Information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program

Abstract

An information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program are provided for identifying the vehicle travel direction in a parking area. [Solution] The information processing device includes an acquisition unit that acquires image information regarding an image of the ground including the vehicle parking area from an aerial viewpoint, and a first identification unit that uses the image information acquired by the acquisition unit to identify the road within the parking area between the entrance for entering the parking area and the exit for exiting the parking area, and the direction of travel of the vehicle on that road.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are wrong-way driving warning devices that issue a warning when a vehicle is driving the wrong way in a parking area. The wrong-way driving warning device determines the parking direction of a parked vehicle observed from the vehicle (the vehicle) based on images captured by the vehicle's onboard camera. In this case, the wrong-way driving warning device uses the headlights and taillights of the parked vehicle to determine whether the front or rear of the parked vehicle is facing the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-074776 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology described in Patent Document 1 determines in real time whether the vehicle is driving in the wrong direction based on an image captured by an on-board camera of the vehicle. Incidentally, within parking areas (for example, service areas and parking areas (SAPA)), the relative positions of parking stalls (charging stalls) where electric vehicles can be charged and gas station refueling areas, and the entrances and exits (smart interchanges (smart ICs)) adjacent to the parking areas can be problematic. For example, while parking areas are often one-way, there are cases where the charging stalls and refueling areas are located further inside the parking area than the smart IC exit. In such cases, vehicles exiting from the smart IC exit may not be able to use the charging stalls and refueling areas. For this reason, it is necessary to obtain in advance the direction of vehicle travel on roads within the parking area.

[0005] The present disclosure provides an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program for identifying a vehicle's traveling direction in a parking area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to one embodiment includes an acquisition unit that acquires image information relating to an image of the ground including a vehicle parking area from an aerial viewpoint, and a first identification unit that uses the image information acquired by the acquisition unit to identify roads within a parking area between an entrance for entering the parking area and an exit for exiting the parking area, and the direction of travel of the vehicle on those roads. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program disclosed herein can identify the vehicle's traveling direction in a parking area. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of an information processing device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an information processing device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example (overview) of a parking area. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the shape of a road and the traveling direction of a vehicle traveling on the road. [Figure 5] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a parking area, in which (A) shows forward parking (forward entry) into a parking stall, and (B) shows backward parking (rear entry) into a parking stall. [Figure 6] This diagram explains the direction of travel of a vehicle when it exits a parking stall (the direction of the parking stall) and the direction the vehicle will travel after exiting. (A) shows the case where the direction of travel of the vehicle is specified (OK), and (B) shows the case where the direction of travel of the vehicle is not specified (NG). [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an information processing method according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An embodiment will be described below.

[0010] [Overview of information processing device 100] First, an overview of an information processing device 100 according to an embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of an information processing device 100 according to an embodiment.

[0011] The information processing device 100 may be configured as, for example, an identifying device that identifies the traveling direction (the direction in which the vehicle should travel as defined by the road) of a vehicle (not shown) traveling on a road 203 within a parking area 200 (e.g., a SAPA, etc.). The information processing device 100 may also be configured as a generating device that generates information (facility availability information) regarding whether or not a facility is available when using the entrance 212 or the exit 211 by associating the positions of various facilities (e.g., parking stalls 221) within the parking area 200 with the entrances / exits 201, 202, 211, and 212 of the parking area 200 and the traveling direction (the traveling direction of the vehicle) of the road 203 within the parking area 200. The information processing device 100 may also be configured as a registering device that registers the facility availability information in map information. The information processing device 100 is not limited to the device described above as an example, and may be configured as various other devices. The information processing device 100 may be a computer such as a server, a desktop, a laptop, a tablet, or a smartphone.

[0012] The information processing device 100 acquires, for example, image information. The image information may be information about an image of the ground including the vehicle parking area 200 from a viewpoint in the sky. As a specific example, the image information may be a satellite image of the parking area 200 captured by an artificial satellite, or an aerial photograph of the parking area 200 captured from an aircraft such as an airplane, helicopter, or drone. The image information may also be an orthoimage generated by orthogonally transforming (by performing orthorectification in image processing) an image captured from the ground (for example, by a camera mounted on a vehicle (on-board camera)). The information processing device 100 may perform orthogonal transformation in image processing, for example, by a known method.

[0013] The parking area 200 may be a service area or parking area (SAPA) on a highway or a motorway, a parking lot attached to various facilities, or a parking lot not attached to a facility.

[0014] The information processing device 100, for example, uses the image information described above to identify the road 203 within the parking area 200 between the entrance (entrance 201) for entering the parking area 200 and the exit (exit 202) for leaving the parking area 200, and the direction of travel of the vehicle on the road 203.

[0015] The information processing device 100 is capable of identifying the parking area 200 (SAPA and parking lot, etc.), the entrances (entrances 201, 212) and exits (exits 202, 211) of the parking area 200, and roads 203 (for example, roads within the parking area 200) from image information (images of the parking area 200) using known techniques such as image recognition, machine learning, and deep learning.

[0016] Here, for example, on a road (main road) 300 (for example, an expressway or a motorway) on which parking areas 200 such as SAPAs and parking lots are located, a median strip 301 is provided to separate inbound and outbound lanes, or to allow two-way traffic on both lanes. When viewing the road 300 from above, the left (or right) side of the road 300 in one extension direction is the inbound lane (or outbound lane), and vehicles travel in that one extension direction (in the inbound direction (or downbound direction)). Similarly, the right (or left) side of the road 300 is the outbound lane (or inbound lane), and vehicles travel in the opposite direction (the other extension direction) from that one extension direction (in the downbound direction (or upbound direction)). The information processing device 100 can identify the entrance 201 and exit 202 of the SAPA and parking lot (parking area 200) from the image information (image of the parking area 200) depending on whether the SAPA (parking area 200) is located on the up-bound lane or the down-bound lane. The entrance 201 here may be an entrance to the parking area 200 from the main lane 300, etc. Similarly, the exit 202 may be an exit from the parking area 200 back to the main lane 300, etc.

[0017] Furthermore, on roads 203 within parking areas 200 such as SAPAs and parking lots, the travel direction of vehicles may be restricted to one direction (one-way streets). The information processing device 100 determines that roads 203 within parking areas 200 such as SAPAs and parking lots are one-way, and by using image information (images of the parking area 200), it is possible to determine the direction of travel of a vehicle on the road 203 within the parking area 200, in order from the entrance 201 to the exit 202 of the SAPAs and parking lots (parking area 200) identified as described above.

[0018] Furthermore, a smart interchange (smart IC) 210 may be provided in the SAPA. For example, the information processing device 100 may use image information (an image of the parking area 200) to identify the smart IC 210 that appears the first time after the SAPA entrance 201 (the entrance from the main road 300 to the SAPA (parking area 200)) with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle on the road 203 within the parking area 200 described above (that is located further upstream with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle within the SAPA) as the exit 211 of the smart IC 210. For example, the information processing device 100 may use image information (an image of the parking area 200) to identify the smart IC 210 that appears the second time after the SAPA entrance 201 (the entrance from the main road 300 to the SAPA (parking area 200)) with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle on the road 203 within the parking area 200 described above (that is located further downstream with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle within the SAPA) as the entrance 212 of the smart IC 210.

[0019] [Details of the information processing device 100] Next, the information processing device 100 according to an embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the information processing device 100 according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example (overview) of the parking area 200. As shown in FIG.

[0020] The information processing device 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 121, a storage unit 122, a display unit 123, and a control unit 110. The communication unit 121, the storage unit 122, and the display unit 123 may be an embodiment of an output unit. The control unit 110 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 111, a first identification unit 112, an estimation unit 113, a second identification unit 114, a generation unit 115, and a registration unit 116. The control unit 110 may be configured, for example, by an arithmetic processing unit of the information processing device 100. The control unit 110 (for example, an arithmetic processing unit) may realize the functions of each unit (for example, the acquisition unit 111, the first identification unit 112, the estimation unit 113, the second identification unit 114, the generation unit 115, and the registration unit 116) by, for example, appropriately reading and executing various programs stored in the storage unit 122. That is, the functions of each unit may be realized by computer implementation.

[0021] The communication unit 121 is, for example, a communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving various information to and from a device (external device) (not shown) outside the information processing device 100. The external device may be, for example, a server.

[0022] The storage unit 122 may store, for example, various information and programs. Examples of the storage unit 122 may be a memory, a solid state drive, a hard disk drive, etc. Note that the storage unit 122 may be, for example, a storage area or a server on a cloud.

[0023] The display unit 123 is a display capable of displaying, for example, various characters, symbols, images, and the like.

[0024] The acquisition unit 111 acquires image information relating to an image of the ground including the vehicle parking area 200, viewed from the sky. The acquisition unit 111 may acquire the image information from an external device (not shown), for example, via the communication unit 121. The external device here may be, for example, a server. Furthermore, when an external memory storing the image information is connected to an interface (not shown) of the information processing device 100, the information processing device 100 may acquire the image information from the external memory.

[0025] The image information may be information about an image of the ground including the vehicle parking area 200 taken from a viewpoint in the sky. As a specific example, the image information may be a satellite image of the parking area 200 taken by an artificial satellite, or an aerial photograph of the parking area 200 taken by an aircraft such as an airplane, helicopter, or drone. The image information may also be an orthoimage generated by orthogonal transformation (by performing orthorectification in image processing) of an image taken from the ground (for example, by a camera mounted on a vehicle (on-board camera)). The information processing device 100 may perform orthogonal transformation in image processing, for example, by a known method.

[0026] The parking area 200 may be a service area or parking area (SAPA) on a highway or a motorway, a parking lot attached to various facilities, or a parking lot not attached to a facility.

[0027] The first identification unit 112 uses the image information acquired by the acquisition unit 111 to identify the road 203 within the parking area 200 between the entrance (entrance 201) for entering the parking area 200 and the exit (exit 202) for leaving the parking area 200, and the direction of travel of the vehicle on the road 203.

[0028] The first identification unit 112 is capable of identifying the parking area 200 (SAPA and parking lot, etc.), the entrances (entrances 201, 212) and exits (exits 202, 211) of the parking area 200, and the roads 203 (for example, roads within the parking area 200) from image information (images of the parking area 200) using known techniques such as image recognition, machine learning, and deep learning.

[0029] Here, for example, on a road (main road) 300 (for example, an expressway or a motorway) on which parking areas 200 such as SAPAs and parking lots are located, a median strip 301 is provided to separate inbound and outbound lanes, or to allow two-way traffic on both lanes. When viewing the road 300 from above, the left (or right) side of the road 300 as it extends in one direction is the inbound lane (or outbound lane), and vehicles travel in that direction. Similarly, the right (or left) side of the road 300 is the outbound lane (or inbound lane), and vehicles travel in the opposite direction (the other direction) from the direction in which the road 300 extends. The first identification unit 112 can identify the entrance 201 and exit 202 of the SAPA and parking lot (parking area 200) from the image information (image of the parking area 200) depending on whether the SAPA (parking area 200) is located on the up-bound lane or the down-bound lane. The entrance 201 here is an entrance or the like for entering the parking area 200 from the main road 300, and is located upstream in the vehicle travel direction on the main road 300. Similarly, the exit 202 is an exit or the like for returning from the parking area 200 to the main road 300, and is located downstream in the vehicle travel direction on the main road 300.

[0030] Furthermore, on roads 203 within parking areas 200 such as SAPAs and parking lots, the travel direction of vehicles may be restricted to one direction (one-way streets). The first identification unit 112 assumes that roads 203 within parking areas 200 such as SAPAs and parking lots are one-way streets, and is able to use image information (images of the parking area 200) to identify the travel direction of a vehicle on road 203 within parking area 200, in order from entrance 201 to exit 202 of the SAPAs and parking lots (parking area 200) identified as described above. That is, the first identification unit 112 is able to identify the travel direction of a vehicle as shown by arrow G in FIG. 3 .

[0031] Furthermore, a smart interchange (smart IC) 210 may be provided in the SAPA. For example, the first identification unit 112 may use image information (an image of the parking area 200) to identify the smart IC 210 that appears the first time (upstream) after the SAPA entrance 201 (the entrance from the main road 300 to the SAPA (parking area 200)) with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle on the road 203 within the parking area 200 described above (located further upstream with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle within the SAPA) as the exit 211 of the smart IC 210. For example, the first identification unit 112 may use image information (an image of the parking area 200) to identify the smart IC 210 that appears the second time (downstream) after the SAPA entrance 201 (the entrance from the main road 300 to the SAPA (parking area 200)) with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle on the road 203 within the parking area 200 described above (located further downstream with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle within the SAPA) as the entrance 212 of the smart IC 210.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the shape of the road 203 and the traveling direction G of a vehicle traveling on the road 203. In FIG.

[0033] The first identification unit 112 may identify the traveling direction G of a vehicle traveling on the road 203 in accordance with the shape of the road 203 within the parking area 200. That is, when the first identification unit 112 identifies the traveling direction G of a vehicle traveling on the road 203 within the parking area 200 in order from the entrance 201 toward the exit 202 of the road 203, if there is a merging or branching point along the road, the first identification unit 112 may identify the traveling direction G of the vehicle traveling on the road 203 at that point according to the shape of the road 203 at that point. Here, at a T-junction or a crossroad (a merging or branching point) of the road 203 within the parking area 200, in addition to cases where the connecting portions of the intersecting roads 203 intersect at an angle of 90 degrees or the like, there are also cases where the corner portion (corner portion) 203a in the direction in which the vehicle turns is cut off to form a so-called "chamfer" (see FIG. 4 ). For example, when a vehicle turns around the chamfered corner 203a, it can turn at an angle θ1 greater than 90 degrees depending on the shape of the chamfered road 203. In other words, the vehicle can travel along the direction of the chamfered shape of the road 203. Therefore, if the corner portion 203a at the junction or branching point of the road 203 within the parking area 200 has a chamfered shape, that is, if there is a shape that allows the vehicle to turn at an angle θ1 greater than 90 degrees, the first identification unit 112 may estimate that the direction following the shape of the road 203 is the vehicle's direction of travel, and may identify the direction of travel G of the vehicle traveling on the road 203 within the parking area 200.

[0034] Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of the parking area 200. Fig. 5(A) shows a case where a vehicle is parked forward (entering forward) into a parking stall 221, and Fig. 5(B) shows a case where a vehicle is parked backward (entering backward) into a parking stall 221.

[0035] Here, while the explanation of the "first identifying unit 112" is in progress, the "estimating unit 113" will be explained. The estimation unit 113 estimates whether a vehicle will approach the parking stall 221 from the front or rear depending on the installation direction of the parking stall 221 in the parking area 200. A plurality of parking stalls 221 (e.g., parking stalls for one vehicle) for parking vehicles are arranged in the parking area 200. The parking stalls 221 are arranged in a group in a plurality of regions within the parking area 200. For example, the installation direction L of each parking stall 221 (the longitudinal direction of the parking stall (the direction along the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle when the vehicle is parked in the parking stall)) may extend in a direction that forms an angle θ2 that is less than 90 degrees with respect to the vehicle's traveling direction G (see FIG. 5(A)). In other words, when a vehicle is to be parked forward in the parking stall 221, the installation direction L of the parking stall 221 will be along the direction that forms an angle θ2 that is less than 90 degrees with respect to the vehicle's traveling direction G. On the other hand, when a vehicle is parked backward into parking stall 221, the installation direction L of parking stall 221 will be aligned with an angle θ3 that exceeds 90 degrees relative to the vehicle's forward direction G (the direction in which the vehicle moves back straight - the direction of angle θ3 that is less than 90 degrees relative to G) (see Figure 5(B)). The estimation unit 113 may estimate whether a vehicle will be parked forward or backward when entering the parking space 221 based on the installation direction (direction along the road 203) R (vehicle travel direction G) of the road 203 adjacent to the parking space 221 and the installation direction L of the parking space 221.

[0036] More specifically, when the first identification unit 112 identifies the direction of travel G of the vehicle on the road 203 that circles around the edge of the parking area 200, i.e., the outer road 2031 (see FIG. 1), the estimation unit 113 may estimate whether the vehicle will be parked forward or backward when entering the parking stall 221 based on the angles θ2, θ3 (see FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B)) between the direction of travel G of the vehicle on the outer road 2031 and the longitudinal direction L of the vehicle's parking stall 221. That is, the estimation unit 113 may estimate that the vehicle will be parked forward when entering the parking stall 221 if the angle θ2 of the longitudinal direction L of the parking stall 221 with respect to the direction of travel G of the vehicle traveling on the outer road 2031 is less than 90 degrees (see FIG. 5(A)). On the other hand, the estimation unit 113 may estimate that the parking stall 221 is rear-parked when the longitudinal direction L of the parking stall 221 is at an angle θ3 exceeding 90 degrees with respect to the traveling direction G of the vehicle traveling on the outer road 2031 (see Figure 5(B)).

[0037] The estimation unit 113 may estimate other roads within the parking area 200 other than the outer road 2031, i.e., roads 2032 (see FIG. 1) connecting the outer roads 2031, so that the parking direction is the same as the forward parking or rear parking estimated for the outer road 2031 as described above. In other words, if a parking stall 221 adjacent to the outer road 2031 is forward parking (or rear parking), the estimation unit 113 may also estimate that parking stalls 221 of other roads 2032 that are in the same direction as the longitudinal direction L of the parking stall 221 (at the same angle as the angle between the road 2031 and the longitudinal direction L) are forward parking (or rear parking).

[0038] In other words, if the estimation unit 113 can estimate the parking direction (front parking or rear parking) of the parking stall 221 located on the outer road 2031, it can estimate the parking direction of the vehicle into the parking stall 221 on another road 2032 depending on whether the longitudinal direction L of the parking stall 221 on that outer road 2031 is the same as the longitudinal direction L of the parking stall 221 located on other roads 2032, etc. In other words, the estimation unit 113 estimates that a parking stall 221 located on the left (or right) side of the outer road 2031 in relation to the vehicle's traveling direction is a forward parking stall (or a rear parking stall), and that a parking stall 221 located on the left (or right) side of the vehicle's traveling direction on another road 2032, which is in the same direction as the longitudinal direction L of the parking stall 221, is also a forward parking stall (or a rear parking stall). On the other hand, the estimation unit 113 may estimate that a parking stall 221 located on the left (or right) side of the outer road 2031 in relation to the vehicle's traveling direction is a forward parking stall (or a rear parking stall), and that a parking stall 221 located on the left (or right) side of another road 2032 in relation to the vehicle's traveling direction, which is in a direction different from the longitudinal direction L of the parking stall 221, is a rear parking stall (or a forward parking stall), or the parking direction may be left undetermined.

[0039] When the direction of travel G of the vehicle on other roads 2032 has not been determined, that is, when the direction of travel G of the vehicle on other roads 2032 other than the outer road 2031 has not been identified even after performing the processing as described above, the first identification unit 112 may identify the direction of travel G of the vehicle as follows. That is, the first identification unit 112 may identify the traveling direction G of the vehicle on the road 203 (2032) adjacent to the parking stall 221 depending on whether the approach is from the front or rear to the parking stall 221 estimated by the estimation unit 113. When the estimation unit 113 estimates that a parking stall 221 arranged on the road 203 (2032 (see Figure 1 for symbol 2032)) is forward-parked, the first identification unit 112 may estimate the direction of travel G of a vehicle traveling on the road 203 (2032) so that the angle θ2 between the longitudinal direction L of the parking stall 221 and the installation direction R of the road 203 (2032) is less than 90 degrees (see Figure 5 (A)). On the other hand, when the estimation unit 113 estimates that a parking stall 221 arranged on the road 203 (2032) is rear-parked, the first identification unit 112 may estimate the direction of travel G of the vehicle traveling on the road 203 (2032) so that the angle θ3 formed between the longitudinal direction L of the parking stall 221 and the installation direction R of the road 203 (2032) exceeds 90 degrees (see Figure 5 (B)).

[0040] 6 is a diagram for explaining the direction of travel of a vehicle when it leaves parking stall 221 (the direction in which parking stall 221 is installed) and the direction in which the vehicle will travel after leaving the parking stall. Fig. 6(A) shows the case in which the direction of travel of the vehicle is specified (OK), and Fig. 6(B) shows the case in which the direction of travel of the vehicle is not specified (NG).

[0041] When the vehicle's traveling direction G on another road 2032 (in the case shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle's traveling direction E2 on the road 203 (203c)) has not been determined, and when the parking direction into the parking stall 221 (whether forward parking or backward parking) has not been determined, the first identification unit 112 may identify, based on the road 203 within the parking area 200 and the installation direction of the parking stall 221 (221b) adjacent to the road 203, the traveling direction of the vehicle when the vehicle exits the parking stall 221b forward and enters the road 203, such that the angle between the road 203 and the installation direction of the parking stall 221b is 90 degrees or more, as the vehicle's traveling direction on the road 203. When the vehicle is backward parked in the parking stall 221 (221b), the vehicle will enter the road 203 forward when exiting (leaving) the parking stall 221b. When there is a branching and merging point 203b of the road 203 (where there is a right-angle connection point of multiple roads 203) adjacent to the parking stall 221b (within a predetermined distance (for example, 5m, 8m, 10m, etc.) from the parking stall 221b), when a vehicle exits (leaves) the parking stall 221b (for example, the parking stall closest to the point) and enters the point 203b (branching and merging) on ​​the road 203, the first identification unit 112 may identify the direction of travel of the vehicle traveling on the road 203c connected to the point 203b so that the angle between the direction of the vehicle exiting from the parking stall 221b (the direction in which the parking stall 221 is installed) and the extension direction of the road 203c connected to the point 203b (the direction of travel of the vehicle traveling on the road 203c) is 90 degrees or more.

[0042] That is, as illustrated in Figure 6(A), when a vehicle exits from a parking stall 221b adjacent to a branching and merging point 203b of a road 203 (for example, a parking stall 221b closest to the point 203b or within a predetermined distance from the point 203b), the first identification unit 112 identifies the vehicle's direction of travel (i.e., the vehicle's direction of travel in the positive direction of E2) so that the angle θ4 between the vehicle's direction of exiting (the extension direction of the parking stall 221b) E1 and the extension direction of the road 203c on which the exiting vehicle is traveling (the direction in which the vehicle travels on the road 203c) E2 is 90 degrees or more. In other words, as shown in Figure 6(B), the first identification unit 112 does not identify the vehicle's direction of travel in a direction where the angle θ5 between the direction E3 in which the vehicle exits the parking stall 221b (the extension direction of the parking stall 221) and the extension direction E4 of the road 203c on which the exiting vehicle is traveling (the direction in which the vehicle travels on the road 203c) is less than 90 degrees (i.e., the positive E4 direction).

[0043] The second identification unit 114 identifies a parking stall 221a (see FIG. 3) in the parking area 200 where a charging facility for electric vehicles is located. Parking stalls 221a where electric vehicle charging facilities are located can generally be distinguished by road paint. Therefore, the second identification unit 114 recognizes the road paint of the parking area 200 (parking stalls 221a) from the image recorded in the image information (for example, estimates the road paint using image recognition, machine learning, and deep learning), and identifies the parking stalls 221a within the parking area 200 where the electric vehicle charging facilities are located. Alternatively, the location of the charging facility within the parking area 200 may be stored in map information. The map information may be road map information. The map information may be stored in the storage unit 122, for example. Therefore, the second identification unit 114 may identify the parking stall 221a where the charging facility is located by associating the parking area 200 (location of the charging facility) recorded in the map information with the parking area 200 (parking stall 221a) recorded in the image information.

[0044] The second identification unit 114 may also identify the location of a gas station (fuel supply facility) in the parking area 200 (parking stall 221 where the fuel supply facility is located) (not shown). Parking stalls 221 where fueling facilities are located can generally be distinguished by road paint. Therefore, second identification unit 114 recognizes the road paint of parking area 200 (parking stalls 221) from the image recorded in the image information (for example, estimates the road paint using image recognition, machine learning, and deep learning), and identifies parking stall 221 within parking area 200 where the fueling facility is located. Alternatively, the location of the gas station in the parking area 200 may be stored in the map information. Therefore, the second identification unit 114 may identify the parking stall 221 where the gas station (fueling facility) is located by associating the parking area 200 (location of the gas station) recorded in the map information with the parking area 200 (parking stall 221) recorded in the image information.

[0045] The generation unit 115 may generate charging facility availability information by associating the parking space 221a where the charging facility is located (and the parking space where the refueling facility is located) identified by the second identification unit 114 with the entrance (entrance 201) and exit (exit 202) of the parking area 200, and the road 203 and vehicle direction of travel identified by the first identification unit 112. That is, the generation unit 115 may generate charging facility availability information (facility availability information) by associating (for example, by grouping) the parking space 221a where the charging facility is located (and the parking space where the refueling facility is located) identified by the second identification unit 114 with the positions of the entrances (entrances 201, 212) and exits (exits 202, 211) of the parking area 200 identified by the first identification unit 112 (i.e., the entrances / exits 201, 202 between the parking area 200 and the main road 300, and the entrances / exits 211, 212 of the smart IC 210), the road 203 (position of the road 203) within the parking area 200, and the direction of travel of vehicles traveling on the road 203.

[0046] The registration unit 116 registers the charging facility availability information generated by the generation unit 115 in the map information. That is, the registration unit 116 may register, in the road map (map information) including the parking area 200, the parking stall 221a where the charging facility is located (and the parking stall where the refueling facility is located), the positions of the entrances (entrances 201, 212) and exits (exits 202, 211) of the parking area 200 identified by the first identification unit 112 (i.e., the entrances / exits 201, 202 between the parking area 200 and the main road 300, and the entrances / exits 211, 212 of the smart IC 210).

[0047] In this case, the registration unit 116 may register charging facility availability information (facility availability information) in a road map (map information) stored in the storage unit 122. Furthermore, the registration unit 116 may transmit the map information in which the charging facility availability information (facility availability information) is registered to an external device (not shown) via the communication unit 121. The external device here may be, for example, a server and a navigation device (for example, an in-vehicle navigation device) mounted on a vehicle. Furthermore, the registration unit 116 may display on the display unit 123 map information (road map) in which the charging facility availability information (facility availability information) is registered.

[0048] [Information processing method] Next, an information processing method according to an embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an information processing method according to an embodiment.

[0049] In step ST101, the acquisition unit 111 acquires image information relating to an image of the ground including the vehicle parking area 200, with the viewpoint set in the sky.

[0050] In step ST102, the first identification unit 112 uses the image information acquired in step ST101 to identify a road 203 within the parking area 200 between an entrance (entrance 201) for entering the parking area 200 and an exit (exit 202) for leaving the parking area 200, and the traveling direction of a vehicle on the road 203. The first identification unit 112 may identify the traveling direction of a vehicle traveling on the road 203 according to the shape of the road 203 within the parking area 200. Here, the estimation unit 113 may estimate whether the vehicle will approach from the front or rear when entering the parking stall 221, depending on the installation direction of the parking stall 221 in the parking area 200. In this case, the first identification unit 112 may identify the traveling direction of the vehicle on the road 203 adjacent to the parking stall 221, depending on whether the vehicle will approach from the front or rear into the parking stall 221 estimated by the estimation unit 113. The first identification unit 112 may identify, based on the road 203 within the parking area 200 and the installation direction of the parking stall 221 adjacent to the road 203, the direction of travel of the vehicle on the road 203 as the direction of travel of the vehicle when the vehicle exits the parking stall 221 forward and enters the road 203, in which the angle between the road 203 and the installation direction of the parking stall 221 is 90 degrees or more.

[0051] In step ST103, the second identification unit 114 identifies a parking stall 221a in the parking area 200 at a location where a charging facility (and a refueling facility) for electric vehicles is located.

[0052] In step ST104, the generation unit 115 may generate charging facility availability information by associating the parking space 221a where the charging facility identified in step ST103 is located (and the parking space where the refueling facility is located) with the entrance (entrance 201) and exit (exit 202) of the parking area 200, and the road 203 and vehicle direction of travel identified in step ST102.

[0053] In step ST105, the registration unit 116 registers the charging facility availability information generated in step ST104 in the map information.

[0054] [Functions and circuits] Next, the functions and circuits of the information processing device 100 will be described. Each unit of the information processing device 100 may be realized as a function of a processing unit of a computer or the like. The information processing device 100 may, for example, realize the functions of the acquisition unit 111, the first identification unit 112, the estimation unit 113, the second identification unit 114, the generation unit 115, and the registration unit 116 using a single control unit 110 (e.g., an arithmetic processing device, etc.), or may realize the functions of the acquisition unit 111, the first identification unit 112, the estimation unit 113, the second identification unit 114, the generation unit 115, and the registration unit 116 in a distributed manner using multiple different control units 110 (e.g., an arithmetic processing device, etc.). The acquisition unit 111, first identification unit 112, estimation unit 113, second identification unit 114, generation unit 115 and registration unit 116 (control unit 110) of the above-mentioned information processing device 100 may be realized as an acquisition function, a first identification function, an estimation function, a second identification function, a generation function and a registration function (control function) by a computer's arithmetic processing unit or the like. The information processing program can cause a computer to realize each of the above-mentioned functions. The information processing program may be recorded on a non-transitory tangible recording medium readable by a computer, such as a memory, a solid state drive, a hard disk drive, or an optical disk. The storage medium may also be rephrased as a non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium that stores the information processing program. The information processing program may also be transmitted online. The information processing program can be realized as a product (computer program product) including the information processing program by the control unit 110 (for example, an arithmetic processing device, etc.). Furthermore, as described above, each unit of the information processing device 100 may be realized by an arithmetic processing device or the like of a computer. The arithmetic processing device or the like is configured by, for example, an integrated circuit or the like. Therefore, each unit of the information processing device 100 may be realized as a circuit that constitutes the arithmetic processing device or the like. That is, the acquisition unit 111, the first identification unit 112, the estimation unit 113, the second identification unit 114, the generation unit 115, and the registration unit 116 (control unit 110) of the information processing device 100 may be realized as an acquisition circuit, a first identification circuit, an estimation circuit, a second identification circuit, a generation circuit, and a registration circuit (control circuit) that constitute the arithmetic processing device or the like of a computer. Furthermore, the communication unit 121, the storage unit 122, and the display unit 123 (output unit) of the information processing device 100 may be realized as, for example, a communication function, a storage function, and a display function (output function) including the functions of an arithmetic processing device or the like. Furthermore, the communication unit 121, the storage unit 122, and the display unit 123 (output unit) of the information processing device 100 may be realized as, for example, a communication circuit, a storage circuit, and a display circuit (output circuit) by being configured using an integrated circuit or the like. Furthermore, the communication unit 121, the storage unit 122, and the display unit 123 (output unit) of the information processing device 100 may be realized as, for example, a communication device, a storage device, and a display device (output device) by being configured using a plurality of devices.

[0055] The information processing device 100 can combine one or any combination of the above-mentioned multiple units. In this disclosure, the term "information" is used, but the term "information" can be replaced with "data" and the term "data" can be replaced with "information."

[0056] [Aspects and Effects of the Present Embodiment] Next, one aspect of this embodiment and the effects of each aspect will be described. Note that each aspect described below is an example at the time of filing, and this embodiment is not limited to the aspects described below. In other words, this embodiment is not limited to the aspects described below, and may be realized by appropriately combining the above-mentioned parts. Furthermore, a lower-level aspect may be able to cite any of the higher-level aspects. The effects of the present embodiment described below are merely examples, and the effects of each aspect are not limited to those described below. Each aspect may, for example, achieve at least one of the effects described below.

[0057] (Aspect 1) An information processing device according to one embodiment includes an acquisition unit that acquires image information relating to an image of the ground including a vehicle parking area from an aerial viewpoint, and a first identification unit that uses the image information acquired by the acquisition unit to identify roads within a parking area between an entrance for entering the parking area and an exit for exiting the parking area, and the direction of travel of the vehicle on those roads. This allows the information processing device to estimate possible routes for vehicles traveling on roads within the parking area.

[0058] Here, roads arranged in conventional parking areas, specifically SAPAs (and parking lots), etc., are one-way as a general rule, and driving in the wrong direction is prohibited. For this reason, if a vehicle enters and there are no available parking spaces ahead, it cannot return unless there is a road that circles the SAPA (and parking lot), and must simply exit onto the main road. Meanwhile, SAPAs (and parking lots), etc., may have guide signs and directions for vehicles to travel, but no one-way signs are installed. However, there were the following issues in efficiently and mechanically developing roads and vehicle travel directions within SAPA (and parking lots). (1) Because there is no uniform pattern for the layout of facilities such as SAPAs (and parking lots), a system that can generally accommodate various layouts was needed. (2) There are cases where there are no signs or paint indicating the direction of travel of vehicles on roads such as SAPAs (and parking lots), and drivers have no choice but to estimate the direction of travel of vehicles from the surrounding conditions. (3) When estimating the direction of a vehicle's travel using the installation direction (angle) of a parking stall, there is a problem in that the stall may appear to be at the same angle even when viewed from the opposite direction (directly opposite). (4) The angles of the parking stalls are arranged symmetrically with respect to the vehicle's position, and there are parking stalls that can only be physically entered in one direction. However, there are cases where only forward parking (entering the stall) is possible, and there are also cases where only rearward parking (entering the stall) is possible, and it is necessary to determine the correct direction when parking (entering the stall).

[0059] Therefore, the information processing device of this embodiment uses images (image information) taken from an aerial perspective, such as aerial photographs, to mechanically estimate the vehicle's direction of travel (the vehicle's direction of travel (forward direction) on roads located in parking areas (SAPAs (and parking lots), etc.)) from the surrounding conditions, even if road surface paint, etc. cannot be seen. As a specific example, the information processing device of this embodiment performs the following processes (i) to (v).

[0060] (i) The information processing device sequentially estimates the vehicle's traveling direction on the road within the parking area (e.g., SAPA (and parking lot), etc.) on the image (image information) in the direction from the entrance to the exit of the parking area (tracing the vehicle's traveling direction on the road). In this case, the information processing device also acquires the roads (network) of the outer and circular roads of the parking area and the vehicle's traveling direction, and estimates the direction of entry (entry direction) into the parking stall (front parking and rear parking). The information processing device estimates the direction of entry (entry direction) into the parking stall as front entry if the parking stall installation direction (parking stall angle) is less than 90 degrees relative to the vehicle's traveling direction (forward direction) on the road adjacent to the parking stall, and as rear entry if the parking stall installation direction (parking stall angle) is 90 degrees or more.

[0061] (ii) At the branching and merging points of roads within the parking area, the information processing device determines the traveling direction of a vehicle traveling on the road in accordance with the shape of the road within the parking area, as described later in (Aspect 2). The information processing device acquires the road (network) and the traveling direction of the vehicle according to the chamfered shape of the corners at the branching and merging points, i.e., in the direction of branching or merging at an angle greater than 90 degrees (a direction less than 90 degrees relative to the traveling direction of the vehicle). In this case, the arrangement of parking stalls (arrangement of parking stalls where the angle of the parking stalls is symmetrical with respect to the vehicle's position and where only one physical direction of entry is possible) is acquired by applying mutatis mutandis the method of estimating the entrance direction and the traveling direction of the vehicle estimated in (i) above.

[0062] (iii) As in (ii) above, the information processing device repeatedly acquires roads (networks) and the vehicle's direction of travel in directions that branch or merge at angles greater than 90 degrees (directions that are less than 90 degrees relative to the vehicle's direction of travel).

[0063] (iv) In contrast to the above (i) to (iii), for a branching or merging point (the road (network) at that point) on a road (network) within a parking area that connects at a right angle, the information processing device acquires the vehicle's traveling direction in a direction that will prevent the vehicle from exiting forward from the extreme parking stall adjacent to the road at that point and entering the road (network) at that point at an angle of less than 90 degrees (see (Aspect 4) described below). For a road (network) that connects at a right angle, in the case of an arrangement of adjacent parking stalls (parking stalls whose angles are arranged symmetrically with respect to the vehicle's position and which physically allow only one direction of entry), the information processing device may acquire the vehicle's traveling direction from the entrance direction estimated in the above (i).

[0064] (v) As a special case, the information processing device may "not set" the vehicle's traveling direction for roads (networks) within a parking area where the vehicle's traveling direction cannot be determined by the above-mentioned steps (i) to (iv). In other words, the information processing device prioritizes safety and does not set the vehicle's traveling direction because there is a high possibility that the information processing device will mistakenly set the vehicle's traveling direction to the opposite direction.

[0065] (Aspect 2) In the information processing device of one aspect, the first identification unit may identify the traveling direction of a vehicle traveling on a road in the parking area according to the shape of the road. This allows the information processing device to identify the traveling direction (forward direction) of the vehicle traveling on the road within the parking area.

[0066] (Aspect 3) An information processing device according to one embodiment includes an estimation unit that estimates whether a vehicle will enter a parking stall from the front or rear depending on the installation direction of the parking stall within a parking area, and a first identification unit that identifies the direction of travel of the vehicle on a road adjacent to the parking stall depending on whether the vehicle will enter the parking stall from the front or rear estimated by the estimation unit. This allows the information processing device to identify the traveling direction (forward direction) of the vehicle traveling on the road within the parking area.

[0067] (Aspect 4) In one embodiment of the information processing device, the first identification unit may identify, based on the road within the parking area and the installation direction of the parking stall adjacent to the road, the vehicle's travel direction on the road as the vehicle's travel direction in which the road and the installation direction of the parking stall form an angle of 90 degrees or more when the vehicle exits the parking stall forward and enters the road. This allows the information processing device to identify the traveling direction (forward direction) of the vehicle traveling on the road within the parking area.

[0068] (Aspect 5) An information processing device according to one embodiment may include a second identification unit that identifies a parking space within a parking area where an electric vehicle charging facility is located, and a generation unit that generates charging facility availability information by associating the parking space where the charging facility is located, identified by the second identification unit, with the entrance and exit of the parking area and the road and vehicle travel direction identified by the first identification unit. As a result, by preparing information on whether charging facilities are available, the information processing device can provide the user of a vehicle using a smart IC with information on whether charging facilities within the parking area are available for use. The charging facility availability information may be facility availability information including fueling facility availability information indicating whether a fueling facility is available or not. In other words, the information processing device sets the arrival position of the POI (Point Of Interest) of the charging facility and refueling facility to a parking space identified by the second identification unit, and links it to the road (network) adjacent to that parking space within the parking area (e.g., SAPA (and parking lot), etc.), thereby enabling the creation of facility availability information that provides more accurate guidance within the parking area, i.e., does not provide guidance that would cause the vehicle to drive in the wrong direction. The information processing device can determine whether tracing is possible between the smart IC directly connected to the parking area and generate charging facility availability information (facility availability information).

[0069] (Aspect 6) The information processing device according to one aspect may include a registration unit that registers the charging facility availability information generated by the generation unit in the map information. This allows the information processing device to use map information that registers charging facility availability information (facility availability information) when providing various types of guidance, including route search and route guidance, and to provide guidance to vehicle users about charging facilities, refueling facilities, etc.

[0070] (Aspect 7) In one aspect of the information processing method, a computer executes an acquisition step of acquiring image information relating to an image of the ground including a vehicle parking area from an aerial viewpoint, and a first identification step of using the image information acquired by the acquisition step to identify roads within the parking area between an entrance for entering the parking area and an exit for exiting the parking area, and the direction of travel of the vehicle on those roads. As a result, the information processing method can achieve the same effects as the information processing device of the above-described aspect.

[0071] (Aspect 8) An information processing program according to one embodiment causes a computer to realize an acquisition function for acquiring image information relating to an image of the ground including a vehicle parking area from an aerial viewpoint, and a first identification function for using the image information acquired by the acquisition function to identify roads within a parking area between an entrance for entering the parking area and an exit for exiting the parking area, and the direction of travel of the vehicle on those roads. As a result, the information processing program can achieve the same effects as the information processing device of the above-described aspect. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 100 Information processing device 110 control section 111 Acquisition Department 112 1st Specific Part 113 Estimation Department 114 Second Specific Part 115 Generation part 116 Registration Department 121 Communications Department 122 Storage section 123 Display section 200 Parking Area 203 Roads within parking areas 210 Smart Interchange (Smart IC) 211 Smart IC Exit 212 Smart IC entrance 221 Parking Space 221a Parking space with electric vehicle charging facilities G Vehicle direction of travel

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires image information regarding an image of the ground including a vehicle parking area from an aerial viewpoint; a first identification unit that uses the image information acquired by the acquisition unit to identify a road within the parking area between an entrance for entering the parking area and an exit for exiting the parking area, and a traveling direction of a vehicle on the road; An information processing device comprising:

2. The first identification unit identifies a traveling direction of a vehicle traveling on a road in the parking area according to a shape of the road. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. an estimation unit that estimates whether a vehicle will enter a parking stall from the front or rear depending on the installation direction of the parking stall in the parking area; The first determination unit determines the traveling direction of the vehicle on a road adjacent to the parking stall depending on whether the vehicle is approaching from the front or rear of the parking stall estimated by the estimation unit. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. The first identification unit, based on a road within the parking area and an installation direction of a parking stall adjacent to the road, identifies the traveling direction of the vehicle on the road as the traveling direction of the vehicle when the vehicle exits the parking stall forward and enters the road, in which the angle between the road and the installation direction of the parking stall is 90 degrees or more. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

5. a second identification unit that identifies a parking space in the parking area where a charging facility for an electric vehicle is located; a generating unit that generates charging facility availability information by associating a parking space in which a charging facility is located, which is identified by the second identifying unit, with an entrance and an exit of the parking area, and with the road and a vehicle traveling direction, which are identified by the first identifying unit; and The information processing device according to claim 1 , comprising:

6. a registration unit that registers the charging facility availability information generated by the generation unit in map information; The information processing device according to claim 4 .

7. The computer an acquisition step of acquiring image information relating to an image of the ground including a vehicle parking area from an aerial viewpoint; a first identification step of identifying roads within the parking area between an entrance for entering the parking area and an exit for exiting the parking area and a traveling direction of a vehicle on the roads, using the image information acquired by the acquisition step; An information processing method that performs the above.

8. On the computer, an acquisition function for acquiring image information on ground images including vehicle parking areas from an aerial perspective; a first identification function that uses the image information acquired by the acquisition function to identify roads within the parking area between an entrance for entering the parking area and an exit for exiting the parking area, and the direction of travel of the vehicle on the roads; An information processing program that makes this possible.

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