Obstacle detection system and setting method for detection area

Abstract

To provide a useful technique for setting a detection object region regarding detection of a railroad crossing obstacle.SOLUTION: An obstacle detection system 1 detects a railroad crossing obstacle in a detection object region based on a detection result of a detection unit 11 for detecting an object on a railroad crossing. The obstacle detection system 1 includes: an apex positioning position input unit 153 for inputting an apex positioning position positioned regarding an apex position in the detection area when the detection object region is divided into a plurality of detection areas; an area setting unit 161 for setting ranges for every detection area based on the apex positioning position; and a determination unit 175 for determining a railroad crossing obstacle based on the area setting set by the area setting unit 161 and the detection result by the detection unit 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an obstacle detection system that detects obstacles at railroad crossings. [Background technology]

[0002] Obstacle detection devices have been known for some time, each equipped with a detector that detects objects on a railroad crossing and that detects obstacles at the crossing, such as people or vehicles, based on the detection results of the detector. Various detection methods are available, including a photoelectric type that emits and receives light between a light emitter and a light receiver, a loop coil type that embeds a loop coil, an image type that performs image analysis on a captured image, and a laser radar type that receives reflected light from an emitted laser beam (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-118595 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The detection range of a standalone obstacle detection device is a predetermined area relative to the device itself. Therefore, the device can be placed by determining its position and orientation (posture) so that the detection range covers the desired monitoring area on the railroad crossing. However, in cases where the detection unit and the main device are separate, or where multiple detection units and main devices are configured as an overall system connected by communication, it would be preferable to set the overall detection target area and then determine the placement position and orientation of each device. However, no useful technology for setting the detection target area was known.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a useful technique for setting a detection target area for detecting a railroad crossing obstacle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The first invention for solving the above problem is an obstacle detection system that detects railroad crossing obstacles in a detection target area based on the detection results of a detection unit that detects objects on a railroad crossing, and is an obstacle detection system that includes: a vertex positioning position input unit that inputs a vertex positioning position determined for the vertex position of a detection area when the detection target area is divided into a plurality of detection areas; a detection area setting unit that sets the range of each detection area based on the vertex positioning position; and a judgment unit that judges the railroad crossing obstacle based on the area setting set by the detection area setting unit and the detection results of the detection unit.

[0007] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the apex positioning position of the detection area can be input, and the range of each detection area can be set based on the apex positioning position. Then, based on the area setting and the detection result of the detection unit, it is possible to detect railroad crossing obstacles in the detection target area. This makes it possible to realize a useful technology for setting the detection target area for detecting railroad crossing obstacles.

[0008] A second invention is an obstacle detection system in the above invention, further comprising a detection unit positioning position input unit that inputs a detection unit positioning position that is the positioning position of the detection unit, a relative position relationship calculation unit that calculates the relative position relationship between the vertex positioning position and the detection unit positioning position, and a conversion setting unit that performs conversion setting between the sensor coordinate system of the detection unit and the coordinate system of the detection target area based on the relative position relationship, wherein the determination unit determines the detection position in the detection target area of ​​an object detected by the detection unit using the conversion setting.

[0009] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the relative positional relationship between the vertex positional position and the detection unit positional position is calculated using the detection unit positional position of the detection unit, and conversion setting between the sensor coordinate system of the detection unit and the coordinate system of the detection target area can be performed based on the relative positional relationship.Then, using the conversion setting that has been set, the detection position of the railroad crossing obstacle in the detection target area can be determined.

[0010] A third invention in the above invention is a detection unit positioning position input unit that inputs a detection unit positioning position that is the positioning position of the detection unit; a reflector position input unit for inputting a reflector position, which is a position of a reflector installed to indicate a predetermined reference point related to detection by the detection unit; a relative positional relationship calculation unit that calculates a relative positional relationship between the vertex positioning position, the detection unit positioning position, and the reflector positioning position; a conversion setting unit that converts and sets a sensor coordinate system of the detection unit and a coordinate system of the detection target area based on the relative positional relationship; Further provided with The determination unit is an obstacle detection system that determines the detected position of the object detected by the detection unit in the detection target area using the conversion setting.

[0011] According to the third aspect of the present invention, the relative positional relationship between the vertex positioning position, the detection unit positioning position, and the reflector positioning position can be calculated using the detection unit positioning position of the detection unit and the reflector positioning position of the reflector, and conversion setting can be performed between the sensor coordinate system of the detection unit and the coordinate system of the detection target area based on the relative positional relationship.Then, using the conversion setting that has been set, the detection position of the railroad crossing obstacle in the detection target area can be determined.

[0012] A fourth invention is an obstacle detection system in which, in the above invention, the detection unit detects an object within a predetermined sensor detection range based on a predetermined reference axis direction of the detection unit, and further includes a reference axis direction setting unit that sets the reference axis direction, and the conversion setting unit performs the conversion setting based on the relative positional relationship and the reference axis direction.

[0013] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, conversion setting between the sensor coordinate system of the detection unit and the coordinate system of the detection target area can be performed based on the relative positional relationship between the apex positioning position and the detection unit positioning position and the reference axis direction of the detection unit.

[0014] A fifth invention is an obstacle detection system in which, in the above invention, the detection unit detects an object within a predetermined sensor detection range based on a predetermined reference axis direction of the detection unit, and further includes a reference axis direction setting unit that sets the reference axis direction based on the relative orientation of the reflector and the detection unit based on the detection result of the detection unit detecting the reflector, the reflector positioning position, and the detection unit positioning position, and the conversion setting unit performs the conversion setting based on the relative positional relationship and the reference axis direction.

[0015] According to the fifth invention, the reference axis direction of the detection unit is set based on the relative orientation between the reflector and the detection unit, the reflector positioning position, and the detection unit positioning position, and conversion setting can be performed based on the relative positional relationship between the apex positioning position, the detection unit positioning position, and the reflector positioning position, and the reference axis direction.

[0016] A sixth invention is the obstacle detection system according to the above invention, further comprising a sensor coordinate system calibration unit that corrects the reference axis direction.

[0017] According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the reference axis direction can be corrected.

[0018] A seventh invention is an obstacle detection system in which, in the above invention, the determination unit obtains the detection position in the coordinate system of the detection target area by converting the detection position in the sensor coordinate system detected by the detection unit into the coordinate system of the detection target area using the conversion setting.

[0019] According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the detection position of an object detected by the detection unit in the coordinate system of the detection target area can be obtained by using conversion settings between the sensor coordinate system of the detection unit and the coordinate system of the detection target area.

[0020] An eighth invention is an obstacle detection system in which, in the above invention, the vertex positioning position input unit inputs the vertex positioning position of the detection area for each pattern that divides the detection target area, the detection area setting unit sets the area setting for each pattern, and the determination unit selects the area setting of the pattern to be used from the area settings for each pattern, and determines the railroad crossing obstacle using the selected area setting.

[0021] According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the vertex positioning positions of the detection areas for each pattern that divides the detection target area can be input, and area settings can be set for each pattern. Then, the area setting for the pattern to be used can be selected from the area settings for each pattern, and used to detect a railroad crossing obstacle in the detection target area.

[0022] The ninth invention is a detection area setting method for detecting railroad crossing obstacles in a detection target area based on the detection results of a detection unit that detects objects on a railroad crossing, and includes a vertex positioning position acquisition step for acquiring a vertex positioning position determined for the vertex position of each detection area when the detection target area is divided into a plurality of detection areas, and a detection area setting step for setting the range of each detection area based on the vertex positioning position.

[0023] According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the vertex positioning position of the detection area can be input using satellite positioning, and the range of each detection area can be set based on the vertex positioning position. This makes it possible to realize a useful technique for setting a detection target area for detecting obstacles at railroad crossings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing application examples of the obstacle detection system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining switching of area settings. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the first embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of positioning using a positioning terminal. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining a relative positional relationship calculation process. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining setting of a reference axis direction. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is another diagram for explaining the setting of the reference axis direction. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a conversion setting process. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the obstacle detection system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the main device in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an obstacle detection system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining detection settings. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating calibration. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an obstacle detection system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the main device in the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an obstacle detection system according to a modified example. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an obstacle detection system according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and the forms to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the following embodiments. In addition, in the description of the drawings, the same parts are given the same reference numerals.

[0026] [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an application example of an obstacle detection system in a first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the obstacle detection system 1 detects railroad crossing obstacles that exist at a monitored railroad crossing 10 and impede train passage based on the detection results of a detection unit 11, and includes a main unit 100, detection units 11 (11-1 to 11-4), and reflectors 12 (12-1 to 12-4). The main unit 100 and each detection unit 11 are configured to be able to communicate wirelessly or via a cable. In this embodiment, the main unit 100 is described as being a single unit, but a configuration including multiple units may also be used. The railroad crossing 10 is equipped with railroad crossing safety equipment 13, including railroad crossing alarms, railroad crossing barriers, etc., and a railroad crossing control device 15 that controls the operation of the railroad crossing safety equipment 13.

[0027] The detection unit 11 is a detection means capable of detecting an object present in a sensor detection range based on the installation position and reference axis direction of the detection unit 11 itself, and detects the position of an object present in the sensor detection range as needed and outputs the position of the detected object. In this embodiment, the sensor detection range is described as a position on a two-dimensional plane parallel to the ground. Of course, the sensor detection range may be a three-dimensional space including the height direction, and the detection unit 11 may be configured as a device that detects the position of an object in the three-dimensional space. The detection unit 11 can be realized, for example, using a laser radar such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging).

[0028] More specifically, the detection unit 11 detects the position of an object in a sensor coordinate system that defines the sensor detection range of the detection unit 11, and outputs the detection result to the main device 100. FIG. 1 shows an example in which four detection units 11 (11-1 to 11-4) are installed at the same height, and each detection unit 11 detects the position of an object in its respective sensor detection range, i.e., the position of the object in its respective sensor coordinate system. The sensor coordinate system is, for example, a polar coordinate system in which the installation position is the origin (pole) and the reference axis direction is the starting line with a deflection angle θ=0 (see FIG. 6 and FIG. 8(a)).

[0029] The number of detectors 11 is not limited to four, and may be three or less, or five or more. It is also possible to install multiple detectors 11 (for example, four at each) at different heights (for example, two heights: a high position assuming an adult's height and a low position assuming a child's height) and configure the detectors to detect railroad crossing obstacles within a two-dimensional plane at each height.

[0030] The reflector 12 is installed with its reflective surface facing the detection target area 20 and constitutes a reflection reference point for the laser light from the detection unit 11. The reflector 12 is used in obstacle detection using a line detection method, with reflectors 12-1 and 12-3 forming reflection reference points for the detection units 11-2 and 11-4, and reflectors 12-2 and 12-4 forming reflection reference points for the detection units 11-1 and 11-3. The number of reflectors 12 is not limited to four as illustrated, and may be appropriately set based on the size of the detection target area 20, etc. Alternatively, one of the reflectors 12-1 and 12-3 may be set as the reflection reference point for the detection units 11-2 and 11-4, and one of the reflectors 12-2 and 12-4 may be set as the reflection reference point for the detection units 11-1 and 11-3. Using many reflection reference points can reduce errors in various settings.

[0031] The main device 100 executes an obstacle detection process and detects an object present in the detection target area 20 as a railroad crossing obstacle based on the detection result of the detection unit 11. When a railroad crossing obstacle is detected, the main device 100 issues a predetermined external notification to notify approaching trains and the crew of the train. In this embodiment, as the external notification, the main device 100 outputs an alarm signal to the special signal light emitter 17 to start emitting light. The external notification can also be used as a signal to display a stop signal.

[0032] The obstacle detection system of this embodiment can detect railroad crossing obstacles present in the detection target area 20 using both the so-called surface detection method and the line detection method. The following description focuses on detecting railroad crossing obstacles using the more distinctive surface detection method. Specifically, when detecting railroad crossing obstacles, the main device 100 divides the detection target area 20 into one or more ("1" indicates no division) detection areas along the road traffic direction of the railroad crossing 10. If an object remains present in any of the detection areas for a threshold time set for that detection area, the main device 100 determines that the object is a railroad crossing obstacle. In this embodiment, for example, the period from when the alarm (railroad crossing alarm) starts to sound until the alarm stops is divided into two periods, and the area setting is switched depending on each period. The area setting switched for each period is set as a pattern that differs in the number of divisions, range, etc., of the detection target area 20 along the road traffic direction. In this embodiment, the area setting includes the number of detection areas into which the detection target region 20 is divided along the road traffic direction, the range, type, and threshold time of each detection area, and the period for which the area setting is applied is associated with the area setting.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining switching of area settings. In FIG. 2, the vertical direction represents time, and an example of area settings for each period is shown, in which the time from the start of alarm sounding to the end of alarm sounding is divided into two periods. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the period from the start of alarm sounding to the end of alarm sounding is divided into two periods: a first period from the start of alarm sounding to the completion of crossing gate closure, and a second period from the completion of crossing gate closure to the end of alarm sounding. Note that the number of divided periods is not limited to two, and may be three or more. For example, the period from the start of alarm sounding to the completion of crossing gate closure may be further divided into multiple periods, or the period from the completion of crossing gate closure to the end of alarm sounding may be further divided into multiple periods.

[0034] The area setting for the first period is a setting called a multi-type mixed area setting. The multi-type mixed area setting is an area setting in which the detection target region 20 is divided by mixing multiple types of detection areas with different threshold times and arranging N of these along the road traffic direction of the railroad crossing 10. In the example of FIG. 2, a total of four (N=4) detection areas (first to fourth detection areas) are arranged alternately along the road traffic direction: two detection areas (first and third detection areas) of type α with a threshold time of T1 and two detection areas (second and fourth detection areas) of type β with a threshold time of T2.

[0035] On the other hand, the area setting for the second period is a single area setting in which a single detection area is set. In the example of Figure 2, one (N=1) fifth detection area of ​​type γ with a threshold time of T3 is shown.

[0036] By switching the area settings to detect railroad crossing obstacles, it is possible to appropriately detect railroad crossing obstacles while preventing excessive external notifications (over-notification). That is, for each detection area obtained by dividing the detection target area 20 along the road traffic direction, it is determined whether an object exists for a given threshold time. The time required for an object, such as a person or vehicle, to pass through one detection area varies depending on the size of the detection area being passed through (more specifically, the greater the number of detection areas into which the detection target area 20 is divided, the shorter the time required to pass through one detection area). This allows for a threshold time to be set for each detection area, and for each detection area, it is possible to determine whether an object exists in a detection area within a short threshold time. It is possible to appropriately detect objects that move slowly and may be left behind at the railroad crossing 10 as railroad crossing obstacles, while also preventing over-notification.

[0037] Another reason for setting the first period as a mixed area is that there is a certain amount of time before the train arrives during the first period from when the alarm starts until the crossing is completed, so the threshold time can be set relatively long. On the other hand, after the crossing is completed, when the single area setting is used, the threshold time can be shortened (for example, set to 0), and any detected object can be immediately reported to the outside as a crossing obstruction, thereby ensuring safety and enabling appropriate detection of crossing obstructions in response to the approach of a train.

[0038] Note that while FIG. 2 shows an example in which four detection areas are mixed in the multi-type mixed area setting, the number of detection areas is not limited to four and may be three or less, or five or more. Also, while there are two types of detection areas (types α and β), the number of types is not limited to this and may be three or more. Also, in the example of FIG. 2, when the detection target region 20 is divided into multiple detection areas (multi-type mixed area setting in the first period), the lengths of each detection area along the road traffic direction are the same, but the lengths may be different for each type of detection area, or even for the same type, the lengths may be different depending on the position of the detection area.

[0039] [detail] In the obstacle detection system 1, the main device 100 performs various settings to realize the obstacle detection process. Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the settings. The main device 100 executes a positioning position input process, a relative position relationship calculation process, an area setting process, a reflector detection result input process, a reference axis direction setting process, a conversion setting process, and a detection unit position / orientation diagnosis process.

[0040] 1. Positioning position input processing and relative position relationship calculation processing In the positioning position input process, the main device 100 inputs the positioning positions of the four detection units 11, the position of the four reflectors 12, and the vertex positions of the detection areas of each area setting (the first to fourth detection areas of the multi-area setting and the fifth detection area of ​​the single area setting). In the positioning position input process, satellite positioning by the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) is used to determine the position (latitude and longitude) in the Earth coordinate system.

[0041] For example, a standalone positioning method such as GPS (Global Positioning System) can be used, in which a positioning terminal such as GPS is installed at the position of the target, or a relative positioning method such as RTK (Real Time Kinematic)-GNSS can be used. In the latter case, positioning is performed simultaneously by a reference station installed at a known location and a mobile station (positioning terminal) installed at the target location, and the position of the mobile station (position of the target) is obtained from the positioning results. Network-type RTK-GNSS, which does not require the installation of a reference station, can also be used.

[0042] 4 shows a scene where a worker measures his position by placing the positioning terminal 3 at one vertex position P1 of a detection area when the detection target area is divided into multiple detection areas at a railroad crossing 10. Note that at the actual work site, boundary lines of the detection areas may or may not be drawn on the railroad crossing 10, but it is expected that predetermined marks will be placed or markers will be placed at the positions corresponding to the vertices of the detection areas.

[0043] The positioning terminal 3 and the main device 100 are configured to be able to communicate with each other. Note that the main device 100 is not shown in FIG. 4 . The worker performs an operation to input identification information for the vertex position P1 on the positioning terminal 3. Then, when positioning at the vertex position P1 is completed, a positioning completion operation is performed and various measurement data is transmitted to the main device 100. As a result, the position of the vertex position P1 in the Earth coordinate system (the vertex positioning position) is transmitted to the main device 100 together with the identification information for the vertex position P1, and the vertex positioning position of the vertex position P1 is input to the main device 100. This operation is performed for each vertex position, for each position of each detection unit 11, and for each position of each reflector 12.

[0044] 3, in the positioning position input process, the main device 100 uses positioning using the positioning terminal 3 to input, for each detection area (first to fifth detection areas in this embodiment), the positioning positions at each vertex position of the detection area as the vertex positioning positions of the vertices of the detection area (A). Similarly, the main device 100 uses positioning using the positioning terminal 3 to input, for each detection unit 11, the positioning position at the position of the detection unit 11 as the detection unit positioned position related to the detection unit 11 (B). Furthermore, the main device 100 uses positioning using the positioning terminal 3 to input, for each reflector 12, the positioning position at the position of the reflector 12 as the reflector positioned position related to the reflector 12 (C).

[0045] Then, the main device 100 receives input in the positioning position input process and defines a coordinate system for the detection target area (hereinafter referred to as the "detection coordinate system").The main device 100 then plots the vertex positioning position (A), the detection unit positioning position (B), and the reflector positioning position (C) on the detection coordinate system (E).This process calculates the relative positional relationship between the positioning positions (relative positional relationship calculation process).

[0046] Figure 5 is a diagram in which the vertex positioning positions P30 to P39 for each vertex position of each detection area related to the two area settings (the multi-type mixed area setting and the single area setting in Figure 2) that are switched and used in the obstacle detection process, the detection unit positioning positions P4 (P4-1 to P4-4) for each detection unit 11 (11-1 to 11-4), and the reflector positioning positions P5 (P5-1 to 12-4) for each reflector 12 (12-1 to 12-4) are plotted in the detection coordinate system.

[0047] The detection coordinate system can be, for example, an orthogonal coordinate system based on latitude and longitude. The positioning position input process makes known the vertex positioning positions P30 to P39, the detector positioning positions P4-1 to P4-4, and the reflector positioning positions P5-1 to P5-4. These positioning positions are positions (latitude and longitude) in the same Earth coordinate system. In the relative positional relationship calculation process, the main device 100 plots the input vertex positioning positions P30 to P39, the detector positioning positions P4-1 to P4-4, and the reflector positioning positions P5-1 to P5-4 in the detection coordinate system, as shown in FIG.

[0048] 2. Area setting process In the area setting process, the main device 100 sets a range for each detection area in the detection coordinate system based on the vertex positioning positions P30 to P39 (F). Specifically, the main device 100 sets the range surrounded by the vertex positioning positions P30 to P33 as a first detection area, the range surrounded by the vertex positioning positions P32 to P35 as a second detection area, the range surrounded by the vertex positioning positions P34 to P37 as a third detection area, the range surrounded by the vertex positioning positions P36 to P39 as a fourth detection area, and the range surrounded by the vertex positioning positions P30, P31, P38, and P39 as a fifth detection area.

[0049] 3. Reflector detection result input processing and reference axis direction setting processing In the reflector detection result input process, the main device 100 inputs the reflector detection results from each detection unit 11 as shown in Fig. 3 (D). Then, in the reference axis direction setting process, the main device 100 sets the reference axis direction of each detection unit 11 in the detection coordinate system based on the relative orientation between the detection unit 11 and the reflector 12 based on the reflector detection result and the detection unit positioning positions P4-1 to P4-4 and the reflector positioning positions P5-1 to P5-4 (see Fig. 5) in the detection coordinate system (G).

[0050] In this embodiment, the reference axis direction is set for each detection unit 11 using the reflector detection result for the reflector 12 that constitutes the corresponding reflection reference point. Therefore, in the reflector detection result input process, the reflector detection result for the corresponding reflector 12 is input for each detection unit 11. Furthermore, in the reference axis direction setting process, the reference axis direction for each detection unit 11 is set using the reflector detection result of that detection unit 11 (G). FIGS. 6 and 7 are diagrams for explaining the setting of the reference axis direction for one detection unit 11-1, focusing on that detection unit 11-1.

[0051] Prior to the reflector detection result input process, the detection unit 11-1 irradiates a laser beam onto a predetermined sensor detection range centered on the reference axis direction (the direction of the starting line of the deflection angle θ=0) 18 of the detection unit 11-1 in the sensor coordinate system, as shown in Fig. 6, and performs distance measurement calculations to acquire the positions (polar coordinates) of each of the reflectors 12-2 and 12-4 in the sensor coordinate system. In the reflector detection result input process, the main device 100 inputs the polar coordinates Pa(ra, θa) of the reflector 12-2 and the polar coordinates Pb(rb, θb) of the reflector 12-4 acquired by the detection unit 11-1 as the reflector detection results.

[0052] Then, upon receiving the input in the positioning position input process, the main device 100 sets the reference axis direction 19 of the detection unit 11-1 in the detection coordinate system based on the relative orientation θa between the detection unit 11-1 and the reflector 12-2 and the relative orientation θb between the detection unit 11-1 and the reflector 12-4 based on the input polar coordinates Pa and Pb, and on the detection unit positioning position P4-1 of the detection unit 11-1 and the reflector positioning positions P5-2 and P5-4 of the reflectors 12-2 and 12-4 plotted in the detection coordinate system in the previous process. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7 , the direction determined from the detection unit positioning position P4-1, the reflector positioning position P5-2, and the relative orientation θa between the detection unit 11-1 and the reflector 12-2 is set as the reference axis direction 19 of the detection unit 11-1 in the detection coordinate system. The direction determined by the detection unit positioning position P4-1 and the reflector positioning position P5-4 and the relative direction θb between the detection unit 11-1 and the reflector 12-4 may be set as the reference axis direction, or the reference axis direction may be set using two directions (relative directions θa, θb). The reference axis directions are set similarly for the detection units 11-2 to 11-4. Setting the reference axis direction using multiple directions (for example, relative directions θa, θb) can further reduce errors in the reference axis direction.

[0053] 4. About conversion setting process As shown in Fig. 3, the main device 100 determines a coordinate conversion formula for converting the sensor coordinate system into a detection coordinate system and performs conversion setting (H). In this embodiment, the sensor coordinate system is a polar coordinate system that defines the sensor detection range corresponding to each detection unit 11. This is converted into a detection coordinate system (in this embodiment, an orthogonal coordinate system based on latitude and longitude) that is a unified coordinate system related to the detection target area 20. Note that the sensor coordinate system may be defined as a two-dimensional or three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system.

[0054] Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining the conversion setting process. The detection unit 11 detects an object by irradiating a laser beam into a sensor detection range based on the reference axis direction of the detection unit 11, and each detection unit 11 has a sensor coordinate system (Fig. 8(a)). Fig. 8(a) focuses on one detection unit 11 and shows its sensor coordinate system.

[0055] As described above, the vertex positioning positions, which are the positions of the vertices of each detection area in the Earth coordinate system, the detection unit positioning positions, which are the positions of the detection unit 11 in the Earth coordinate system, and the reflector positioning positions, which are the positions of the reflector 12 in the Earth coordinate system, are input in the positioning position input process (see (A) to (C) of FIG. 3). Then, in the relative positional relationship calculation process, the detection coordinate system is defined as an orthogonal coordinate system based on latitude and longitude, and the relative positional relationship of each positioning position in the detection coordinate system is calculated (see (E) of FIG. 3). Furthermore, in the reference axis direction setting process, the reference axis directions of the detection units 11 in the detection coordinate system are set (see (G) of FIG. 3).

[0056] Since each positioning position and the reference axis direction can be specified in a common coordinate system called the detection coordinate system, it is possible to find a coordinate conversion formula for converting the sensor coordinate system of each detection unit 11 into the detection coordinate system. The coordinate conversion formula is a coordinate conversion formula for converting position coordinates in the sensor coordinate system into position coordinates in the detection coordinate system. The coordinate conversion formula itself can be defined as a determinant, and can be realized by using known technology.

[0057] The coordinate conversion formula is found for each detection unit 11. That is, the main device 100 sets the conversion setting by finding, for each detection unit 11, a coordinate conversion formula for converting position coordinates from the sensor coordinate system of the detection unit 11 to the detection coordinate system using the relative positional relationship between each vertex positioning position and the detection unit positioning position of the detection unit 11, and the reference axis direction of the detection unit 11.

[0058] With this setting, in the obstacle detection process, the main device 100 can convert the position using the conversion setting, thereby determining whether an object is present in the detection area and the detected position of the object in the detection coordinate system. Even when there are multiple detection units 11, it is possible to determine the position of the object in a unified detection coordinate system, which is very convenient.

[0059] For example, in (a) of FIG. 8, if the detection unit 11 detects an object, the coordinate position in the sensor coordinate system (for example, the position indicated by "x" in (a) of FIG. 8) is output to the main device 100. The main device 100 converts the coordinate position into a coordinate position in the detection coordinate system (the position indicated by "x" in (b) of FIG. 8) using a coordinate conversion formula set as the conversion setting. The main device 100 then determines the converted position as the detection position, and determines in which detection area the position exists, thereby determining the detection area in which the object exists.

[0060] 5.Detector position and orientation diagnosis processing In the detection unit position / orientation diagnosis process, the main device 100 diagnoses whether the installation position and reference axis direction of each detection unit 11 are appropriate, as shown in Fig. 3 (I). For example, the main device 100 determines, for each detection unit 11 in the detection coordinate system, whether each vertex positioning position and the reflector positioning position of the reflector 12 that constitutes the corresponding reflection reference point are within the sensor detection range of the detection unit 11, and if all are within the sensor detection range, determines that the installation position and reference axis direction of the detection unit 11 are appropriate. If there is a detection unit 11 that is determined to be inappropriate as a result of the detection unit position / orientation diagnosis process, a predetermined notification is issued to the effect that the installation of the detection unit 11 needs to be reviewed.

[0061] [Function Configuration] Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the obstacle detection system 1 in the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 9, the obstacle detection system 1 includes a main device 100, a detection unit 11, and a reflector 12, and is configured such that the main device 100 and each detection unit 11 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0062] The main device 100 includes an operation unit 110, a display unit 120, a communication unit 130, a processing unit 140, and a storage unit 200, and is configured as a kind of computer system.

[0063] The operation unit 110 is realized by an input device such as a button switch or a touch panel, and outputs an operation signal according to the operation input to the processing unit 140. The display unit 120 is realized by a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or a touch panel, and performs various displays according to the display signal from the processing unit 140. The communication unit 130 is realized by a wired or wireless communication device, and communicates with external devices such as the positioning terminal 3, the detection unit 11, the railroad crossing control device 15, and the special signal light emitter 17.

[0064] The processing unit 140 is realized, for example, by an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a control board including the arithmetic circuit, and performs various arithmetic processing based on programs, data, etc. stored in the memory unit 200 to control the operation of the obstacle detection system 1.

[0065] In this embodiment, the processing unit 140 includes a detection setting unit 150 and an obstacle detection unit 170. Each of these functional units may be an arithmetic processing block realized as software by executing a program, or may be a circuit block realized by a signal processing circuit. In this embodiment, the processing unit 140 will be described as an arithmetic processing block realized as software by executing a predetermined program. Note that the detection setting unit 150 and the obstacle detection unit 170 may be separate entities configured with separate CPUs or the like.

[0066] The detection setting unit 150 includes a vertex positioning position input unit 153, a detection unit positioning position input unit 155, a reflector positioning position input unit 157, a relative position relationship calculation unit 159, an area setting unit 161, a reflector detection result input unit 163, a reference axis direction setting unit 165, a conversion setting unit 167, and a detection unit position / orientation diagnosis unit 169.

[0067] The vertex positioning position input unit 153 inputs, for each area setting (for example, the multi-type mixed area setting and single area setting in Figure 2), the positioning position (vertex positioning position) in the Earth coordinate system measured using satellite positioning for each vertex position of the detection area related to the area setting (the first to fourth detection areas in the multi-type mixed area setting and the fifth detection area in the single area setting).

[0068] The detector positioning position input unit 155 inputs the positioning position (detector positioning position) of each detector 11 in the Earth coordinate system measured using satellite positioning.

[0069] The reflector positioning position input unit 157 inputs the positioning position (reflector positioning position) of each reflector 12 in the Earth coordinate system measured using satellite positioning.

[0070] The relative positional relationship calculation unit 159 is a functional unit that executes the relative positional relationship calculation process, and defines the detection coordinate system as an orthogonal coordinate system based on latitude and longitude (see Figure 5), and calculates the relative positional relationship between the vertex positioning position, the detection unit positioning position, and the reflector positioning position.

[0071] The area setting unit 161 is a functional unit that executes area setting processing and sets the range of each detection area based on the vertex positioning position. The range of the set detection area is stored in the storage unit 200 as the detection area range 221 of the area setting data 220 related to the area setting.

[0072] The reflector detection result input unit 163 is a functional unit that executes a reflector detection result input process, and receives the reflector detection result relating to the corresponding reflector 12 from each detection unit 11 (see FIG. 6).

[0073] The reference axis direction setting unit 165 is a functional unit that executes a reference axis direction setting process, and for each detection unit 11, sets a reference axis direction in the detection coordinate system of the detection unit 11 based on the relative orientation between the detection unit 11 and the reflector 12 based on the reflector detection result from the detection unit 11, the detection unit positioning position, and the reflector positioning position (see Figure 7).

[0074] The conversion setting unit 167 is a functional unit that executes the conversion setting process, and for each detection unit 11, performs conversion setting between the sensor coordinate system (polar coordinate system) of the detection unit 11 and the detection coordinate system based on the relative positional relationship calculated by the relative positional relationship calculation unit 159 and the reference axis direction of the detection unit 11.

[0075] The detector position / orientation diagnosis unit 169 is a functional unit that executes a detector position / orientation diagnosis process, and diagnoses for each detector 11 whether its installation position and reference axis direction are appropriate.

[0076] The obstacle detection unit 170 includes an area setting switching control unit 171, a division unit 173, a judgment unit 175, and an external notification control unit 177, and detects obstacles such as people or vehicles present at the crossing 10 when a train is approaching, and notifies the outside.

[0077] The area setting switching control unit 171 switches the area setting based on the area setting data 220 during the period from when the alarm (railroad crossing alarm) from the railroad crossing safety equipment 13 starts sounding until when the alarm stops sounding. In this embodiment, the area setting switching control unit 171 divides the period from when the alarm starts sounding until when the alarm stops sounding into two periods, and switches the area setting according to each period. Specifically, the area setting switching control unit 171 determines which of the divided periods from when the alarm starts sounding until when the alarm stops sounding is the current time based on railroad crossing control information from the railroad crossing control device 15, train entrance detection information from the train entrance detection device 16, etc., and switches the area setting according to the period. The railroad crossing control information is information that indicates the operating status of the railroad crossing safety equipment 13 (the control status by the railroad crossing control device 15), such as whether the railroad crossing alarm is sounding or not, and whether the crossing barrier of the railroad crossing gate is raised or lowered. The train entry detection device 16 is, for example, a railroad crossing controller installed on the entry side of the railroad crossing 10 according to the direction of train entry, and detects the entry (arrival) of a train at the railroad crossing 10. The train entry detection information is information indicating that the train entry detection device 16 has detected the entry (arrival) of a train. Then, the area setting switching control unit 171 switches to a multi-area mixed area setting by referring to the area setting data 220 for the first period when it determines that sounding has started, and switches to a single area setting by referring to the area setting data 220 for the second period when it determines that the line has been blocked.

[0078] The dividing unit 173 divides the detection target region 20 into detection areas along the road traffic direction in accordance with the area setting data 220 of the area setting switched by the area setting switching control unit 171. Here, the dividing unit 173 reads out the detection area range 221 from the area setting data 220 and determines the ranges of N (N≧1) detection areas in the detection coordinate system.

[0079] The determination unit 175 determines, for each detection area divided by the division unit 173, whether the state in which an object exists in the detection area has continued for a given threshold time, based on the detection result of the detection unit 11. Specifically, the determination unit 175 first converts the position of the object detected by the detection unit 11 in the sensor coordinate system into the detection coordinate system using the conversion setting (conversion setting data 230 related to the detection unit 11) set for the detection unit 11 by the conversion setting unit 167. Next, the determination unit 175 determines in which detection area the object detected by the detection unit 11 exists, based on the converted position. Then, the determination unit 175 determines whether the duration of the state in which the object exists in the detection area has reached the threshold time set for the detection area.

[0080] The external notification control unit 177 issues a predetermined external notification based on the determination result of the determination unit 175. Specifically, when the determination unit 175 determines that the presence of an object in a certain detection area has reached a threshold time set for that detection area, it issues an external notification that a crossing obstacle has been detected. The external notification may be, for example, outputting an alarm signal to a special signal light 17 installed facing a train approaching the crossing 10 to cause it to start emitting light, or may be sent wirelessly to an on-board device of a train approaching the crossing 10.

[0081] The storage unit 200 is realized by a storage medium such as an IC memory or a hard disk. The storage unit 200 stores in advance or temporarily stores each time processing is performed programs for operating the obstacle detection system 1 and realizing various functions of the obstacle detection system 1, and data used during execution of the programs. In this embodiment, the storage unit 200 stores positioning measurement and setting data 210, area setting data 220 (220-1, 2), and conversion setting data 230.

[0082] The positioning measurement and setting data 210 includes vertex positioning measurement data 213 , detector positioning measurement and setting data 215 , and reflector positioning measurement data 217 .

[0083] The vertex positioning measurement data 213 stores the vertex positioning position of each vertex position of each detection area input by the vertex positioning position input unit 153 .

[0084] The detection unit positioning measurement and setting data 215 stores the detection unit positioning position of each detection unit 11 input by the detection unit positioning position input unit 155 and the reference axis direction of each detection unit 11 set by the reference axis direction setting unit 165.

[0085] The reflector positioning measurement data 217 stores the reflector positioning position of each reflector 12 input by the reflector positioning position input unit 157.

[0086] The area setting data 220 (220-1, 2) is prepared for each of two periods (first period and second period) that are separated by the time from the start of ringing to the end of ringing, and defines the area setting for each period. In this embodiment, the area setting data 220-1 for the first period defines a mixed area setting, and the area setting data 220-2 for the second period defines a single area setting. Specifically, one area setting data 220 defines a detection area range 221 that indicates the range in the detection coordinate system of each detection area related to the area setting, as well as the number of detection areas, the type of each detection area, threshold time, etc.

[0087] The conversion setting data 230 is prepared for each detection unit 11 (four detection units 11 in this embodiment), and stores data on the conversion setting (coordinate conversion formula from the sensor coordinate system of the detection unit 11 to the detection coordinate system) set for the detection unit 11 by the conversion setting unit 167 in correspondence with the identification ID (detection unit ID) of the detection unit 11.

[0088] [Processing flow] Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the main device 100 in the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 10, in this processing, first, a positioning position input process is executed using the positioning terminal 3 (see Fig. 4). That is, the vertex positioning position input unit 153 inputs, for each detection area related to each area setting, the positioning position determined for each vertex position of the detection area as the vertex positioning position (step S3). Furthermore, the detection unit positioning position input unit 155 inputs, for each detection unit 11, the positioning position of the detection unit 11 as the detection unit positioning position (step S5). Furthermore, the reflector positioning position input unit 157 inputs, for each reflector 12, the positioning position of the reflector 12 as the reflector positioning position (step S7).

[0089] Next, the relative positional relationship calculation unit 159 executes a relative positional relationship calculation process (step S11). That is, the relative positional relationship calculation unit 159 defines a detection coordinate system (an orthogonal coordinate system based on latitude and longitude), plots the vertex positioning position input in step S3, the detection unit positioning position input in step S5, and the reflector positioning position input in step S7 on the detection coordinate system, and calculates the relative positional relationship between each of the positioning positions.

[0090] Next, the area setting unit 161 executes an area setting process to set the range of each detection area based on the apex positioning position (step S13).

[0091] Furthermore, the reflector detection result input unit 163 executes a reflector detection result input process to input the reflector detection result for the corresponding reflector 12 from each detection unit 11 (step S15). Then, the reference axis direction setting unit 165 executes a reference axis direction setting process to set, for each detection unit 11, a reference axis direction in the detection coordinate system of the detection unit 11 based on the relative orientation between the detection unit 11 and the reflector 12 based on the reflector detection result input for the detection unit 11 in step S15, and the detection unit positioning position of the detection unit 11 and the reflector positioning position of the corresponding reflector 12 (step S17).

[0092] Then, the conversion setting unit 167 executes a conversion setting process and sets a conversion setting for each detection unit 11 to convert the position from the sensor coordinate system (polar coordinate system) of the detection unit 11 to the detection coordinate system (Cartesian coordinate system) (step S19).

[0093] Next, the detection unit position / orientation diagnosis unit 169 executes a detection unit position / orientation diagnosis process to diagnose whether the installation position and the reference axis direction of each detection unit are appropriate (step S21). Here, the detection unit position / orientation diagnosis unit 169 determines whether, for each detection unit 11, the vertex positioning positions and the reflector positioning positions of the reflectors 12 that constitute the corresponding reflection reference points are all within the sensor detection range in the detection coordinate system, and determines whether the installation position and the reference axis direction of the detection unit 11 are appropriate.

[0094] Thereafter, when the alarm (railroad crossing alarm) starts sounding (step S23: YES), the obstacle detection unit 170 executes the obstacle detection process, detects a railroad crossing obstacle present at the railroad crossing 10, and notifies the outside (step S25). When the alarm stops sounding (step S27: YES), the obstacle detection process ends. Then, until this process ends (step S29: NO), the process returns to step S23 and waits until the alarm starts sounding.

[0095] As described above, according to this embodiment, the vertex positioning positions of each vertex position for each detection area at the railroad crossing 10 measured using the positioning terminal 3, the detection unit positioning positions for each detection unit 11, and the reflector positioning positions for each reflector 12 are input and used to calculate the relative positional relationship between the vertex positioning positions, the detection unit positioning positions, and the reflector positioning positions, and the range for each detection area can be set based on the vertex positioning positions. Furthermore, a reference axis direction can be set for each detection unit 11, and a conversion setting can be set for each detection unit 11 to convert the position (more precisely, the coordinate position) from the sensor coordinate system of that detection unit 11 to the detection coordinate system. When an object position is detected by the detection unit 11, the position of the detected object can be converted from the sensor coordinate system of that detection unit 11 to the detection coordinate system using the conversion setting of that detection unit 11, thereby determining whether or not an object exists in each detection area and identifying a railroad crossing obstacle. This makes it possible to realize a useful technique for setting a detection target area for detecting railroad crossing obstacles.

[0096] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an obstacle detection system 1a in the second embodiment. The obstacle detection system 1a includes two detectors 11a (11a-1, 2), eight reflectors 12 (12-1 to 8), and a main unit 100a. The main unit 100a and each detector 11a are configured to be able to communicate wirelessly or via a cable. Note that the number of detectors 11a and reflectors 12 is merely an example and is not particularly limited.

[0097] As in the first embodiment, the detection unit 11a is a detection means capable of detecting an object present within a sensor detection range based on the installation position and reference axis direction of the detection unit 11a. In this embodiment, a reference reflector (hereinafter also referred to as a "reference reflector") is determined in advance for each detection unit 11a, and a direction connecting the detection unit 11a and the reference reflector is set as the reference axis direction of the detection unit 11a. The detection unit 11a then detects the position of an object in a sensor coordinate system that defines the sensor detection range of the detection unit 11a. The sensor coordinate system is, for example, a polar coordinate system (see FIG. 12(b)) with the installation position of the detection unit 11a as the origin (pole) and the reference axis direction set for the detection unit 11a as the starting line with a deflection angle θ = 0.

[0098] For example, when reflector 12-1 is set as the reference reflector for detection unit 11a-1, direction 21 (see FIG. 11) connecting detection unit 11a-1 and reference reflector 12-1 is set as the reference axis direction of detection unit 11a-1. Detection unit 11a-1 detects an object in a sensor coordinate system (polar coordinate system) determined by its installation position and reference axis direction 21, and outputs the detection result to main device 100a.

[0099] The same applies to detection unit 11a-2. For example, if reflector 12-5 is set as the reference reflector for detection unit 11a-2, direction 23 connecting detection unit 11a-2 and reference reflector 12-5 is set as the reference axis direction of detection unit 11a-2. Detection unit 11a-2 detects an object in a sensor coordinate system (polar coordinate system) determined by its installation position and reference axis direction 23, and outputs the detection result to main device 100a.

[0100] The reflector 12 constitutes a reflection reference point of the laser light from the detection unit 11a. For example, the reflectors 12-1 to 12-4 constitute the reflection reference point of the detection unit 11a-1, and the reflectors 12-5 to 12-8 constitute the reflection reference point of the detection unit 11a-2.

[0101] [detail] 12 is a diagram illustrating the detection setting performed by the main device 100a in the obstacle detection system 1a of the second embodiment. The main device 100a performs a positioning position input process, a relative position relationship calculation process, a conversion setting process, and a conversion setting correction process to perform the detection setting. Meanwhile, the detection unit 11a sets the reference axis direction of the detection unit 11a based on the conversion setting in the detection setting.

[0102] 1. Positioning position input processing and relative position relationship calculation processing In the positioning position input process, the main device 100a inputs the positions of the two detection units 11a, the positions of the eight reflectors 12, and the vertex positions of the detection areas of each area setting (for example, the first to fourth detection areas of the mixed area setting and the fifth detection area of ​​the single area setting in FIG. 2) in the same manner as in the first embodiment. For example, the positioning terminal 3 (see FIG. 4) is used to measure the position (latitude and longitude) in the Earth coordinate system using satellite positioning by GNSS.

[0103] In the relative positional relationship calculation process, the main device 100a receives the input in the positioning position input process and defines a detection coordinate system (for example, an orthogonal coordinate system based on latitude and longitude). Then, as shown in Fig. 12(a), the main device 100a plots the detection unit positioning positions P6-1, 2 of each detection unit 11a, the reflector positioning positions P7-1 to P7-8 of each reflector 12-1 to 12-8, and the vertex positioning positions P80 to P89 of each vertex position on the detection coordinate system.

[0104] 2. About conversion setting process In the conversion setting process, the main device 100a performs conversion setting between the detection coordinate system and each of the sensor coordinate systems (polar coordinate systems) of the detection units 11a based on the detection unit positioning positions P6-1, 2, reflector positioning positions P7-1 to P7-8, and vertex positioning positions P80 to P89 plotted in the detection coordinate system. Here, each positioning position is converted into a position (polar coordinate) in the sensor coordinate system of each detection unit 11a, and a coordinate conversion formula between the detection coordinate system and each of the sensor coordinate systems of each detection unit 11a is obtained.

[0105] For example, focusing on the detection unit 11a-1, the main device 100a calculates the positions in the sensor coordinate system of the detection unit 11a-1 for the reflector positioning positions P7-1 to P7-4 of the reflectors 12-1 to 12-4 that constitute the reflection reference points of the detection unit 11a-1 and the vertex positioning positions P80 to P89.

[0106] Here, the reference reflector of the detection unit 11a-1 is the reflector 12-1, and the direction connecting the reflector positioning position P7-1 and the detection unit positioning position P6-1 is set as the reference axis direction of the detection unit 11a-1 (the starting line of the deflection angle θ=0 in the sensor coordinate system). Therefore, the main device 100a uses the detection unit positioning position P6-1 and the reflector positioning position P7-1 to calculate the position of the detection unit 11a-1 in the sensor coordinate system for each positioning position to be converted ((a)→(b) in FIG. 12). That is, first, the distance rc is calculated from the detection unit positioning position P6-1 and the reflector positioning position P7-1 ((a) in FIG. 12), and the position P11-1(rc,0) of the detection unit 11a-1 in the sensor coordinate system is calculated ((b) in FIG. 12). Thereafter, for example, in the case of calculating the vertex positioning position P85 in Fig. 12(a), the distance rd and angle θd are found from the detection unit positioning position P6-1, the reflector positioning position P7-1, and the vertex positioning position P85 (Fig. 12(a)), and the position P105(rd, θd) in the sensor coordinate system of the detection unit 11a-1 is calculated (Fig. 12(b)). Similarly, for the other vertex positioning positions P80 to P84, P86 to P89 and the reflector positioning positions P7-2 to P7-4, positions (polar coordinates) P100 to P104, P106 to P109, and P11-2 to P11-4 in the sensor coordinate system of the detection unit 11a-1 are calculated.

[0107] Next, the main device 100a calculates a coordinate conversion formula between the detection coordinate system and the sensor coordinate system of the detection unit 11a-1, and sets the conversion settings for the detection unit 11a-1.The main device 100a then outputs the calculated polar coordinates P100-P109 and P11-1-P11-4 for the reflectors 12-1-12-4 of the reflection reference points and the vertex positions to the detection unit 11a-1.

[0108] Similarly, for detection unit 11a-2, main device 100a calculates the positions in the sensor coordinate system of detection unit 11a-2 of reflector positioning positions P7-5 to P7-8 of reflectors 12-5 to P7-8 that constitute the reflection reference points of detection unit 11a-2 and vertex positioning positions P80 to P89. Because the reference reflector of detection unit 11a-2 is reflector 12-5, the direction connecting reflector positioning position P7-5 and detection unit positioning position P6-2 is set as the reference axis direction of detection unit 11a-2. Therefore, main device 100a uses detection unit positioning position P6-2 and reflector positioning position P7-5 to calculate the position of detection unit 11a-2 in the sensor coordinate system for each positioning position to be converted. Thereafter, the main device 100a calculates a coordinate conversion formula between the detection coordinate system and the sensor coordinate system of the detection unit 11a-2, and sets the conversion settings for the detection unit 11a-2.The main device 100a then outputs the calculated polar coordinates of the reflection reference points of the reflectors 12-5 to 12-8 and the positions of each vertex to the detection unit 11a-2.

[0109] 3. Setting the reference axis direction The detector 11a receives polar coordinates from the main device 100a and sets the reference axis direction. At that time, the detector 11a performs calibration to correct the reference axis direction and defines a sensor coordinate system. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the calibration, focusing on one detector 11a-1. FIG. 13 shows polar coordinates P100-P109 and P11-1-4 for reflectors 12-1-12-8 and their vertex positions, which have been converted and input from the main device 100a.

[0110] Here, the polar coordinates P100-P109 and P11-1-4 input from the main device 100a are positions in a sensor coordinate system converted and set based on the position measured using satellite positioning, and therefore errors may occur with respect to the actual position. Therefore, for example, the detection unit 11a-1 irradiates the sensor detection range with laser light and performs distance measurement calculations to acquire the polar coordinate P12 of the reference reflector 12-1. The detection unit 11a-1 then calculates a correction angle θc for correcting the direction 25 of the converted polar coordinate P11-1 of the reference reflector 12-1 to the direction 27 of the acquired polar coordinate P12. Next, the detection unit 11a-1 corrects each of the converted polar coordinates P100-P109 and P11-1-4 based on the correction angle θc, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 13. The corrected polar coordinates are indicated by "x" marks in FIG. 13. The detection unit 11a-1 then performs calibration to correct the reference axis direction as the direction 27 of the corrected polar coordinate P12 for the reference reflector 12-1, and defines a sensor coordinate system. The detection unit 11a-1 also outputs the calculated correction angle θc to the control unit 260 to reflect the calibration result in the detection coordinate system.

[0111] Similarly, the detection unit 11a-2 performs calibration in the above-described manner to correct and set the reference axis direction, thereby defining the sensor coordinate system.

[0112] 4. Conversion setting correction process and area setting process In the conversion setting correction process, the main device 100a corrects the conversion setting based on the correction angle input from each detection unit 11a. That is, based on the correction angle input from each detection unit 11a, the main device 100a corrects the reference axis direction in the sensor coordinate system of each detection unit 11a converted and set in the conversion setting process to correct the polar coordinates of reflectors 12-1 to 12-8 and each vertex position, and corrects the reference axis direction in the detection coordinate system to correct the positioning positions of reflectors 12-1 to 12-8 and each vertex position. Then, the main device 100a re-determines the coordinate conversion formula between the detection coordinate system and each sensor coordinate system to correct the conversion setting.

[0113] Then, in the area setting process, the main device 100a sets the range of each detection area in the detection coordinate system based on the corrected vertex position measured positions.

[0114] [Function Configuration] Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an obstacle detection system 1a in the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 14, the obstacle detection system 1a includes a main device 100a, detection units 11a (11a-1, 11a-2), and a reflector 12, and is configured such that the main device 100a and each detection unit 11a are communicatively connected.

[0115] The detection unit 11a includes a sensor unit 250 corresponding to the detection means, and a control unit 260 that performs settings for defining a sensor coordinate system.

[0116] The control unit 260 includes a reference axis direction setting unit 261 that sets a reference axis direction and defines a sensor coordinate system. The reference axis direction setting unit 261 includes a sensor coordinate system calibration unit 263 that corrects the reference axis direction and corrects the position (polar coordinates) in the sensor coordinate system converted and set by the main device 100a (conversion setting unit 181).

[0117] The main device 100a includes an operation unit 110, a display unit 120, a communication unit 130, a processing unit 140a, and a storage unit 200a, and is configured as a type of computer system.

[0118] In this embodiment, the processing unit 140a includes a detection setting unit 150a and an obstacle detection unit 170.

[0119] The detection setting unit 150a includes a vertex positioning position input unit 153, a detection unit positioning position input unit 155, a reflector positioning position input unit 157, a relative positional relationship calculation unit 159, a conversion setting unit 181, a conversion setting correction unit 183, and an area setting unit 185.

[0120] The conversion setting unit 181 is a functional unit that executes conversion setting processing, and for each detection unit 11a, performs conversion setting between the sensor coordinate system (polar coordinate system) and the detection coordinate system (Cartesian coordinate system) of the detection unit 11a based on the relative positional relationship calculated by the relative positional relationship calculation unit 159 and the reference axis direction of the detection unit 11a.

[0121] The conversion setting correction unit 183 is a functional unit that executes a conversion setting correction process, and corrects the conversion setting set by the conversion setting unit 181 based on the calibration results performed by the sensor coordinate system calibration unit 263 in each detection unit 11a.

[0122] The area setting unit 185 is a functional unit that executes area setting processing, and sets the range for each detection area based on the vertex positioning position corrected by the conversion setting correction unit 183.

[0123] The storage unit 200a stores positioning measurement data 210a, area setting data 220 (220-1, 2), and conversion setting data 240.

[0124] The positioning measurement data 210a stores vertex positioning measurement data 213 of the vertex positioning position input by the vertex positioning position input unit 153, detection unit positioning measurement data 215a of the detection unit positioning position input by the detection unit positioning position input unit 155, and reflector positioning measurement data 217 of the reflector positioning position input by the reflector positioning position input unit 157.

[0125] The conversion setting data 240 stores data on the coordinate conversion formula between the detection coordinate system and each sensor coordinate system of each detection unit 11a, the reference axis direction in each sensor coordinate system, the polar coordinates of the reflector 12 and each vertex position, and the reference axis direction in the detection coordinate system.

[0126] [Processing flow] 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the main device 100a in the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, in this processing, after each positioning position is plotted in a detection coordinate system in step S11, the conversion setting unit 181 executes a conversion setting process to perform conversion setting between the detection coordinate system and each of the sensor coordinate systems of the detection units 11a (step S111). In response to this conversion setting, the sensor coordinate system calibration unit 263 in the reference axis direction setting unit 261 of each detection unit 11a performs calibration, corrects and sets the reference axis direction in the sensor coordinate system of that detection unit 11a, and defines the sensor coordinate system.

[0127] Then, the conversion setting correction unit 183 executes a conversion setting correction process based on the calibration results performed by each detection unit 11a, and corrects the conversion setting set in step S111 (step S113). Also, the area setting unit 185 executes an area setting process to set the range of each detection area in the detection coordinate system (step S115). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S23.

[0128] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to set the conversion settings between the detection coordinate system and the sensor coordinate system of each detection unit 11a based on the relative positional relationship between the vertex positioning position, the detection unit positioning position, and the reflector positioning position. Furthermore, calibration is performed based on the set conversion settings, and the reference axis direction in the sensor coordinate system of each detection unit 11a can be set and corrected. Then, after correcting the conversion settings based on the calibration results, it is possible to set the range for each detection area in the detection coordinate system. This makes it possible to realize a useful technology for setting a detection target area for detecting railroad crossing obstacles.

[0129] The forms to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and constituent elements can be added, omitted, or modified as appropriate.

[0130] [Variation 1] For example, in the configuration of the second embodiment, each of the detectors 11a may be configured to have a function for detecting railroad crossing obstacles. Fig. 16 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an obstacle detection system 1b in Modification 1. In Fig. 16, the same components as in the second embodiment are given the same reference numerals. The obstacle detection system 1b includes a detector 11b (11b-1, 2), a reflector 12, and a main unit 100b. The main unit 100b differs from the main unit 100a of the second embodiment in that the detection setting unit 150b in the processing unit 140b does not include the area setting unit 185.

[0131] In this modified example, each detection unit 11b detects a crossing obstacle present in the detection target area 20 based on the object detection results by its sensor unit 250. That is, when detecting a crossing obstacle, the detection unit 11b divides the detection target area 20 into one or more detection areas along the road traffic direction of the crossing 10. Then, when the presence of an object in any of the detection areas continues for a threshold time set for that detection area, the detection unit 11b determines that the object is a crossing obstacle. For example, the detection unit 11b detects a crossing obstacle while switching the area setting in the manner described in the first embodiment (see FIG. 2).

[0132] For this purpose, the control unit 260b of the detection unit 11b includes a reference axis direction setting unit 261, an area setting unit 265, and an obstacle detection unit 170b.

[0133] The area setting unit 265 sets the range of each detection area in the sensor coordinate system of the detection unit 11b based on the polar coordinates of each vertex position after calibration by the sensor coordinate system calibration unit 263.

[0134] The obstacle detection unit 170b includes an area setting switching control unit 171 that switches the area setting, a division unit 173 that divides the detection target area 20 into detection areas, a determination unit 175 that determines whether an object detected by the sensor unit 250 is a railroad crossing obstacle, and an external notification control unit 177 that issues an external notification that a railroad crossing obstacle has been detected.

[0135] According to this modification, each detector 11b can individually detect a railroad crossing obstacle and issue an external notification.

[0136] [Variation 2] In addition, in the configuration of variant example 1, the main device may collect the detection results of railroad crossing obstacles by each detection unit 11b, and convert the detected positions of the railroad crossing obstacles in each detected sensor coordinate system into positions in the detection coordinate system.

[0137] In this case, the main device uses the conversion settings to convert the detected positions (polar coordinates in the sensor coordinate system of the corresponding detection unit 11b) input from each detection unit 11b into positions in the detection coordinate system.The main device then issues an external notification based on the detected positions in the obtained detection coordinate system.Those that are determined to be in the same position in the detection coordinate system as a result of the coordinate conversion are notified to the outside as the detected position of one railroad crossing obstacle, and those that are in different positions are notified to the outside as the detected position of another railroad crossing obstacle.

[0138] According to this modification, each detector 11b individually detects a railroad crossing obstacle, and the detected position can be determined using a common detection coordinate system.

[0139] [Variation 3] Furthermore, in the above embodiment and modified examples, the main device 100 is described as being separate from the detection unit 11, but each detection unit 11 may be configured to have the functions of the main device 100. In this case, the functional configuration of the obstacle detection system 1c may be, for example, as shown in FIG. 17. In FIG. 17, the same components as those in the second embodiment and modified example 1 are assigned the same reference numerals. Note that while FIG. 17 illustrates two detection units 11c, the number may be three or more and is not particularly limited.

[0140] [Variation 4] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, an example has been shown in which an object present in the detection target area 20 is detected using a surface detection method to determine whether it is a crossing obstacle, but a configuration in which object detection using a line detection method using the reflector 12 is also used to detect crossing obstacles may be adopted. For example, when applied to embodiment 1, in the line detection method, if reflected light of laser light irradiated from each detection unit 11 in the direction of the reflector 12 can be detected, it is determined that no object (crossing obstacle) exists between the detection unit 11 and the reflector 12, and if reflected light cannot be detected, it is detected that an object (crossing obstacle) exists between the detection unit 11 and the reflector 12.

[0141] [Variation 5] The measured vertex position, detector position, and reflector position can also be used to create management drawings, making it possible to easily and accurately create drawings showing the positions of the main unit, detector, and reflector at the railroad crossing, as well as the range of each detection area in the detection target region. [Explanation of symbols]

[0142] 1,1a,1b,1c Obstacle detection system, 11,11a,11b,11c Detection unit, 250 Sensor unit, 260,260b,260c Control unit, 261 Reference axis direction setting unit, 263 Sensor coordinate system calibration unit, 265 Area setting unit, 12 Reflector, 100,100a,100b Main unit, 140,140a,140b Processing unit, 150,150a,150b Detection setting unit, 153 Vertex positioning position input unit, 155 Detection unit positioning position input unit, 157 Reflector positioning position input unit, 159 Relative position relationship calculation unit, 161,185 Area setting unit, 163 Reflector detection result input unit, 165 Reference axis direction setting unit, 167,181 Conversion setting unit, 169 Detection unit position and orientation diagnosis unit, 170, 170b obstacle detection unit, 171 area setting switching control unit, 173 division unit, 175 judgment unit, 177 external notification control unit, 183 conversion setting correction unit, 200, 200a memory unit, 210 positioning measurement and setting data, 210a positioning measurement data, 213 vertex positioning measurement data, 215 detection unit positioning measurement and setting data, 215a detection unit positioning measurement data, 217 reflector positioning measurement data, 220 (220-1, 2) area setting data, 221 detection area range, 230, 240 conversion setting data, 13 railroad crossing safety equipment, 15 railroad crossing control device, 16 train entrance detection device, 17 special signal light emitter, 3 positioning terminal, 10 railroad crossing road, 20 detection target area

Claims

1. An obstacle detection system that detects railroad crossing obstacles in a detection target area based on a detection result of a detection unit that detects objects on a railroad crossing, a vertex positioning position input unit that inputs vertex positioning positions measured for vertices of the detection areas when the detection target region is divided into a plurality of detection areas; a detection area setting unit that sets a range for each of the detection areas based on the apex positioning positions; a determination unit that determines the railroad crossing obstacle based on the area setting set by the detection area setting unit and the detection result of the detection unit; An obstacle detection system comprising:

2. a detection unit positioning position input unit that inputs a detection unit positioning position that is the positioning position of the detection unit; a relative positional relationship calculation unit that calculates a relative positional relationship between the vertex positioning position and the detection unit positioning position; a conversion setting unit that converts and sets a sensor coordinate system of the detection unit and a coordinate system of the detection target area based on the relative positional relationship; Further provided with The determination unit determines a detection position in the detection target area of ​​the object detected by the detection unit using the conversion setting. The obstacle detection system of claim 1 .

3. a detection unit positioning position input unit that inputs a detection unit positioning position that is the positioning position of the detection unit; a reflector position input unit for inputting a reflector position, which is a position of a reflector installed to indicate a predetermined reference point related to detection by the detection unit; a relative positional relationship calculation unit that calculates a relative positional relationship between the vertex positioning position, the detection unit positioning position, and the reflector positioning position; a conversion setting unit that converts and sets a sensor coordinate system of the detection unit and a coordinate system of the detection target area based on the relative positional relationship; Further provided with The determination unit determines a detection position in the detection target area of ​​the object detected by the detection unit using the conversion setting. The obstacle detection system of claim 1 .

4. the detection unit detects an object within a predetermined sensor detection range based on a predetermined reference axis direction of the detection unit, a reference axis direction setting unit that sets the reference axis direction; Further provided with the conversion setting unit performs the conversion setting based on the relative positional relationship and the reference axis direction. The obstacle detection system of claim 2 .

5. the detection unit detects an object within a predetermined sensor detection range based on a predetermined reference axis direction of the detection unit, a reference axis direction setting unit that sets the reference axis direction based on a relative orientation between the reflector and the detection unit based on a detection result of the detection unit detecting the reflector, the reflector positioning position, and the detection unit positioning position; Further provided with the conversion setting unit performs the conversion setting based on the relative positional relationship and the reference axis direction. The obstacle detection system according to claim 3 .

6. a sensor coordinate system calibration unit that corrects the reference axis direction; The obstacle detection system according to claim 5 .

7. The determination unit converts the detection position in the sensor coordinate system detected by the detection unit into the coordinate system of the detection target area using the conversion setting, thereby determining the detection position in the coordinate system of the detection target area.

7. An obstacle detection system according to claim 2.

8. the vertex positioning position input unit inputs the vertex positioning positions of the detection area related to each of the patterns that divide the detection target region; the detection area setting unit sets the area setting for each of the patterns, the determination unit selects the area setting of a pattern to be used from the area settings for each pattern, and determines the level crossing obstacle using the selected area setting. An obstacle detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. A detection area setting method for detecting a railroad crossing obstacle in a detection target area based on a detection result of a detection unit that detects an object on a railroad crossing, comprising: a vertex positioning position acquiring step of acquiring vertex positioning positions obtained by positioning vertices of the detection areas when the detection target region is divided into a plurality of detection areas; a detection area setting step of setting a range for each of the detection areas based on the apex positioning positions; A detection area setting method including:

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