Object detection device

Abstract

This object detection device (100) comprises: a radar signal processor (3) which detects a radar detection location and radar detection speed of an object by executing signal processing for a reflection signal received by a radar (1) from the object including a moving object and a stationary object; a camera image processor (4) which detects a camera detection location of the object and an object type on the basis of object image data through a camera (2); and a fusion processor (5) which outputs, to a vehicle control device (20), the radar detection location, radar detection speed, and object type of an object of which the location indicated by the radar detection location is the same as the location indicated by the camera detection location, wherein the camera image processor detects a camera detection location and an object type of a moving object, and the radar signal processor identifies the stationary object among objects on the basis of the radar detection location, camera detection location, and object type of the moving object, calculates a host vehicle speed on the basis of the radar detection speed of the stationary object, and tracks the object with the radar on the basis of the host vehicle speed.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an object detection device that detects an object from a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] An object detection device mounted on a vehicle is a device that can detect objects such as people and obstacles that exist in the vehicle's environment in a short time. This object detection device can realize safe vehicle driving by using a vehicle control function or an alarm notification function and an object detection function. There are various types of object detection devices mounted on a vehicle, using radar, cameras, LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), ultrasonic sensors, etc. In recent years, with the spread of various sensors, fusion-type object detection devices that improve performance by combining multiple sensors have come to be widely used.

[0003] The object detection device described in Patent Document 1 is a fusion-type object detection device that uses a radar and a camera, and determines whether or not an object is a pedestrian based on the position data of the object detected using the radar and the camera. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2010 / 119860 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 does not use the vehicle's speed when detecting objects using radar, which results in poor object tracking processing performance by the radar, and there are cases where objects cannot be detected accurately.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and has an object to provide an object detection device that can accurately detect an object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the object detection device of the present disclosure includes a radar that emits electromagnetic waves and receives reflected signals from objects including moving objects and stationary objects, and a camera that captures an image of the object to obtain image data of the object. The object detection device of the present disclosure also includes a radar signal processing unit that performs signal processing on the reflected signal to detect a radar detection position, which is the position of the object, and a radar detection speed, which is the speed of the object, and a camera image processing unit that detects a camera detection position, which is the position of the object, and an object type, which is the type of the object, based on the image data. The object detection device of the present disclosure also includes a fusion processing unit that determines whether a position indicated by the radar detection position and a position indicated by the camera detection position are the same or not, and outputs the radar detection position, radar detection speed, and object type of an object determined to be the same to an external device. The camera image processing unit detects the camera detection position of the moving object and the object type of the moving object. The radar signal processing unit identifies stationary objects from among the objects based on the radar detection position, the camera detection position of the moving object, and the object type of the moving object, calculates the speed of the host vehicle in which the device is mounted as the host vehicle speed based on the radar detection speed of the stationary object, and causes the radar to track the moving object and stationary object based on the host vehicle speed. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The object detection device according to the present disclosure has the effect of being able to accurately detect an object. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an object detection device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 1 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for detecting an object by an object detection device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 3]FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an object detected by an object detection device according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the position and velocity of an object detected by an object detection device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a processing circuit included in an object detection device according to an embodiment when the processing circuit is realized by a processor and a memory. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing circuit included in an object detection device according to an embodiment, in the case where the processing circuit is configured with dedicated hardware. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an object detection device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Embodiment 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an object detection device according to an embodiment. The vehicle-mounted object detection device 100 is a fusion-type object detection device that detects objects using a radar 1 and a camera 2.

[0012] The object detection device 100 improves the detection accuracy of the radar 1, which is one of the sensors, by detecting an object using the camera 2. The object detection device 100 detects the speed of a vehicle (host vehicle) on which the object detection device 100 is mounted with high accuracy by combining the radar 1 and the camera 2, and improves the accuracy of the object tracking process by the radar 1, thereby detecting objects with high accuracy.

[0013] The object detection device 100 includes a radar 1, a camera 2, a radar signal processor 3 which is a radar signal processing section, a camera image processor 4 which is a camera image processing section, and a fusion processor 5 which is a fusion processing section.

[0014] The camera 2 is configured using components such as a lens, a holder, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor, power semiconductor components, a crystal device, etc. The camera 2 captures an image of an object to obtain image data (image information) of the object, and outputs the image data to a camera image processor 4.

[0015] The camera image processor 4 detects the position of an object and data on the type of the object (hereinafter referred to as the object type) based on the image data. The camera image processor 4 uses an MCU (Micro Control Unit), a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. The camera image processor 4 has an object recognition unit 12 and a memory 42.

[0016] The object recognition unit 12 is connected to the camera 2 and receives image data from the camera 2. The object recognition unit 12 uses feature data (feature amount) obtained by machine learning, deep learning, etc. as a database, and recognizes objects such as people and obstacles and detects the object type based on the feature data in the database and the image data from the camera 2. Specifically, the object recognition unit 12 extracts feature data from the image data and compares this feature data with feature data obtained by deep learning, etc., to recognize the object and detect the object type.

[0017] The object recognition unit 12 detects the object type of a specific moving object set in advance. For example, the object recognition unit 12 extracts a walking person, a moving bicycle, etc. as a moving object, and detects the object type of the extracted moving object.

[0018] Furthermore, the object recognition unit 12 detects the position of the object (hereinafter, referred to as the camera detection position) based on the coordinates of the object included in the image data. The object recognition unit 12 stores the object type and the camera detection position in the memory 42 as the camera detection data 13, which is the object recognition data.

[0019] The camera image processor 4 outputs camera detection data 13 including the object type and the camera detection position to the radar signal processor 3. Since the object recognized by the object recognition unit 12 is a moving object, the camera image processor 4 outputs camera detection data 13 including the object type and the camera detection position of the moving object to the radar signal processor 3.

[0020] The radar 1 emits electromagnetic waves to objects such as people and obstacles, and receives reflected signals from the objects. The radar 1 outputs the reflected signals to a radar signal processor 3. The radar 1 receives reflected signals from both moving and stationary objects.

[0021] The radar signal processor 3 detects the position and speed of an object by performing signal processing on the reflected signal (received signal) received by the radar 1. The radar 1 is disposed in an object detection device 100 to be mounted on a vehicle, and therefore detects objects using an FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method, an FCM (Fast Chirp Modulation) method, or the like. The radar 1 is configured using high frequency semiconductor components, power semiconductor components, substrates, crystal devices, chip components, antennas, and the like.

[0022] An MCU, a CPU, etc. are used for the radar signal processor 3. The radar signal processor 3 has a position detector 6, a speed detector 7, a tracking processor 8, a memory 41, a stationary object discriminator 10, and a host vehicle speed detector 11.

[0023] The position detection unit 6 and the speed detection unit 7 are connected to the radar 1 and receive a reflected signal from the radar 1. The position detection unit 6 and the speed detection unit 7 perform arithmetic processing using a fast Fourier transform (FFT) on the reflected signal. Specifically, the position detection unit 6 and the speed detection unit 7 perform a fast Fourier transform on the reflected signal in the distance direction, the speed direction, and the horizontal angle direction to detect the position and speed of the object, respectively. The position detection unit 6 outputs the position (position data) of the object to the stationary object discrimination unit 10 and the tracking processing unit 8 as a radar detected position, and the speed detection unit 7 outputs the speed (speed data) of the object to the stationary object discrimination unit 10 and the tracking processing unit 8 as a radar detected speed.

[0024] The stationary object discrimination unit 10 discriminates whether an object present on the field in which the object detection device 100 is used is a stationary object. The stationary object discrimination unit 10 identifies moving objects included in the objects based on the radar detection position, the camera detection position, and the object type. The stationary object discrimination unit 10 extracts the radar detection speed corresponding to the stationary object by removing the radar detection speed corresponding to the moving object from the radar detection speed. The stationary object discrimination unit 10 identifies the radar detection speed of the stationary object by deleting only the data corresponding to the moving object from the data (radar detection position and radar detection speed) of multiple objects.

[0025] Specifically, the stationary object discrimination unit 10 extracts an object type that is the same as a specific object type set in advance and a camera detection position corresponding to this object type from among the camera detection positions and object types detected by the camera image processor 4. The stationary object discrimination unit 10 extracts, from the radar detection positions, a radar detection speed corresponding to a radar detection position that indicates the same position as the extracted camera detection position, as stationary object data.

[0026] Specifically, the stationary object discrimination unit 10 determines that an object at a camera detection position corresponding to the object type is a moving object. Then, the stationary object discrimination unit 10 removes the detection data of the object determined to be a moving object from the detection data sent from the position detection unit 6 and the speed detection unit 7. That is, the stationary object discrimination unit 10 removes the detection data of an object whose radar detection position sent from the position detection unit 6 and the speed detection unit 7 is the same as the camera detection position as the detection data of a moving object. The stationary object discrimination unit 10 specifies the radar detection speed of the stationary object by deleting only the data corresponding to the moving object from the multiple detection data (radar detection position and radar detection speed) sent from the position detection unit 6 and the speed detection unit 7.

[0027] The stationary object discrimination unit 10 outputs to the host vehicle speed detection unit 11 the radar detected position of the stationary object and the radar detected speed of the stationary object.

[0028] The moving objects detected by the camera image processor 4 include people, other vehicles, and the like. When the host vehicle, which is the vehicle on which the object detection device 100 is mounted, is moving, a relative speed is assigned to the stationary object. That is, when the host vehicle is moving, the object detection device 100 detects the relative speed between the object detection device 100 and the stationary object as the speed of the stationary object. For this reason, it is difficult for the object detection device 100 to distinguish between a moving object and a stationary object using only the radar 1, but the object detection device 100 of this embodiment can easily distinguish whether an object is a stationary object or not by combining the radar 1 and the camera 2.

[0029] The host vehicle speed detection unit 11 calculates the speed of the host vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the host vehicle speed) by averaging the radar detection speeds sent from the stationary object discrimination unit 10. The host vehicle speed detection unit 11 outputs the host vehicle speed to the tracking processing unit 8 as a detection result.

[0030] The tracking processing unit 8 performs tracking processing of moving objects and stationary objects using separate parameters based on the radar detection position and radar detection speed sent from the position detection unit 6 and speed detection unit 7, and the vehicle speed sent from the vehicle speed detection unit 11.

[0031] Specifically, the tracking processor 8 distinguishes between moving and stationary objects based on the radar detection position, radar detection speed, and the vehicle speed. Then, the tracking processor 8 causes the radar 1 to track the moving object and the stationary object using different parameters based on the vehicle speed.

[0032] The tracking processing unit 8 smoothes the radar detection position and radar detection speed sent from the position detection unit 6 and the speed detection unit 7 based on the vehicle speed. The tracking processing unit 8 also estimates the radar detection position and radar detection speed in the next frame based on the vehicle speed. The tracking processing unit 8 also assigns identification information to the radar detection position and radar detection speed. The tracking processing unit 8 stores the radar detection position and radar detection speed used in the tracking process in the memory 41 as radar detection data 9.

[0033] The fusion processor 5 acquires the radar detection position and radar detection speed detected by the radar 1 from the radar signal processor 3. The fusion processor 5 also acquires the object type and camera detection position from the camera image processor 4. The fusion processor 5 executes data processing using the radar detection position, radar detection speed, object type, and camera detection position, and outputs the data processing result to an external device (e.g., vehicle control device 20) as the detection result of the object detection device 100. In other words, the fusion processor 5 executes data processing on the position, speed, and object type of the moving object, and outputs the data processing result to the external device.

[0034] The fusion processor 5 has an identity determination unit 14, a memory 43, and an output unit 16. The identity determination unit 14 executes identity determination of an object based on the radar detection position and the camera detection position. Specifically, the identity determination unit 14 executes identity determination processing, which is a process of determining whether or not the object indicated by the radar detection position and the object indicated by the camera detection position are the same, based on whether or not the position of the object indicated by the radar detection position is the same as the position of the object indicated by the camera detection position. Through this identity determination processing, the identity determination unit 14 associates the radar detection position acquired using the radar 1, the radar detection speed acquired using the radar 1, and the object type acquired using the camera 2.

[0035] The identity determination unit 14 stores data associating the radar detection position, radar detection speed, and object type in the memory 43 as fusion detection data 15. Since the object type identified using the camera 2 is a moving object, the identity determination unit 14 stores data associating the radar detection position of the moving object, the radar detection speed of the moving object, and the object type of the moving object in the memory 43 as fusion detection data 15.

[0036] The output unit 16 outputs the fusion detection data 15, in which the radar detection position, the radar detection speed, and the object type are associated with each other, to the vehicle control device 20, which is a device at the rear stage of the object detection device 100. In this way, the fusion processor 5 transfers the fusion detection data 15, which includes the radar detection position, the radar detection speed, and the object type, to the vehicle control device 20. As a result, the vehicle control device 20 mounted on the host vehicle uses the fusion detection data 15 to control the host vehicle. In other words, the vehicle control device 20 controls the host vehicle based on the position, speed, and type of the moving object. The output unit 16 may be disposed outside the fusion processor 5.

[0037] Next, a processing procedure for object detection by the object detection device 100 will be described. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for object detection by the object detection device according to the embodiment. When the vehicle-mounted object detection device 100 starts an object detection frame (step S1), the radar 1 outputs a reflected signal acquired from an object to the radar signal processor 3 (step S2), and the camera 2 outputs the acquired image data to the camera image processor 4 (step S8).

[0038] In the radar signal processor 3, the position detector 6 and the speed detector 7 detect the position and speed of the object (step S3). The position detector 6 outputs the position of the object detected by the radar 1 to the stationary object discriminator 10 and the tracking processor 8 as a radar detected position, and the speed detector 7 outputs the speed of the object detected by the radar 1 to the stationary object discriminator 10 and the tracking processor 8 as a radar detected speed.

[0039] In the camera image processor 4, the object recognition unit 12 recognizes the object based on the image data (step S9) and detects the object type. The object recognition unit 12 also detects the camera detection position, which is the position of the object, based on the coordinates of the object included in the image data.

[0040] The camera image processor 4 stores the camera detection position and the object type in the memory 42 as the camera detection data 13 (step S10). That is, the camera image processor 4 outputs the camera detection position and the object type to the memory 42 and stores them in the memory 42 as the camera detection data 13. The camera image processor 4 outputs the camera detection data 13 in the memory 42 to the radar signal processor 3 and the fusion processor 5.

[0041] The stationary object discrimination unit 10 of the radar signal processor 3 discriminates stationary objects from among the objects based on the radar detection position, the camera detection position, and the object type (step S4).

[0042] Here, a method for distinguishing stationary objects will be described. Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining objects detected by the object detection device according to the embodiment. Here, a case will be described in which the object detection device 100 is mounted on a vehicle 30, which is the subject vehicle, and an object is located ahead of the vehicle 30 (in the direction of movement). Objects include stationary objects and moving objects. Fig. 3 shows a case in which stationary objects A1 to C1 and a moving object X1 are located ahead of the vehicle 30.

[0043] The object detection device 100 detects objects while the vehicle 30 is moving. The radar 1 receives a reflected signal from an object located ahead of the vehicle 30 in the moving direction, and the camera 2 acquires image data from the object located ahead of the vehicle 30 in the moving direction.

[0044] An area included in both the radar horizontal coverage 21, which is the horizontal coverage of the radar 1, and the camera horizontal coverage 22, which is the horizontal coverage of the camera 2, is the field in which the object detection device 100 detects objects. In Fig. 3, stationary objects A1 to C1 and a moving object X1 are located within the radar horizontal coverage 21 and the camera horizontal coverage 22. Therefore, both the position detection unit 6 and the speed detection unit 7 of the radar signal processor 3 can detect the stationary objects A1 to C1 and the moving object X1. In addition, the object recognition unit 12 of the camera image processor 4 can detect the moving object X1.

[0045] When the stationary object discrimination unit 10 discriminates a stationary object, the host vehicle speed detection unit 11 calculates the host vehicle speed based on the speed of the discriminated stationary object (step S5). Specifically, the host vehicle speed detection unit 11 calculates the host vehicle speed by averaging the radar detection velocities of the stationary objects A1 to C1 sent from the stationary object discrimination unit 10. In this way, the object detection device 100 can calculate the host vehicle speed based on the radar detection velocities of the stationary objects A1 to C1.

[0046] Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the position and speed of an object detected by the object detection device according to the embodiment. Fig. 4 shows an image diagram in which the positions and speeds detected by the position detection unit 6 and the speed detection unit 7 of the radar signal processor 3 from the object shown in Fig. 3 are plotted. In Fig. 4, the positions and speeds of stationary objects A1 to C1 are illustrated as Pa to Pc, and the position and speed of a moving object X1 is illustrated as Px.

[0047] When the vehicle 30 is moving, the stationary objects A1 to C1 and the moving object X1 all have a speed as viewed from the object detection device 100. In other words, when the vehicle 30 moves, the radar signal processor 3 detects that the stationary objects A1 to C1 and the moving object X1 have a relative speed with respect to the vehicle 30.

[0048] Furthermore, the camera image processor 4 detects the camera detection position and the object type. Then, the stationary object discrimination unit 10 of the radar signal processor 3 detects the moving object X1 based on the radar detection position, the camera detection position, and the object type. The stationary object discrimination unit 10 excludes the moving object X1 from candidates for stationary objects, thereby extracting stationary objects A1 to C1 from among the objects.

[0049] For example, if the speeds of stationary objects A1, B1, and C1 that the radar signal processor 3 has determined to be stationary objects are VA, VB, and VC, respectively, the host vehicle speed detection unit 11 calculates the host vehicle speed Vcar using the following equation (1).

[0050] Vcar = (VA + VB + VC) / 3 (1)

[0051] In this manner, the object detection device 100 calculates the relative speed of the stationary object with respect to the vehicle 30, and calculates the host vehicle speed based on this relative speed.

[0052] In this embodiment, the case has been described where object detection device 100 calculates the vehicle speed based on the average value of the speeds of stationary objects. However, object detection device 100 may also use the minimum, maximum, median, etc. of the speeds of stationary objects as the vehicle speed.

[0053] After calculating the vehicle speed, the radar signal processor 3 performs object tracking processing based on the vehicle speed. Specifically, the tracking processor 8 performs object tracking processing based on the vehicle speed, radar detection position, and radar detection speed (step S6). The tracking processor 8 performs tracking processing for moving objects and stationary objects using separate parameters based on the vehicle speed, radar detection position, and radar detection speed.

[0054] The tracking processing unit 8 stores the radar detection position and radar detection speed used in the tracking processing in the memory 41 as radar detection data 9 (step S7). That is, the tracking processing unit 8 outputs the radar detection position and radar detection speed to the memory 41 and stores them in the memory 41 as radar detection data 9. The radar signal processor 3 outputs the radar detection data 9 in the memory 41 to the fusion processor 5.

[0055] The identity determination unit 14 of the fusion processor 5 acquires the radar detection position and the radar detection speed from the radar signal processor 3. The identity determination unit 14 executes identity determination of objects based on the radar detection position and the camera detection position (step S11). The identity determination unit 14 executes identity determination processing, which is processing for determining whether the object indicated by the radar detection position and the object indicated by the camera detection position are the same, based on whether the position of the object indicated by the radar detection position is the same as the position of the object indicated by the camera detection position.

[0056] In this way, the identity determination unit 14 determines the identity of objects based on the radar detection position and the camera detection position in order to link the radar detection position, radar detection speed, and object type to the various data sent to the fusion processor 5.

[0057] The identity determination unit 14 associates the radar detection position, radar detection speed, and object type with the object (moving object) determined to be the same. The identity determination unit 14 stores data in which the radar detection position, radar detection speed, and object type are associated in the memory 43 as fusion detection data 15 (step S12). That is, the identity determination unit 14 outputs the data in which the radar detection position, radar detection speed, and object type are associated to the memory 43, and stores the data in the memory 43 as the fusion detection data 15.

[0058] The position and speed data that the identity determination unit 14 stores in the memory 43 as part of the fusion detection data 15 is the radar detection position and radar detection speed detected using the radar 1. In addition, the object type that the identity determination unit 14 stores in the memory 43 as part of the fusion detection data 15 is data detected using the camera 2.

[0059] The output unit 16 of the fusion processor 5 outputs the fusion detection data 15 in the memory 43 to the vehicle control device 20. As a result, the fusion detection data 15 is used by the vehicle control device 20 to control the vehicle 30 (step S13). With the above, the object detection frame is completed, and the process moves to the next frame of object detection (step S14), and the same processing is repeatedly executed from steps S1 to S14.

[0060] If the speed of the vehicle itself is unknown, the tracking processing unit 8 of the radar signal processor 3, which processes the detection data of the radar 1, cannot distinguish whether the detected object is a moving object or a stationary object, and the tracking processing performance by the tracking processing unit 8 is reduced. In this embodiment, the stationary object discrimination unit 10 detects a moving object based on the object position (camera detection position) and object type obtained by the camera 2 and the camera image processor 4, and deletes the data of the moving object from the data of the object detected by the radar 1. This allows the stationary object discrimination unit 10 to extract only the data of the stationary object with high accuracy. As a result, the vehicle speed detection unit 11 can detect the vehicle speed with high accuracy. Therefore, the tracking processing unit 8 can discriminate between a moving object and a stationary object with high accuracy based on the vehicle speed, so that the accuracy of the tracking processing is improved, and the object detection performance using the radar 1 is improved. In this way, the fusion type object detection device 100 that employs the detection data by the radar 1 can improve the object detection performance.

[0061] In addition, some object detection devices obtain speed information of the vehicle in which the object detection device is installed, and reflect the information in the radar tracking process. In the case of such object detection devices, the number of interfaces with the vehicle increases, which increases the hardware scale and increases the manufacturing cost.

[0062] Here, the hardware configurations of the radar signal processor 3, which is a radar signal processing unit, the camera image processor 4, which is a camera image processing unit, and the fusion processor 5, which is a fusion processing unit, provided in the object detection device 100 will be described. Hereinafter, the radar signal processor 3, the camera image processor 4, and the fusion processor 5 will be referred to as a data processing unit. The data processing unit of the object detection device 100 is realized by a processing circuit. The processing circuit may be a processor and memory that executes a program stored in a memory, or may be dedicated hardware such as a dedicated circuit. The processing circuit is also called a control circuit.

[0063] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a processing circuit in the case where the processing circuit included in the object detection device according to the embodiment is realized by a processor and a memory. The processing circuit 90 shown in FIG. 5 is a control circuit and includes a processor 91 and a memory 92. When the processing circuit 90 is configured with the processor 91 and the memory 92, each function of the processing circuit 90 is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is described as a program and stored in the memory 92. In the processing circuit 90, each function is realized by the processor 91 reading and executing the program stored in the memory 92. That is, the processing circuit 90 includes a memory 92 for storing a program that results in the processing of the data processing unit included in the object detection device 100 being executed. This program can also be said to be a program for causing the object detection device 100 to execute each function realized by the processing circuit 90. This program may be provided by a storage medium in which the program is stored, or may be provided by other means such as a communication medium. The above program can also be said to be a program for causing the data processing unit included in the object detection device 100 to execute the processing of detecting an object.

[0064] The processor 91 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit, also called a central processing unit, processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP (Digital Signal Processor)) or a system LSI (Large Scale Integration).

[0065] The memory 92 may be, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), an EEPROM (registered trademark) (Electrically EPROM), a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

[0066] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a processing circuit in the case where the processing circuit of the object detection device according to the embodiment is configured with dedicated hardware. The processing circuit 93 shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination of these. The processing circuit 93 may be partially realized with dedicated hardware and partially realized with software or firmware. In this way, the processing circuit 93 can realize each of the above-mentioned functions by dedicated hardware, software, firmware, or a combination of these. In addition, the radar signal processor 3, the camera image processor 4, and the fusion processor 5 may each be configured with a separate processing circuit. In addition, two of the radar signal processor 3, the camera image processor 4, and the fusion processor 5 may be configured with the above-mentioned processing circuit, and the remaining one may be configured with the above-mentioned processing circuit.

[0067] Thus, in the embodiment, object detection device 100 identifies a stationary object from among objects based on the camera-detected position of the moving object and the object type of the moving object, calculates the speed of the host vehicle, which is the vehicle on which the device is mounted, as the host vehicle speed based on the radar detection speed of the stationary object, and causes radar 1 to track the moving object and the stationary object based on the host vehicle speed. This allows object detection device 100 to accurately detect objects.

[0068] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies. Parts of the configurations may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 1 radar, 2 camera, 3 radar signal processor, 4 camera image processor, 5 fusion processor, 6 position detector, 7 speed detector, 8 tracking processor, 9 radar detection data, 10 stationary object discriminator, 11 vehicle speed detector, 12 object recognition unit, 13 camera detection data, 14 identity determination unit, 15 fusion detection data, 16 output unit, 20 vehicle control device, 21 radar horizontal coverage, 22 camera horizontal coverage, 30 vehicle, 41-43 memory, 100 object detector, A1-C1 stationary objects, X1 moving object.

Claims

1. A radar that emits electromagnetic waves and receives reflected signals from objects including moving objects and stationary objects; a camera that captures an image of the object to obtain image data of the object; a radar signal processing unit that performs signal processing on the reflected signal to detect a radar detection position, which is the position of the object, and a radar detection speed, which is the speed of the object; a camera image processing unit that detects a camera detection position, which is a position of the object, and an object type, which is a type of the object, based on the image data; a fusion processing unit that determines whether a position indicated by the radar detection position and a position indicated by the camera detection position are identical, and outputs the radar detection position, the radar detection speed, and the object type of the object that is determined to be identical to an external device; Equipped with The camera image processing unit includes: Detecting the camera detection position of the moving object and the object type of the moving object; The radar signal processing unit includes: identifying a stationary object from among the objects based on the radar detection position, the camera detection position of the moving object, and the object type of the moving object, calculating a speed of a host vehicle, which is a vehicle in which the host device is mounted, as a host vehicle speed based on the radar detection speed of the stationary object, and causing the radar to track the moving object and the stationary object based on the host vehicle speed; 1. An object detection device comprising:

2. The camera image processing unit includes: an object recognition unit that detects the camera-detected position of the moving object and the object type of the moving object based on the image data; The radar signal processing unit includes: a position detection unit that detects the radar detection position based on the reflected signal; a speed detection unit that detects the radar detection speed based on the reflected signal; a stationary object discrimination unit that identifies the radar detection speed of the stationary object from the radar detection speeds detected by the speed detection unit based on the radar detection position, the camera detection position of the moving object, and the object type of the moving object; a host vehicle speed detection unit that calculates the host vehicle speed based on the radar detected speed of the stationary object; a tracking processing unit that performs tracking processing on the moving object and the stationary object using separate parameters based on the radar detection position detected by the position detection unit, the radar detection speed detected by the speed detection unit, and the host vehicle speed; having 2. The object detection device according to claim 1 .

3. The fusion processing unit includes: an identity determination unit that acquires the camera detection position of the moving object and the object type of the moving object from the camera image processing unit, acquires the radar detection position of the stationary object and the radar detection speed of the stationary object from the radar signal processing unit, and determines whether the object indicated by the radar detection position and the object indicated by the camera detection position are the same based on whether the position of the object indicated by the radar detection position is the same as the position of the object indicated by the camera detection position; an output unit that outputs the radar detection position, the radar detection speed, and the object type of the object determined to be identical by the identity determination unit to an external device; having 3. The object detection device according to claim 1 or 2.

Images