vehicles 13 may perform wireless communication with each other. In the communication system 11, wireless communication may be performed including an electronic device carried by a pedestrian 14. The electronic device is, for example, a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone.

[0014] The observation device 10 may notify the vehicle 13 of notification information to support the safe driving of the driver of the vehicle 13. The safe driving support information may include information about an observation target present on the road being observed. The information about the observation target may include the presence or absence of the observation target, the type of the observation target present, the distance to the observation device, the moving speed, and the traveling direction. The notification information may include information about the visibility distance. The notification information may include information about the illumination of the traffic lights 15, information about road regulations, road linear information indicating the shape of the intersection where the observation device 10 is located (the shape of the road 12), etc. The notification information may include information notified from other vehicles 13. The observation device 10 may notify the notification information to an electronic device carried by the pedestrian 14.

[0015] The vehicle 13 may transmit vehicle information to the observation device 10 or the like periodically, for example. The vehicle information includes, for example, the position, speed, and blinker information of the vehicle 13. The vehicle 13 may acquire various information notified from the observation device 10 or the like by the electronic device mounted thereon. The electronic device mounted on the vehicle 13 may be, for example, a car navigation system. The electronic device mounted on the vehicle 13 may support the driver's safe driving by notifying the driver of a warning or the like based on the information notified from the observation device 10. The notification to the driver may be the type, position, speed, and traveling direction of the observed object such as another vehicle 13 or pedestrian near the intersection where the driver is proceeding. As described above, the communication system 11 may support the driver of the vehicle 13 to drive safely. The vehicle 13 is not limited to an automobile. For example, the vehicle 13 may include a motorcycle, a bus, a streetcar, and a bicycle.

[0016] The following describes details of the observation device 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the observation device 10 includes an observation unit 17, a storage unit 18, and a control unit 19. The observation device 10 may further include a communication unit 20.

[0017] The observation unit 17 observes a predetermined area. More specifically, the observation unit 17 may observe the predetermined area by detecting electromagnetic waves incident from the predetermined area. The observation unit 17 may include at least one sensor.

[0018] The sensor may detect electromagnetic waves incident from within the detection area. The sensor may be, for example, a camera such as a visible light camera, an FIR camera that captures far-infrared images, or a distance measurement sensor such as a millimeter-wave radar, LiDAR, or ultrasonic sonar. The visible light camera can capture a normal image (RGB image) of a subject. The FIR camera can capture a far-infrared image according to temperature and can detect the temperature of the subject to be observed. The distance measurement sensor may emit a projected wave and measure a distance value to a reflection point on an object based on the time from the emission of the projected wave to the reception of a reflected wave by the object irradiated with the projected wave.

[0019] The sensor may generate a detection signal based on the detection of the electromagnetic wave. In a configuration in which the sensor is a camera, the detection signal may be an image. In a configuration in which the sensor is a distance measuring sensor, the detection signal may be a distance distribution including distance values ​​for each direction in which a reflected wave is generated with respect to a projected wave such as a millimeter wave, near infrared light, or sound wave. The sensor may generate the detection signal at a predetermined period. The generation period of the detection signal is, for example, 100 ms.

[0020] An observation coordinate system may be defined for the observation unit 17. The observation coordinate system may be a three-dimensional coordinate system with an origin at an arbitrary position in the observation unit 17 and three mutually perpendicular axes passing through the origin as coordinate axes. The origin of the observation coordinate system is, for example, the intersection of a detection axis of an arbitrary sensor in the observation unit 17 and a detection element. The observation coordinate system includes, for example, a line parallel to the detection axis of the arbitrary sensor in the coordinate axis. The detection axis may be the central axis of the detection range of the sensor. The detection axis is, for example, the optical axis in a camera.

[0021] 3, the observation device 10 may be fixed to a structure 22 having a height capable of capturing an image of a scene including the road 12 outdoors, such as a traffic light, utility pole, or street light near an intersection where the road 12 to be observed intersects. The position and orientation of the observation unit 17 relative to the structure 22 may be determined in advance. For example, the observation device 10 can observe farther by being fixed to the structure 22 so that the upper end of the detection range of the observation device 10 is parallel to a part of the road.

[0022] The position of the observation unit 17 means the origin of the observation coordinate system relative to a reference position in the world coordinate system. The attitude of the observation unit 17 means the inclination of the coordinate axes of the observation coordinate system relative to the coordinate axes of the world coordinate system. In this disclosure, the "world coordinate system" means a coordinate system set based on a three-dimensional space outside the observation unit 17. The world coordinate system may have axes in the vertical direction of the real space and two directions parallel to the horizontal plane and perpendicular to each other.

[0023] The position and orientation of the observation unit 17 may be determined so that the detection axis dx of the observation unit 17 intersects with the surface of the road 12. The position and orientation of the observation unit 17 may be determined so that the detection range of the observation unit 17 includes a predetermined area defined with respect to the observation device 10.

[0024] 2, the storage unit 18 includes any storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The storage unit 18 may store various programs that cause the control unit 19 to function and various information that the control unit 19 uses.

[0025] In a configuration in which the observation unit 17 includes a distance measuring sensor, the memory unit 18 may store the distance value from the distance measuring sensor to the road surface or floor surface by direction. The distance value from the distance measuring sensor to the road surface may be sampled by fixing the observation unit 17 to the structure 22 and having the distance measuring sensor detect the distance with nothing on the road surface or floor surface. On the road surface or floor surface may mean a state in contact with the road surface or floor surface.

[0026] In a configuration in which the observation unit 17 includes a camera, the storage unit 18 may store a conversion formula or conversion table for converting the coordinates of a pixel in the two-dimensional coordinate system into the world coordinate system when the pixel constituting the image acquired from the camera indicates an object on the road surface or floor surface. Using the conversion formula or conversion table, the position in the world coordinate system of an object on the road surface or floor surface included in the image acquired from the camera and the distance to the observation unit 17 can be acquired.

[0027] The memory unit 18 stores the visibility distance of the observation target in a predetermined area in the observation unit 17. The visibility distance is the maximum distance at which the control unit 19 can identify the presence of the observation target based on the detection signal. The memory unit 18 may store the visibility distance associated with each category based on the type of the observation target. The types of the observation target are, for example, pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, regular cars, and large vehicles. The memory unit 18 may store an initial value and a current value of the visibility distance. The initial value may be a design value according to the sensor used in the observation unit 17 or an actual measured value in an environment that does not interfere with the observation of the observation device 10. The current value may be the visibility distance updated at the latest timing, as described later.

[0028] The classification based on the type of the observed object may include a type classification, which is the type itself. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the storage unit 18 may store the initial value and the current value of the visibility distance associated with the classification of pedestrian, bicycle, motorcycle, regular car, and large vehicle.

[0029] The classification based on the type of observed object may include a speed classification based on the speed expected for each type of observed object. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 5, the memory unit 18 may store, for example, visibility distances associated with a classification of less than 5 km / h in which pedestrians are classified, a classification of 5 km / h or more and less than 20 km / h in which bicycles are classified, and a classification of 20 km / h or more in which motorcycles, regular cars, and large cars are classified.

[0030] The classification based on the type of observed object may include a temperature classification based on the temperature assumed for each type of observed object. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 6, the memory unit 18 may store, for example, a classification in which a classification of 35°C or more and less than 39°C is regarded as pedestrians, bicycles, and motorcycles with exposed human bodies, and a classification in which a classification of less than 35°C or 39°C or more is regarded as regular cars and large cars.

[0031] The memory unit 18 may store a warning distance at which a warning is required for each road 12 included in the specified area. The warning distance may be the shortest distance from the observed object to the observation device 10 at which a warning is sometimes issued about the approach of the observed object. The warning distance may be calculated, for example, based on the speed of the observed object on the road 12. The speed of the observation distance may be determined based on the speed limit of the road 12, or an average value of the measured speed of the observed object identified by the control unit 19 described later. The warning distance may be longer depending on the speed of the observed object. The memory unit 18 may store a warning distance for each type of observed object described later.

[0032] In FIG. 2, the control unit 19 includes one or more processors and a memory. The processor may include a general-purpose processor that loads a specific program to execute a specific function, and a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The dedicated processor may include an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The processor may include a programmable logic device (PLD). The PLD may include a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The control unit 19 may be either a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or a system in a package (SiP) in which one or more processors work together.

[0033] The "category" in each process of the control unit 19 in the following description may be the same or different among the type categories, speed categories, and temperature categories exemplified above.

[0034] The control unit 19 may detect an observation target in a predetermined area based on the observation result of the observation unit 17, more specifically, the detection signal. When an observation target exists, the control unit 19 may identify the type of the observation target based on the observation result of the observation unit 17. The control unit 19 may be capable of classifying and identifying the observation target into one of a plurality of predetermined types. The plurality of predetermined types are types assumed to be observation targets, such as the above-mentioned pedestrians, bicycles, motorbikes, ordinary cars, large vehicles, etc. When an observation target exists, the control unit 19 may identify the distance from the observation device 10 to the position where the observation target exists based on the observation result of the observation unit 17.

[0035] In a configuration in which the sensor included in the observation unit 17 is a camera, the control unit 19 may detect a subject image corresponding to the subject of the observation target by known image recognition such as pattern matching and deep learning for an image as a detection signal. The control unit 19 may determine the presence or absence of the observation target by detecting the subject image. The control unit 19 may identify the type of the observation target by image recognition in addition to detecting the subject image. The control unit 19 may calculate the position of the world coordinate system of the observation target corresponding to the subject image by converting the position of the pixel of the part of the detected subject image that is in contact with the road surface from a two-dimensional coordinate system to a world coordinate system. The control unit 19 may identify the distance from the observation device 10 to the observation target from the position of the world coordinate system of the observation device 10 and the position of the world coordinate system of the observation target. The identification of the distance to the observation target may be performed each time an image is acquired by the observation device 10. For example, in a configuration in which the sensor included in the observation unit 17 is a 30 fps camera, the identification of the distance to the observation target may be performed 30 times per second.

[0036] In a configuration in which the sensor included in the observation unit 17 is a camera, the control unit 19 may detect an object on the road surface or floor surface by extracting a distance value different from the distance value to the road surface or floor surface together with the corresponding direction from the distance distribution as the detection signal. The control unit 19 may separately detect a group of distance values ​​from among the distance values ​​corresponding to the detected object, the difference between the distance values ​​being equal to or less than a predetermined value and the corresponding directions being close to each other. The control unit 19 may detect the group of distance values ​​as the observation target. The control unit 19 may identify the distance to the observation target by, for example, averaging the group of distance values. The control unit 19 may estimate the size of the observation target based on the distance of the group of distance values ​​and the spread of the corresponding direction. The control unit 19 may identify the type of the observation target based on the size of the observation target.

[0037] The control unit 19 may identify the speed and traveling direction of the detected observation target based on a plurality of detection signals detected at successive times.

[0038] The control unit 19 updates the visibility distance stored in the memory unit 18 based on the identified distance to the position where the observation target is located. More specifically, the control unit 19 may update the current value of the visibility distance stored in the memory unit 18 by replacing it with the distance determined based on the observation result of the observation unit 17. The control unit 19 may update the current value of the visibility distance for each type or category of the identified observation target.

[0039] The control unit 19 may determine a replacement distance, which is a distance for replacing the visibility distance, based on the detection signal. The control unit 19 may determine the maximum value among the distances to the positions of the multiple observation targets identified based on a single detection signal as the replacement distance. Alternatively, the control unit 19 may determine the maximum value among the distances to the positions of the identified observation targets among the multiple detection signals as the replacement distance. Alternatively, the control unit 19 may determine the maximum value of the distances at which the observation targets determined to be the same are detected among the multiple detection signals as the replacement distance.

[0040] The control unit 19 may perform the process for updating the visibility distance periodically or periodically. The control unit 19 may update the visibility distance by section.

[0041] The control unit 19 may perform a common update process. In the common update process, the classification of the type of observation object identified to determine the replacement distance is temporarily treated as the first classification. In addition, another classification different from the first classification is temporarily treated as the second classification. Furthermore, when the replacement distance recognized for the first classification is reduced from the visibility distance associated with the first classification stored in the storage unit 18, the visibility distance associated with the second classification may also be updated to be reduced to the replacement distance. The second classification may be all classifications other than the first classification, or may be a part of the classification. Note that the replacement distance recognized for any classification is the visibility distance updated for the classification of the type of observation object identified.

[0042] For example, if the observed object identified is a pedestrian and the replacement distance determined for the pedestrian is shorter than the visibility distance of types of vehicles that belong to a category with a faster speed than pedestrians, in other words, bicycles, motorcycles, standard cars, and large vehicles, the control unit 19 replaces not only the visibility distance of the pedestrian but also the visibility distances of bicycles, motorcycles, standard cars, and large vehicles with the replacement distance determined.

[0043] The control unit 19 may execute the common update process when the first condition is satisfied. The first condition is a condition related to a decrease in the number of observed objects passing through a predetermined area. The first condition may be, for example, that the traffic volume of the road 12 observed by the observation device 10 belongs to a traffic volume reduction time period in which the traffic volume is equal to or less than a first threshold value. Alternatively, the first condition may be, for example, that the average number of observed objects detected based on the observation results during a sample time of a predetermined time interval is equal to or less than the maximum value among the average values ​​in all other sample times within 24 hours. Alternatively, the first condition may be that the observed object is not detected after a predetermined time has elapsed since the observation result in which the observed object was last detected.

[0044] When the first condition is satisfied after the common update process, and the distance to the position where the observation target identified in the new observation result exists is greater than the visibility distance set for the section to which the observation target belongs, the control unit 19 may update only the visibility distance associated with the section. In other words, the visibility distance associated with a section other than the section may be maintained without being updated until an increased replacement distance is obtained for the observation target of the section associated with the section. As described above, the replacement distance recognized for an arbitrary section is the visibility distance updated for the section of the type of the identified observation target. For example, in the common update process, the visibility distance of the second section is also reduced in accordance with the update of the decrease in the visibility distance of the first section, but even if an update is performed to increase the visibility distance of any section, the visibility distance of the other sections may not be increased. Specifically, in the common update process, even if the visibility distance of the bicycle belonging to another section increases after the visibility distance of the other sections is also reduced in accordance with the update of the decrease in the visibility distance of the section corresponding to the identified pedestrian, only the visibility distance of the section corresponding to the bicycle may be updated to increase. Alternatively, the control unit 19 may perform an update to increase the visibility distance for each of the first and second divisions in the common update process. Specifically, even if an update to increase the visibility distance of the second division is performed, the visibility distance of the first division may not be increased. More specifically, in the common update process, even if the visibility distance of the bicycle increases after the visibility distances of the other divisions are also decreased in accordance with the update to decrease the visibility distance of the division corresponding to the identified pedestrian, the visibility distance may be updated so that only the visibility distance between the bicycle division and the other divisions that are included in the second division in common with the bicycle division is increased. Alternatively, even if an update to increase the visibility distance of the first division is performed, the visibility distance of the second division may not be increased. More specifically, in the common update process, even if the visibility distance of the pedestrian increases after the visibility distances of the other divisions are also decreased in accordance with the update to decrease the visibility distance of the division corresponding to the identified pedestrian, the visibility distance may be updated so that only the visibility distance of the division corresponding to the pedestrian is increased.

[0045] When the first condition is not satisfied, the control unit 19 may update only the visibility distance associated with the category in the storage unit 18 for each category of the observation target identified by the observation result.

[0046] The control unit 19 may create information about the visibility distance when the observation target does not exist in the observation result, in other words, when the observation target is not detected. The control unit 19 may create information about the visibility distance for each type of observation target. For example, when only regular cars and large cars are detected based on the observation result, the control unit 19 may create information about the visibility distance for undetected pedestrians, bicycles, and motorcycles.

[0047] The information on the visibility distance may be the visibility distance itself. The information on the visibility distance may be an evaluation based on the reliability of the visibility distance. The reliability of the visibility distance is, for example, a current value of the visibility distance relative to an initial value of the visibility distance. The evaluation based on the reliability may be the reliability itself, or may be a graded evaluation according to the reliability. The graded evaluation may be, for example, high, medium, and low, in descending order.

[0048] The control unit 19 may create information on the visibility distance based on the type of the observed object and the visibility distance associated with the type. Specifically, the control unit 19 may create an evaluation based on the reliability of the visibility distance described above based on the type and the visibility distance associated with the type. More specifically, the control unit 19 may increase the evaluation based on the reliability of the visibility distance when the visibility distance is equal to or greater than the warning distance. The control unit 19 may increase the evaluation based on the reliability of the visibility distance by category. Note that the warning distance is stored in the memory unit 18 as described above.

[0049] When at least one type of observation target is not present, the control unit 19 may generate notification information including an evaluation based on the reliability of the visibility distance. The control unit 19 may include the presence or absence of an observation target in the notification information. When at least one type of observation target is present, the control unit 19 may include the type of observation target, the distance to the observation device 10, the speed, and the traveling direction in the notification information. The control unit 19 may control the communication unit 20 to notify the generated notification information to vehicles 13 around the observation device 10.

[0050] The communication unit 20 may be controlled by the control unit 19 to perform wireless communication with the vehicle 13. The communication unit 20 may be configured with a communication circuit and an antenna. The antenna may be, for example, an omnidirectional antenna. The communication unit 20 may perform wireless communication using, for example, the 700 MHz band allocated to ITS. The communication unit 20 may also perform wireless communication using, for example, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network).

[0051] The communication unit 20 may perform various processes such as amplification processing on the signal received by the antenna, and output the processed received signal to the control unit 19. The control unit 19 may perform various processes on the input received signal to obtain information contained in the received signal. The communication unit 20 may perform various processes such as amplification processing on the information obtained from the control unit 19, and wirelessly transmit the processed transmission signal from the antenna.

[0052] Next, the update process executed by the control unit 19 in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 7. The update process starts periodically or cyclically.

[0053] In step S100, the control unit 19 determines whether the observation result used for the update process includes the observation target. The observation result used for the update process is specifically a detection signal, and may be a single latest detection signal or multiple detection signals from the start of the update process to a predetermined time interval before. If the observation target is not included, the update process ends. If the observation target is included, the process proceeds to step S101.

[0054] In step S101, the control unit 19 identifies the type and distance of the observation target whose presence was confirmed in step S100. After the identification, the process proceeds to step S102.

[0055] In step S102, the control unit 19 recognizes the maximum value among the distances identified in step S101 as a replacement distance for the identified type. After the recognition, the process proceeds to step S103.

[0056] In step S103, the control unit 19 determines whether or not a first condition is satisfied. If the first condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S104. If the first condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S105.

[0057] In step S104, the control unit 19 updates the visibility distance associated with the category into which the type is classified, using the replacement distance for each type recognized in step S102. After updating, the update process ends.

[0058] In step S105, the control unit 19 determines whether the replacement distance for each type determined in step S102 is reduced from the visibility distance associated with the category to which the type is classified in the memory unit 18. If it is not reduced, the process proceeds to step S106. If it is reduced, the process proceeds to step S107.

[0059] In step S106, the control unit 19 updates only the visibility distance associated with the category into which the type is classified, using the replacement distance for each type recognized in step S102. After updating, the update process ends.

[0060] In step S107, the control unit 19 updates the visibility distances associated with all the sections with the replacement distances for each type recognized in step S102. After updating, the update process ends.

[0061] Next, the notification information transmission process executed by the control unit 19 in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 8. The notification information transmission process starts when the vehicle 13 is present within the communication range of the observation device 10.

[0062] In step S200, the control unit 19 determines whether or not the latest observation result includes an observation target. If at least one observation target is included, the process proceeds to step S201. If no observation target is included, the process proceeds to step S203.

[0063] In step S201, the control unit 19 identifies the type of the observation target whose presence was confirmed in step S200, as well as the distance, speed, and traveling direction from the observation device 10. After the identification, the process proceeds to step S202.

[0064] In step S202, the control unit 19 determines whether all types to be observed are present in the types identified in step S201. If some types are not present, the process proceeds to step S203. If all types are present, the process proceeds to step S204.

[0065] In step S203, the control unit 19 reads out the visibility distance associated with the category into which the non-existent type is classified from the storage unit 18. After reading out, the process proceeds to step S204.

[0066] In step S204, the control unit 19 generates notification information including at least one of the distance, speed, and traveling direction by type identified in step S201, or the information on the visibility distance by category read out in step S203. After the notification information is generated, the process proceeds to step S205. Note that the notification information does not need to include information on the visibility distance for all categories. For example, the control unit 19 may not include information on the visibility distance for categories based on the type of observed object with an expected slow speed in the notification information until the visibility distance falls below the warning distance. This makes it possible to prevent the amount of information included in the notification information from becoming excessive. In addition, information indicating the presence of the observed object detected by the observation device 10 may be added to the notification information. This makes it possible to warn the vehicle 13 that has received the abandoned information of the approach or presence of the observed object.

[0067] In step S205, the control unit 19 controls the communication unit 20 to transmit the notification information generated in step S204 to the vehicle 13 within the communication range of the observation device 10. After transmitting the notification information, the notification information transmission process ends.

[0068] The observation device 10 of this embodiment configured as described above identifies the distance to the position where the observed object is located based on the observation result of the observation unit 17, and updates the visibility distance stored in the memory unit 18 based on the identified distance. With this configuration, the observation device 10 can grasp the detection range of the presence or absence of the observed object due to changes in the surrounding environment. Therefore, since the observation device 10 grasps the detection range, it can convey the reliability of the absence of a presence notification outside the detection range to the driver and the recipient of the service, such as a driving assistance vehicle such as an autonomous vehicle. As a result, the observation device 10 adjusts the behavior or control on the recipient side according to the reliability, improving the usefulness.

[0069] Furthermore, the observation device 10 of the present embodiment can identify the type of the observation target based on the observation results. With this configuration, the observation device 10 can recognize the maximum distinguishable distance for each type of observation target.

[0070] Furthermore, in the observation device 10 of this embodiment, the memory unit 18 stores visibility distances associated with each category based on type. With this configuration, the observation device 10 can appropriately recognize the visibility distance for the distinguishability in the observation results that may vary depending on the type of observation target.

[0071] In addition, in the observation device 10 of this embodiment, the sections include speed sections that are classified based on the expected speed. The range in which it is desired to detect the presence or absence of an observation target varies depending on the speed of the observation target. Therefore, the observation device 10 having the above-mentioned configuration can appropriately manage the visibility distance.

[0072] In addition, in the observation device 10 of this embodiment, the observation unit 17 can detect the temperature of the object, and the classification includes temperature classifications classified based on the expected temperature. In a configuration in which the observation unit 17 has a sensor capable of detecting temperature, such as an FIR camera, the detectability of the observed object may depend on the temperature. In response to such an event, the observation device 10 having the above-mentioned configuration divides the types of observed objects into classifications whose detection ranges are considered to be similar, and therefore can update the visibility of each type of observed object frequently while maintaining the accuracy of the visibility.

[0073] Furthermore, the observation device 10 of this embodiment can execute a common update process in which, when the visibility distance updated for a first category, which is a category of the identified type of observed object, decreases from the visibility distance associated with the first category stored in the memory unit 18, the visibility distance associated with a second category different from the first category is also updated to decrease to the visibility distance updated for the first category. With this configuration, the observation device 10 can improve safety by decreasing the visibility distance even if the presence of some types of observed objects cannot be identified from the observation results for a long time.

[0074] Furthermore, the observation device 10 of this embodiment executes the common update process when the first condition is satisfied. With this configuration, the observation device 10 executes the common update process in a state where traffic volume is low and it is difficult to identify the maximum identifiable distance for each type. Therefore, the observation device 10 executes the common update process only when necessary, which can improve safety while also improving the accuracy of the visibility distance by category.

[0075] Furthermore, in a state where the first condition is satisfied after the common update process, if the visibility distance updated for the category of the type of the observed object identified in the new observation result increases more than the visibility distance associated with the category stored in the memory unit 18, the observation device 10 of this embodiment updates the visibility distance associated with the category, but does not update the visibility distances associated with other categories of the category. With this configuration, after the visibility distance of the category associated with a type not identified from the observation result is updated by the common update process, if the visibility distance of the category of the newly identified type increases, only the category of the type is updated. Therefore, the observation device 10 can update the visibility distance updated regardless of the actual identification result, based on a later actual identification result.

[0076] Furthermore, the observation device 10 of this embodiment updates the visibility distance by classification of the identified type of observed object when the first condition is not met. When the first condition, which is the execution condition for the common update process, is not met, the frequency of identification of the maximum identifiable distance for each type of observed object increases, making it less likely that safety will be compromised due to low identification frequency. In response to such an event, the observation device 10 having the above-mentioned configuration can improve the accuracy of the visibility distance by classification when the execution condition for the common update process is not met.

[0077] Furthermore, the observation device 10 of this embodiment can generate notification information including the presence or absence of the observed object, and when the observed object is not present in the observation results, information regarding the visibility distance is created based on the type of observed object and the visibility distance associated with that type, and is included in the notification information. With this configuration, the observation device 10 can make the driver and the recipient of the service, such as a driving assistance vehicle such as an autonomous vehicle, recognize the reliability of the absence of the observed object.

[0078] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications or corrections based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications or corrections are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple components or steps can be combined into one or divided. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 10 Observation equipment 11. Communications Systems 12 Road 13 Vehicles 14 Pedestrians 15 Traffic lights 16 Crosswalk 17 Observation Section 18 Storage section 19 Control section 20 Communications Department 22 Structures dx detection axis

Claims

1. and a control unit that generates data to be transmitted to another device, the data including first information indicating a range in which the sensor can detect an object to be detected and second information related to the object. Control device.

2. The sensor further comprises: The second information includes the object detected by the sensor. The control device according to claim 1 .

3. The first information is a maximum distance at which the sensor can detect the object. The control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. When the sensor does not detect the object, the control unit generates the data including third information indicating that the object has not been detected, instead of the second information. The control device according to claim 2.

5. The maximum distance is set to a design value according to the type of the sensor, or to an actual measurement value under an environment where the observation by the sensor is not hindered. The control device according to claim 3.

6. The control unit identifies a distance to a position where the object detected by the sensor is present, and updates the maximum distance based on the identified distance. The control device according to claim 3.

7. The control unit identifies a type of the object detected by the sensor, and updates the maximum distance for each classification based on the type. The control device according to claim 6.

8. A control method for a control device including a control unit, and generating data for transmission to another device, the data including first information indicating a range in which the sensor can detect an object and second information regarding the object, by the control unit. Control methods.

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