Intersecting road detection device, intersecting road detection method, and program

Abstract

To appropriately detect an intersecting road that intersects a road on which a host vehicle is traveling.SOLUTION: An intersecting road detection device 15 includes: an acquisition section 3B that acquires information indicating road pixels corresponding to roads included in a host vehicle front image; a first road width calculation section 3C that calculates the width of road pixels at a first position and a second position in a traveling direction of a host vehicle 1 on the basis of the road pixels indicated by the acquired information; a second road width calculation section 3D that calculates the width of the road pixels at a third position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 on the basis of the road pixels indicated by the acquired information; a road width estimation section 3E that estimates the width of the road pixels at the third position on the basis of the width of the road pixels at the first position and the second position which are calculated by the first road width calculation section 3C by assuming that an intersecting road intersecting a host vehicle traveling road is not included in the image; and a determination section 3F that determines that the intersecting road exists at the third position when calculated width of the road pixels at the third position is greater than estimated width of the road pixels at the third position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an intersection road detection device, an intersection road detection method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes that it is determined whether a lateral road (including a lateral road extending in the left - right direction with respect to the vehicle and an oblique direction) is shown in a photographed image.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, in order to determine whether a lateral road is shown in a photographed image, the measurement result of an autofocus device is used. Therefore, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, when information indicating the measurement result of the autofocus device is not included in the data of the photographed image, the lateral road included in the photographed image cannot be detected. During the running of the host vehicle, it is necessary to detect an intersecting road (intersection) in order to respond to the sudden appearance of bicycles, pedestrians, etc. near intersections, or to reduce the collision between the host vehicle and surrounding vehicles traveling on the intersecting road, which is the road that intersects with the road on which the host vehicle is running, at the intersection. When GPS (Global Positioning System) and map information are used to detect the intersecting road (intersection), the cost may increase, or the position of the intersecting road (intersection) may be erroneously detected due to GPS displacement. When the intersecting road (intersection) is detected using the lane lines, etc. of the road on which the host vehicle is running, which are included in the image obtained by photographing the front of the host vehicle, there is a possibility that the intersecting road (intersection) may not be appropriately detected when there are no clear lane lines on the road on which the host vehicle is running. Since the intersecting road is a place where something may suddenly appear on the road on which the host vehicle is running, it is necessary to detect it appropriately.

[0005] In view of the above points, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an intersecting road detection device, an intersecting road detection method, and a program that can appropriately detect an intersecting road that intersects with the road on which the host vehicle is running.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] (1) One aspect of the present disclosure is an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating road pixels, which are pixels corresponding to a road included in an image generated from an image obtained by photographing the front of a host vehicle, and based on the road pixels indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit, as the width of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, at least the width of the road pixels at a first position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle and the width of the road pixels at a second position different from the first position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle are calculated. A first road width calculation unit, a second road width calculation unit that calculates the width of the road pixels at a third position different from the first position and the second position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle based on the road pixels indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit, and assuming that an intersecting road, which is a road intersecting the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, is not included in the image, based on at least the width of the road pixels at the first position and the width of the road pixels at the second position calculated by the first road width calculation unit, a road width estimation unit that estimates the width of the road pixels at the third position, and when the width of the road pixels at the third position calculated by the second road width calculation unit is greater than the width of the road pixels at the third position estimated by the road width estimation unit, a determination unit that determines that the intersecting road exists at the third position. An intersecting road detection device comprising:

[0007] (2) In the intersecting road detection device of (1), the determination unit may determine that the intersecting road does not exist at the third position when the width of the road pixels at the third position calculated by the second road width calculation unit is equal to the width of the road pixels at the third position estimated by the road width estimation unit.

[0008] (3) In the intersecting road detection device of (1) or (2), the third position may be farther from the host vehicle than the first position and the second position.

[0009] (4) One aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition step of acquiring information indicating road pixels, which are pixels corresponding to a road included in an image generated from an image obtained by photographing the front of a host vehicle, by an intersection road detection device; a first road width calculation step of calculating, as the width of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, at least the width of the road pixels at a first position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle and the width of the road pixels at a second position different from the first position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle, based on the road pixels indicated by the information acquired in the acquisition step by the intersection road detection device; a second road width calculation step of calculating the width of the road pixels at a third position different from the first position and the second position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle, based on the road pixels indicated by the information acquired in the acquisition step by the intersection road detection device; a road width estimation step of estimating the width of the road pixels at the third position, based on at least the width of the road pixels at the first position and the width of the road pixels at the second position calculated in the first road width calculation step, assuming that an intersection road, which is a road intersecting the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, is not included in the image; and a determination step of determining that the intersection road exists at the third position when the width of the road pixels at the third position calculated in the second road width calculation step is greater than the width of the road pixels at the third position estimated in the road width estimation step, by the intersection road detection device.

[0010] (5) One aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition step of causing a processor to acquire information indicating road pixels, which are pixels corresponding to a road included in an image generated from an image obtained by photographing the front of a host vehicle; a first road width calculation step of calculating, as the width of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, at least the width of the road pixels at a first position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle and the width of the road pixels at a second position different from the first position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle, based on the road pixels indicated by the information acquired in the acquisition step; a second road width calculation step of calculating the width of the road pixels at a third position different from the first position and the second position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle, based on the road pixels indicated by the information acquired in the acquisition step; a road width estimation step of estimating the width of the road pixels at the third position based on at least the width of the road pixels at the first position and the width of the road pixels at the second position calculated in the first road width calculation step, assuming that an intersecting road, which is a road intersecting the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, is not included in the image; and a determination step of determining that the intersecting road exists at the third position when the width of the road pixels at the third position calculated in the second road width calculation step is greater than the width of the road pixels at the third position estimated in the road width estimation step. The program is for causing the above steps to be executed.

Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present disclosure, an intersecting road intersecting the road on which the host vehicle is traveling can be appropriately detected.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the intersection road detection device, intersection road detection method, and program of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] <First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a host vehicle 1 to which an intersection road detection device 15 according to a first embodiment is applied. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the host vehicle 1 includes a camera 11, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 12, a vehicle state sensor 13, a surrounding situation sensor 14, an intersection road detection device 15, a vehicle control device 16, a steering actuator 16A, a braking actuator 16B, and a driving actuator 16C. The camera 11 captures an image of the front of the host vehicle 1 and transmits data of the host vehicle front image to the intersection road detection device 15 and the vehicle control device 16. The HMI 12 has functions such as receiving various operations of the driver of the host vehicle 1, and transmits a signal indicating the operation of the driver of the host vehicle 1 to the vehicle control device 16. The vehicle state sensor 13 detects the state of the host vehicle 1 and transmits the detection result to the vehicle control device 16. The vehicle state sensor 13 includes, for example, a vehicle speed sensor. The surrounding situation sensor 14 detects, for example, obstacles, surrounding vehicles, pedestrians, etc. existing around the host vehicle 1 and transmits the detection result to the vehicle control device 16. The surrounding situation sensor 14 includes, for example, a camera that captures images of the sides, rear, etc. of the host vehicle 1, LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), radar, sonar, etc. The intersection road detection device 15 detects a road (intersection roads RD3, RD5 (see FIGS. 3 and 4)) that intersects the road (host vehicle traveling roads RD1, RD2, RD4 (see FIGS. 2 to 4)) on which the host vehicle 1 is traveling, and transmits the detection result to the vehicle control device 16. The vehicle control device 16 is configured by a driving support ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The vehicle control device 16 controls the steering actuator 16A, the braking actuator 16B, and the driving actuator 16C based on information (data, signals) transmitted from, for example, the camera 11, the HMI 12, the vehicle state sensor 13, the surrounding situation sensor 14, and the intersection road detection device 15.

[0015] The intersection road detection device 15 is configured by a microcomputer including a communication interface (I / F) 151, a memory 152, and a processor 153. The communication interface 151 has an interface circuit for connecting the intersection road detection device 15 to the camera 11 and the vehicle control device 16. The memory 152 stores programs and various data used in the processes executed by the processor 153. The processor 153 has functions as an image processing device 3A, an acquisition unit 3B, a first road width calculation unit 3C, a second road width calculation unit 3D, a road width estimation unit 3E, and a determination unit 3F. The image processing device 3A acquires data of the image in front of the host vehicle transmitted from the camera 11. Further, the image processing device 3A executes image segmentation (identification of the subject included in the image), such as semantic segmentation, on the image in front of the host vehicle.

[0016] Figures 2 to 4 are diagrams showing an example of the processing result of image segmentation executed by the image processing apparatus 3A. Specifically, FIG. 2 shows a first example of the processing result of image segmentation executed by the image processing apparatus 3A, FIG. 3 shows a second example of the processing result of image segmentation executed by the image processing apparatus 3A, and FIG. 4 shows a third example of the processing result of image segmentation executed by the image processing apparatus 3A. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the processing result of image segmentation executed by the image processing apparatus 3A on the front image of the host vehicle captured by the camera 11 includes road pixels RP corresponding to the road (host vehicle traveling road RD1) on which the host vehicle 1 is traveling. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the processing result of image segmentation executed by the image processing apparatus 3A on the front image of the host vehicle captured by the camera 11 includes road pixels RP corresponding to the road (host vehicle traveling road RD2) on which the host vehicle 1 is traveling and the road (intersecting road RD3) intersecting the host vehicle traveling road RD2. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the processing result of image segmentation executed by the image processing apparatus 3A on the front image of the host vehicle captured by the camera 11 includes road pixels RP corresponding to the road (host vehicle traveling road RD4) on which the host vehicle 1 is traveling and the road (intersecting road RD5) intersecting the host vehicle traveling road RD4, and wall pixels WP corresponding to the wall provided adjacent to the host vehicle traveling road RD4.

[0017] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the acquisition unit 3B acquires information indicating the road pixels RP from the processing result of the image segmentation executed by the image processing apparatus 3A. That is, the acquisition unit 3B acquires information indicating the pixels (road pixels RP) corresponding to the roads RD1, RD2, RD3, RD4, and RD5 included in the front image of the host vehicle, which is generated from the image obtained by photographing the front of the host vehicle 1 (front image of the host vehicle). Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the acquisition unit 3B acquires information indicating the road pixels RP corresponding to the road RD1 during the travel of the host vehicle. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the acquisition unit 3B acquires information indicating the road pixels RP corresponding to the road RD2 and the intersection road RD3 during the travel of the host vehicle. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the acquisition unit 3B acquires information indicating the road pixels RP corresponding to the road RD4 and the intersection road RD5 during the travel of the host vehicle. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the acquisition unit 3B also acquires information indicating the wall pixels WP (see FIG. 4) from the processing result of the image segmentation executed by the image processing apparatus 3A.

[0018] In the example shown in FIG. 1, based on the road pixels RP indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit 3B, the first road width calculation unit 3C calculates, as the widths of the roads RD1, RD2, and RD4 during the travel of the host vehicle, the widths W1, W4, and W7 of the road pixels RP at the first positions P1, P4, and P7 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1. Further, the first road width calculation unit 3C calculates, as the widths of the roads RD1, RD2, and RD4 during the travel of the host vehicle, the widths W2, W5, and W8 of the road pixels RP at the second positions P2, P5, and P8 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 based on the road pixels RP indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit 3B. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 2, based on the road pixels RP indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit 3B, the first road width calculation unit 3C calculates, as the width of the road RD1 during the travel of the host vehicle, the width W1 of the road pixel RP at the first position P1 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 2. Further, the first road width calculation unit 3C calculates, as the width of the road RD1 during the travel of the host vehicle, the width W2 of the road pixel RP at the second position P2 different from the first position P1 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 based on the road pixels RP indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit 3B. In the example shown in FIG. 3, based on the road pixels RP indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit 3B, the first road width calculation unit 3C calculates, as the width of the road RD2 during the travel of the host vehicle, the width W4 of the road pixel RP at the first position P4 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 3. Further, the first road width calculation unit 3C calculates, as the width of the road RD2 during the travel of the host vehicle, the width W5 of the road pixel RP at the second position P5 different from the first position P4 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 based on the road pixels RP indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit 3B. In the example shown in FIG. 4, based on the road pixels RP indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit 3B, the first road width calculation unit 3C calculates, as the width of the road RD4 during the travel of the host vehicle, the width W7 of the road pixel RP at the first position P7 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 4. Further, the first road width calculation unit 3C calculates, as the width of the road RD4 during the travel of the host vehicle, the width W8 of the road pixel RP at the second position P8 different from the first position P7 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 based on the road pixels RP indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit 3B.

[0019] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the second road width calculation unit 3D calculates the widths W3, W6, and W9 of the road pixels RP at the third positions P3, P6, and P9, which are different from the first positions P1, P4, P7 and the second positions P2, P5, P8 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1, based on the road pixels RP indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit 3B. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the second road width calculation unit 3D calculates the width W3 of the road pixel RP at the third position P3, which is different from the first position P1 and the second position P2 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 2, based on the road pixel RP indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit 3B. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the second road width calculation unit 3D calculates the width W6 of the road pixel RP at the third position P6, which is different from the first position P4 and the second position P5 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 3, based on the road pixel RP indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit 3B. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the second road width calculation unit 3D calculates the width W9 of the road pixel RP at the third position P9, which is different from the first position P7 and the second position P8 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 4, based on the road pixel RP indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit 3B. In the examples shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the third positions P3, P6, P9 are farther from the host vehicle 1 than the first positions P1, P4, P7 and the second positions P2, P5, P8 (set on the upper side of FIGS. 2 to 4). Therefore, in the examples shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the estimation accuracy of the widths W3E, W6E, W9E of the road pixels RP at the third positions P3, P6, P9 by the road width estimation unit 3E can be improved compared to the case where the third positions P3, P6, P9 are set closer to the host vehicle 1 than the first positions P1, P4, P7 and the second positions P2, P5, P8.

[0020] In the example shown in FIG. 1, assuming that the roads (intersecting roads RD3 and RD5) intersecting the roads RD1, RD2, and RD4 during the travel of the host vehicle are not included in the front image of the host vehicle captured by the camera 11, the road width estimation unit 3E estimates the widths W3E, W6E, and W9E of the road pixels RP at the third positions P3, P6, and P9 based on the widths W1, W4, and W7 of the road pixels RP at the first positions P1, P4, and P7 and the widths W2, W5, and W8 of the road pixels RP at the second positions P2, P5, and P8 calculated by the first road width calculation unit 3C. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 2, assuming that the road intersecting the road RD1 during the travel of the host vehicle is not included in the front image of the host vehicle captured by the camera 11, the road width estimation unit 3E estimates the width W3E of the road pixel RP at the third position P3 based on the width W1 of the road pixel RP at the first position P1 and the width W2 of the road pixel RP at the second position P2 calculated by the first road width calculation unit 3C. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the road width estimation unit 3E estimates the coordinates of the left end of the road pixel RP at the third position P3 by extending the line segment connecting the left end of the road pixel RP at the first position P1 and the left end of the road pixel RP at the second position P2 to the third position P3. Further, the road width estimation unit 3E estimates the coordinates of the right end of the road pixel RP at the third position P3 by extending the line segment connecting the right end of the road pixel RP at the first position P1 and the right end of the road pixel RP at the second position P2 to the third position P3. Furthermore, the road width estimation unit 3E calculates the distance between the estimated coordinates of the left end of the road pixel RP at the third position P3 and the estimated coordinates of the right end of the road pixel RP at the third position P3 as the width W3E of the road pixel RP at the third position P3. In the example shown in FIG. 3, assuming that the road (intersecting road RD3) intersecting the road RD2 during the travel of the host vehicle is not included in the front image of the host vehicle captured by the camera 11, the road width estimation unit 3E estimates the width W6E of the road pixel RP at the third position P6 based on the width W4 of the road pixel RP at the first position P4 and the width W5 of the road pixel RP at the second position P5 calculated by the first road width calculation unit 3C.Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the road width estimation unit 3E estimates the coordinates of the left end of the road pixel RP at the third position P6 by extending the line segment connecting the left end of the road pixel RP at the first position P4 and the left end of the road pixel RP at the second position P5 to the third position P6. Further, the road width estimation unit 3E estimates the coordinates of the right end of the road pixel RP at the third position P6 by extending the line segment connecting the right end of the road pixel RP at the first position P4 and the right end of the road pixel RP at the second position P5 to the third position P6. Furthermore, the road width estimation unit 3E calculates the distance between the estimated coordinates of the left end of the road pixel RP at the third position P6 and the estimated coordinates of the right end of the road pixel RP at the third position P6 as the width W6E of the road pixel RP at the third position P6.

[0021] In the example shown in FIG. 4, assuming that the road (intersecting road RD5) intersecting the road RD4 during the travel of the host vehicle is not included in the front image of the host vehicle captured by the camera 11, the road width estimation unit 3E estimates the width W9E of the road pixel RP at the third position P9 based on the width W7 of the road pixel RP at the first position P7 and the width W8 of the road pixel RP at the second position P8 calculated by the first road width calculation unit 3C. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the road width estimation unit 3E estimates the coordinates of the left end of the road pixel RP at the third position P9 by extending the line segment connecting the left end of the road pixel RP at the first position P7 and the left end of the road pixel RP at the second position P8 to the third position P9. Further, the road width estimation unit 3E estimates the coordinates of the right end of the road pixel RP at the third position P9 by extending the line segment connecting the right end of the road pixel RP at the first position P7 and the right end of the road pixel RP at the second position P8 to the third position P9. Furthermore, the road width estimation unit 3E calculates the distance between the estimated coordinates of the left end of the road pixel RP at the third position P9 and the estimated coordinates of the right end of the road pixel RP at the third position P9 as the width W9E of the road pixel RP at the third position P9. As described above, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the first road width calculation unit 3C calculates the widths W1, W4, W7 of the road pixels RP at the first positions P1, P4, P7 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 and the widths W2, W5, W8 of the road pixels RP at the second positions P2, P5, P8 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 as the widths of the roads RD1, RD2, RD4 during the travel of the host vehicle (that is, calculates the widths of the road pixels RP at two positions in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1). Further, the road width estimation unit 3E estimates the widths W3E, W6E, W9E of the road pixels RP at the third positions P3, P6, P9 based on the widths of the road pixels RP at two positions in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 calculated by the first road width calculation unit 3C. In other examples, the first road width calculation unit 3C may calculate the widths of the road pixels RP at three or more positions in the traveling direction of the host vehicle as the width of the road during the travel of the host vehicle, and the road width estimation unit 3E may estimate the widths of the road pixels RP at positions different from the three or more positions in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 based on the widths of the road pixels RP at the three or more positions in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 calculated by the first road width calculation unit 3C.

[0022] In the example shown in FIG. 1, when the widths W6 and W9 of the road pixels RP at the third positions P6 and P9 calculated by the second road width calculation unit 3D are greater than the widths W6E and W9E of the road pixels RP at the third positions P6 and P9 estimated by the road width estimation unit 3E, the determination unit 3F determines that the intersecting roads RD3 and RD5 exist at the third positions P6 and P9. Further, when the width W3 of the road pixel RP at the third position P3 calculated by the second road width calculation unit 3D is equal to the width W3E of the road pixel RP at the third position P3 estimated by the road width estimation unit 3E, the determination unit 3F determines that no intersecting road exists at the third position P3. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 2, since the width W3 of the road pixel RP at the third position P3 calculated by the second road width calculation unit 3D is equal to the width W3E of the road pixel RP at the third position P3 estimated by the road width estimation unit 3E, the determination unit 3F determines that no intersecting road exists at the third position P3. In the example shown in FIG. 3, since the width W6 of the road pixel RP at the third position P6 calculated by the second road width calculation unit 3D is greater than the width W6E of the road pixel RP at the third position P6 estimated by the road width estimation unit 3E, the determination unit 3F determines that the intersecting road RD3 exists at the third position P6. In the example shown in FIG. 4, since the width W9 of the road pixel RP at the third position P9 calculated by the second road width calculation unit 3D is greater than the width W9E of the road pixel RP at the third position P9 estimated by the road width estimation unit 3E, the determination unit 3F determines that the intersecting road RD5 exists at the third position P9.

[0023] In the example shown in FIG. 1, when the determination unit 3F determines that the intersecting roads RD3 and RD5 exist in front of the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 (third positions P6 and P9), the vehicle control device 16 (driving support ECU) based on the detection result of the intersecting road detection device 15 (the determination result of the determination unit 3F), causes the HMI 12 to output, for example, a warning indicating that the intersecting roads RD3 and RD5 exist in front of the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 by display, voice, or the like. In another example, when the determination unit 3F determines that the intersecting roads RD3 and RD5 exist in front of the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 (third positions P6 and P9), the vehicle control device 16 (driving support ECU) may execute braking support and / or steering support for avoiding a collision between the host vehicle 1 and other vehicles, pedestrians, etc. that jump out from the intersecting roads RD3 and RD5 onto the roads RD2 and RD4 on which the host vehicle is traveling.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing executed by the processor 153 of the intersecting road detection device 15 according to the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 5, in step S10, the acquisition unit 3B acquires information indicating the road pixels RP. In step S11, the first road width calculation unit 3C calculates, as the widths of the roads RD1, RD2, and RD4 on which the host vehicle is traveling, the widths W1, W4, and W7 of the road pixels RP at the first positions P1, P4, and P7 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 and the widths W2, W5, and W8 of the road pixels RP at the second positions P2, P5, and P8 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 based on the road pixels RP indicated by the information acquired in step S10. In step S12, the second road width calculation unit 3D calculates the widths W3, W6, and W9 of the road pixels RP at the third positions P3, P6, and P9 that are different from the first positions P1, P4, and P7 and the second positions P2, P5, and P8 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 based on the road pixels RP indicated by the information acquired in step S10. In step S13, assuming that the intersecting roads RD3 and RD5 are not included in the front image of the host vehicle, the road width estimation unit 3E estimates the widths W3E, W6E, and W9E of the road pixels RP at the third positions P3, P6, and P9 based on the widths W1, W4, and W7 of the road pixels RP at the first positions P1, P4, and P7 and the widths W2, W5, and W8 of the road pixels RP at the second positions P2, P5, and P8 calculated in step S11.

[0025] In step S14, the determination unit 3F determines whether the widths W3, W6, and W9 of the road pixels RP at the third positions P3, P6, and P9 calculated in step S12 are greater than the widths W3E, W6E, and W9E of the road pixels RP at the third positions P3, P6, and P9 estimated in step S13. If YES, the process proceeds to step S15; if NO, the process proceeds to step S16. In step S15, the determination unit 3F determines that there are intersecting roads RD3 and RD5 at the third positions P6 and P9. In step S16, the determination unit 3F determines that there is no intersecting road at the third position P3.

[0026] While the vehicle is in motion, if the widths of the roads RD1, RD2, and RD4 are constant from the front to the back, the apparent widths of the roads RD1, RD2, and RD4 on the front image of the vehicle should become smaller as it goes further back. On the other hand, when the intersecting roads RD3 and RD5 exist, at the depth positions (the third positions P6 and P9) where the intersecting roads RD3 and RD5 are located, compared with the road widths (the widths W5 and W8 of the road pixels RP) at the depth positions (the second positions P5 and P8) in front of the third positions P6 and P9, the portions of the intersecting roads RD3 and RD5 that spread to the left and right are additionally reflected in the front image of the vehicle, resulting in an increase in the road width (the widths W6 and W9 of the road pixels RP). Based on this point, the intersecting road detection device 15 of the first embodiment measures (calculates) the road widths (the widths W1 to W9 of the road pixels RP) on the front image of the vehicle at each depth position (the first positions P1, P4, P7, the second positions P2, P5, P8, and the third positions P3, P6, P9) in the direction from the front to the back on the front image of the vehicle, and determines that the portions (the third positions P6 and P9) where the road widths (the widths W6 and W9 of the road pixels RP) on the front image of the vehicle in the depth direction do not become narrower than the road widths (the widths W6E and W9E of the road pixels RP) estimated (presumed) from the road widths (the widths W4, W5, W7, and W8 of the road pixels RP) at the depth positions in front (the first positions P4, P7 and the second positions P5, P8) as the places (the intersecting roads RD3 and RD5) where there is traffic intersecting the roads RD2 and RD4 during the vehicle's travel. In the intersecting road detection device 15 of the first embodiment, in order to detect the road pixels RP included in the front image of the vehicle (that is, in order to detect the attributes of the pixels), for example, the "label per pixel" calculated (output) in the process of semantic segmentation (the process in the image processing device 3A) that assigns attributes to each of the plurality of pixels included in the image is used.

[0027] <Second Embodiment> The vehicle 1 to which the intersecting road detection device 15 of the second embodiment is applied is configured in the same manner as the vehicle 1 to which the intersecting road detection device 15 of the first embodiment described above is applied, except for the points described below.

[0028] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the host vehicle 1 to which the intersection road detection device 15 of the second embodiment is applied. As described above, in an example of the host vehicle 1 to which the intersection road detection device 15 of the first embodiment is applied (the example shown in FIG. 1), the processor 153 of the intersection road detection device 15 has a function as the image processing device 3A. On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the processor 153 of the intersection road detection device 15 does not have a function as the image processing device 3A, and an image processing device 17 having the same function as the image processing device 3A is provided outside the intersection road detection device 15. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the host vehicle 1 includes the image processing device 17 separately from the intersection road detection device 15.

[0029] In the example shown in FIG. 6, the camera 11 transmits data of the host vehicle front image to the vehicle control device 16 and the image processing device 17. The image processing device 17 acquires the data of the host vehicle front image transmitted from the camera 11. Further, the image processing device 17 executes image segmentation (identification of subjects included in the image), such as semantic segmentation, on the host vehicle front image. The acquisition unit 3B acquires information indicating the road pixels RP from the processing result of the image segmentation executed by the image processing device 17.

[0030] <Third Embodiment> The host vehicle 1 to which the intersection road detection device 15 of the third embodiment is applied is configured in the same manner as the host vehicle 1 to which the intersection road detection device 15 of the first embodiment is applied, except for the points described later.

[0031] As described above, in an example of the host vehicle 1 to which the intersection road detection device 15 of the first embodiment is applied (the example shown in FIG. 1), the vehicle control device 16 is configured by the driving support ECU. On the other hand, in an example of the host vehicle 1 to which the intersection road detection device 15 of the third embodiment is applied, the vehicle control device 16 is configured by the automatic driving ECU.

[0032] As described above, in an example of the host vehicle 1 to which the intersection road detection device 15 of the first embodiment is applied (the example shown in FIG. 1), when the determination unit 3F determines that the intersection roads RD3 and RD5 exist ahead in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 (the third positions P6 and P9), the vehicle control device 16 (the driving support ECU) causes the HMI 12 to output, for example, a warning indicating that the intersection roads RD3 and RD5 exist ahead in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 by display, voice, or the like based on the detection result of the intersection road detection device 15 (the determination result of the determination unit 3F). On the other hand, in an example of the host vehicle 1 to which the intersection road detection device 15 of the third embodiment is applied, when the determination unit 3F determines that the intersection roads RD3 and RD5 exist ahead in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 (the third positions P6 and P9), the vehicle control device 16 (the automatic driving ECU) generates a traveling plan for the host vehicle 1 to avoid a collision between the host vehicle 1 and other vehicles, pedestrians, etc. that jump out from the intersection roads RD3 and RD5 onto the host vehicle traveling roads RD2 and RD4, and controls the steering actuator 16A, the braking actuator 16B, and the driving actuator 16C based on the traveling plan.

[0033] <Fourth Embodiment> The host vehicle 1 to which the intersection road detection device 15 of the fourth embodiment is applied is configured in the same manner as the host vehicle 1 to which the intersection road detection device 15 of the second embodiment described above is applied, except for the points described later.

[0034] As described above, in an example of the host vehicle 1 to which the intersection road detection device 15 of the second embodiment is applied (the example shown in FIG. 6), the vehicle control device 16 is configured by the driving support ECU. On the other hand, in an example of the host vehicle 1 to which the intersection road detection device 15 of the fourth embodiment is applied, the vehicle control device 16 is configured by the automatic driving ECU. In an example of the host vehicle 1 to which the intersection road detection device 15 of the fourth embodiment is applied, similar to an example of the host vehicle 1 to which the intersection road detection device 15 of the third embodiment described above is applied, when the determination unit 3F determines that the intersection roads RD3 and RD5 exist in front of the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 (the third positions P6 and P9), the vehicle control device 16 (automatic driving ECU) generates a traveling plan for the host vehicle 1 to avoid a collision between the host vehicle 1 and other vehicles, pedestrians, etc. that jump out from the intersection roads RD3 and RD5 to the host vehicle traveling roads RD2 and RD4, and based on the traveling plan, controls the steering actuator 16A, the braking actuator 16B, and the driving actuator 16C.

[0035] As described above, the embodiments of the intersection road detection device, the intersection road detection method, and the program of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the drawings. However, the intersection road detection device, the intersection road detection method, and the program of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. The configurations of the examples of the above-described embodiments may be combined as appropriate. In each example of the above-described embodiments, the processing performed in the intersection road detection device 15 has been described as software processing performed by executing a program. However, the processing performed in the intersection road detection device 15 may be processing performed by hardware. Alternatively, the processing performed in the intersection road detection device 15 may be processing that combines both software and hardware. Further, the program stored in the memory 152 of the intersection road detection device 15 (the program that realizes the functions of the processor 153 of the intersection road detection device 15) may be recorded, provided, distributed, etc. on a computer-readable storage medium such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, etc.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0036] 1…Self-vehicle, 11…Camera, 12…HMI, 13…Vehicle state sensor, 14…Surrounding situation sensor, 15…Intersection road detection device, 151…Communication interface, 152…Memory, 153…Processor, 3A…Image processing device, 3B…Acquisition unit, 3C…First road width calculation unit, 3D…Second road width calculation unit, 3E…Road width estimation unit, 3F…Judgment unit, 16…Vehicle control device, 16A…Steering actuator, 16B…Brake actuator, 16C…Drive actuator, 17…Image processing device

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires information indicating road pixels, which are pixels corresponding to a road included in the image, generated from an image obtained by photographing the front of the host vehicle; Based on the road pixels indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit, as the width of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, at least the width of the road pixels at a first position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle and the width of the road pixels at a second position different from the first position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle are calculated by a first road width calculation unit; A second road width calculation unit that calculates the width of the road pixels at a third position different from the first position and the second position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle based on the road pixels indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit; Assuming that an intersecting road, which is a road intersecting the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, is not included in the image, based on at least the width of the road pixels at the first position and the width of the road pixels at the second position calculated by the first road width calculation unit, a road width estimation unit that estimates the width of the road pixels at the third position; An intersecting road detection device comprising a determination unit that determines that the intersecting road exists at the third position when the width of the road pixels at the third position calculated by the second road width calculation unit is greater than the width of the road pixels at the third position estimated by the road width estimation unit.

2. The intersecting road detection device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that the intersecting road does not exist at the third position when the width of the road pixels at the third position calculated by the second road width calculation unit is equal to the width of the road pixels at the third position estimated by the road width estimation unit.

3. The intersecting road detection device according to claim 1, wherein the third position is farther from the host vehicle than the first position and the second position.

4. An intersecting road detection device includes an acquisition step of acquiring information indicating road pixels, which are pixels corresponding to a road included in the image, generated from an image obtained by photographing the front of the host vehicle; A first road width calculation step in which the intersection road detection device calculates, as the width of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, at least the width of the road pixels at a first position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle and the width of the road pixels at a second position different from the first position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle, based on the road pixels indicated by the information acquired in the acquisition step; A second road width calculation step in which the intersection road detection device calculates the width of the road pixels at a third position different from the first position and the second position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle, based on the road pixels indicated by the information acquired in the acquisition step; A road width estimation step in which the intersection road detection device estimates the width of the road pixels at the third position, based on at least the width of the road pixels at the first position and the width of the road pixels at the second position calculated in the first road width calculation step, assuming that an intersection road, which is a road intersecting the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, is not included in the image; An intersection road detection method comprising a determination step in which the intersection road detection device determines that the intersection road exists at the third position when the width of the road pixels at the third position calculated in the second road width calculation step is greater than the width of the road pixels at the third position estimated in the road width estimation step.

5. In a processor, An acquisition step of acquiring information indicating road pixels, which are pixels corresponding to a road included in the image, generated from an image obtained by photographing the front of the host vehicle; A first road width calculation step in which, based on the road pixels indicated by the information acquired in the acquisition step, the width of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling is calculated as at least the width of the road pixels at a first position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle and the width of the road pixels at a second position different from the first position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle; A second road width calculation step in which, based on the road pixels indicated by the information acquired in the acquisition step, the width of the road pixels at a third position different from the first position and the second position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle is calculated; Assuming that an intersecting road, which is a road that intersects the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, is not included in the image, a road width estimation step of estimating the width of the road pixels at the third position based on the width of the road pixels at at least the first position and the width of the road pixels at the second position calculated in the first road width calculation step; A program for executing a determination step of determining that the intersecting road exists at the third position when the width of the road pixels at the third position calculated in the second road width calculation step is greater than the width of the road pixels at the third position estimated in the road width estimation step.

Images