Entering vehicle detection device, entering vehicle detection method, and entering vehicle detection program

Abstract

To easily adjust the emitting direction of a search wave used to detect a vehicle.SOLUTION: A moving object detection sensor emits a search wave toward the upstream side of a setting area, and detects the position and speed of a vehicle located at the upstream side of the setting area. An approach determination unit determines whether or not the detected vehicle approaches the setting area, and an output unit outputs a message that there is the vehicle determined to approach the setting area. A display control unit displays on a display unit an image captured by an image sensor whose optical axis is aligned with the reference emitting direction of the search wave emitted by the moving object detection sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for detecting a vehicle entering a restricted area where vehicle traffic is restricted due to road construction or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, when road construction is carried out on a road on which vehicles travel, the construction manager sets a restricted area for restricting vehicle traffic on some lanes on the road. The restricted area set during road construction is set so as to include a work area where work related to the road construction is carried out. The construction manager places a sign upstream of the restricted area or places multiple cones on the road to encourage drivers of vehicles traveling on the lanes where the restricted area is set to change lanes.

[0003] There is also a device that determines whether a vehicle traveling upstream of a restricted area is entering the restricted area, and if a vehicle is determined to be entering the restricted area, provides evacuation guidance to construction workers working in the restricted area (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The device in Patent Document 1 detects the position (lane in which the vehicle is traveling) and speed of a vehicle traveling upstream of the restricted area, and uses the detected position and speed to determine whether the vehicle is entering the restricted area. The device in Patent Document 1 uses a known radio wave radar to detect vehicles. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5627048 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, because the radio waves, which are the search waves, cannot be seen, there is a problem that it takes time to adjust the direction of the radio waves emitted from the radio radar device. For example, the adjuster adjusts the direction of the radio waves emitted from the radio radar device while checking whether the position of the vehicle actually detected is appropriate. In other words, the adjuster adjusts the direction of the radio waves emitted from the radio radar device while detecting vehicles traveling from upstream toward the restricted area, and this adjustment takes time.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for easily adjusting the irradiation direction of a search wave used to detect a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the approaching vehicle detection device of the present invention is configured as follows.

[0008] The moving object detection sensor irradiates a search wave toward the upstream side of a set area defined on a road on which the vehicle travels, and detects the reflected wave to detect the position and speed of the vehicle located upstream of the set area. The entry determination unit determines whether the vehicle detected by the moving object detection sensor is entering the set area. When the entry determination unit determines that the vehicle is entering the set area, the output unit outputs a signal to that effect.

[0009] The image sensor has an optical axis aligned with a reference irradiation direction of the search wave irradiated by the moving object detection sensor. The display control unit causes the display device to display the image captured by the image sensor.

[0010] With this configuration, the direction of the search wave emitted by the moving object detection sensor can be adjusted while checking the image captured by the image sensor displayed on the display. This reduces the effort required to adjust the direction of the search wave, and shortens the time required for this adjustment.

[0011] The moving object detection sensor and the image sensor may be attached to, for example, a surveillance vehicle. The surveillance vehicle may also be provided with a search direction change unit that changes the orientation of the moving object detection sensor and the image sensor while maintaining the optical axis of the sensor aligned with the reference irradiation direction. With this configuration, a worker can adjust the irradiation direction of the search wave in a safe place such as a roadside strip or inside the surveillance vehicle. This improves the safety of the worker when adjusting the irradiation direction of the search wave.

[0012] Also, a first setting unit is provided that sets an installation position of the moving object detection sensor in a vehicle width direction perpendicular to a traveling direction of the vehicle on the road, The entry determination unit may be configured to determine whether or not a vehicle detected by the moving body detection sensor is entering the set area, using the installation position of the moving body detection sensor.

[0013] With this configuration, it is possible to improve the accuracy of determining whether a detected vehicle is entering the set area.

[0014] For example, if the first setting unit has an installation position detection sensor that detects the installation position of the moving body detection sensor in the vehicle width direction, the installation position of the moving body detection sensor can be automatically set.

[0015] The present invention may also be configured to include a second setting unit that sets the lane width divided on the road in the vehicle's travel direction, and the entry determination unit uses the set value of the lane width to determine whether the vehicle detected by the moving object detection sensor is entering the set area. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, the irradiation direction of the search wave used to detect a vehicle can be easily adjusted. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1]FIG. 1(A) is a plan view of a road on which road construction work is being carried out, viewed from a direction perpendicular to the road surface, and FIG. 1(B) is a plan view of the road on which road construction work is being carried out, viewed from a direction horizontal to the road surface. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an approaching vehicle detection device according to this embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of an approaching vehicle detection device according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4(A) is an example of a display screen in which the optical axis of the camera is represented by a cross made up of two dashed lines, and FIG. 4(B) is an example of a display screen in which the optical axis of the camera is represented by a dot. [Diagram 5] 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure for an adjustment process. [Figure 6] 6(A) and (B) are diagrams showing images captured by a camera and displayed on the screen of a display device. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an image captured by a camera and displayed on a screen of a display device. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart showing an entering vehicle detection process. [Figure 9] 9(A) and (B) are plan views of a road on which road construction is being carried out, viewed from a direction perpendicular to the road surface. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of an entering vehicle detection device according to a first modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0019] <1. Application Examples> First, an example in which the entering vehicle detection device 1 of this example is used on a road where road construction work is being performed will be described. Fig. 1(A) is a plan view of the road where road construction work is being performed viewed from a direction perpendicular to the road surface, and Fig. 1(B) is a plan view of the road where road construction work is being performed viewed from a direction horizontal to the road surface. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the entering vehicle detection device of this example. The road construction work may be work related to repair and restoration of the road surface, or work related to replacement and repair of pipes buried underground.

[0020] It should be noted that lane restrictions may be implemented not for road construction but for dealing with a traffic accident.

[0021] In this example, the hatched area in Fig. 1(A) is a restricted area 110 where the passage of vehicles 100 (vehicles 100a to 100c) is restricted. The restricted area 110 corresponds to the set area as referred to in this invention. A monitoring vehicle 5 is parked relatively upstream of the restricted area 110. As shown in Fig. 2, the entering vehicle detection device 1 in this example includes an on-board unit 2, a camera 8, and a radio radar 7. The radio radar 7 corresponds to the moving object detection sensor as referred to in this invention, and the camera 8 corresponds to the image sensor as referred to in this invention.

[0022] The vehicle-mounted device 2 is mounted on a surveillance vehicle 5. The radio radar 7 and the camera 8 are attached to the roof of the surveillance vehicle 5. Here, an example in which the radio radar 7 and the camera 8 are attached to the roof of the surveillance vehicle 5 will be described, but they may be attached to other locations on the surveillance vehicle 5.

[0023] The radio radar 7 and the camera 8 are attached to a rotating member 9 that rotates around an axis in the height direction of the surveillance vehicle 5. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the radio radar 7 is attached above the camera 8, but the camera 8 may be attached above the radio radar 7. The vehicle-mounted device 2 controls the rotation of the rotating member 9. The reference irradiation direction of the radio radar 7 attached to the rotating member 9 and the optical axis of the camera 8 are parallel to each other and aligned in the height direction of the surveillance vehicle 5, as shown in Figs. 1(A) and (B).

[0024] The radio radar 7 scans radio waves in the width direction of the road. The range in which the radio radar 7 scans radio waves is a range of 2α° centered on the reference irradiation direction. The radio waves are scanned in the horizontal direction. As is well known, the radio radar 7 can detect the position and speed of an object (e.g., a vehicle 100) that reflected the irradiated exploration wave by detecting the reflected wave of the irradiated exploration wave. The position of the object can be detected using the irradiation direction of the exploration wave and the flight time of the exploration wave (the time from when the exploration wave is irradiated to when the reflected wave is detected). The speed of the object can be detected using the frequency of the irradiated exploration wave and the frequency of the detected reflected wave. For each vehicle 100 detected, the radio radar 7 outputs the position and speed of the vehicle 100 to the vehicle-mounted device 2 as detection data.

[0025] Camera 8 captures a visible light image and outputs the captured image to vehicle-mounted device 2. Camera 8 may be, for example, a video camera or a digital still camera that captures a still image when a release signal is input. In other words, camera 8 may be any camera that can capture a visible light image at any timing.

[0026] In addition, upstream of the restricted area 110, the road construction manager installs signs and places multiple cones on the road to encourage drivers of vehicles 100 traveling in the lane in which the restricted area 110 is set to change lanes.

[0027] The vehicle-mounted device 2 displays an image captured by the camera 8. The vehicle-mounted device 2 also rotates the rotating member 9 in response to an input operation to change the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves in the radio radar 7. At this time, the optical axis of the camera 8 also changes in response to the change in the reference irradiation direction. In other words, even when the rotating member 9 is rotated, the optical axis of the camera 8 and the reference irradiation direction of the radio radar 7 remain parallel to each other and aligned in the height direction of the surveillance vehicle 5.

[0028] In the approaching vehicle detection device 1 of this example, the irradiation direction of the exploration waves irradiated by the radio radar 7 can be adjusted by adjusting the optical axis of the camera 8. The optical axis of the camera 8 can be adjusted while checking the image captured by this camera 8. In other words, the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves in the radio radar 7 can be adjusted while checking the image captured by the camera 8. Therefore, the approaching vehicle detection device 1 of this example can easily adjust the irradiation direction of the radio waves irradiated as exploration waves by the radio radar 7 used to detect the vehicle 100.

[0029] <2. Configuration example> 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the approaching vehicle detection device 1 of this example. The approaching vehicle detection device 1 of this example includes the vehicle-mounted device 2, the radio radar 7, and the camera 8, as described above.

[0030] The vehicle-mounted device 2 includes a control unit 11 , a detection data input section 12 , an image input section 13 , a display 14 , an operation section 15 , a rotation drive section 16 , and an output section 17 .

[0031] The control unit 11 controls the operation of each part of the main body of the vehicle-mounted device 2. The control unit 11 has an entry determination part 21, a display control part 22, and a rotation control part 23. The entry determination part 21, the display control part 22, and the rotation control part 23 will be described in detail later.

[0032] The radio radar 7 is connected to the detection data input unit 12. Detection data of the vehicle 100 is input from the radio radar 7 to the detection data input unit 12. The detection data is data in which the position and speed of each vehicle 100 detected by the radio radar 7 are associated with each vehicle 100.

[0033] The camera 8 is connected to the image input unit 13. To the image input unit 13, an image captured by the camera 8 (frame image) is input.

[0034] The display 14 displays the image captured by the camera 8 .

[0035] The operation unit 15 accepts various input operations to the vehicle-mounted device 2 .

[0036] The rotation drive unit 16 outputs a drive signal for driving a motor (not shown). As the motor is driven, the rotation member 9 rotates. That is, the rotation drive unit 16 rotates the rotation member 9, thereby changing the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves in the radio radar 7.

[0037] When it is determined that the vehicle 100 is entering the restricted area 110, the output unit 17 outputs a signal to that effect. An alarm device (not shown) is connected to the output unit 17. The alarm device issues a warning or other notification to workers working in the restricted area 110 to urge them to evacuate in preparation for the entry of the vehicle 100.

[0038] Next, the entry determination section 21, the display control section 22, and the rotation control section 23 included in the control unit 11 will be described.

[0039] The entry determination unit 21 determines, for each vehicle 100 detected by the radio radar 7, whether or not the vehicle 100 is entering the restricted area 110. For example, for a vehicle 100 traveling in a lane in which the restricted area 110 is defined, the entry determination unit 21 determines whether or not the vehicle 100 is entering the restricted area 110 using the speed of the vehicle 100 and the distance L from the detection position of the vehicle 100 to the restricted area 110.

[0040] For example, the vehicle-mounted device 2 has registered therein determination data in which threshold speeds are associated with different distances to the regulated area 110. The determination data is stored in a memory or the like (not shown). For example, the shorter the distance L to the regulated area 110, the lower the associated threshold speed of the determination data.

[0041] Also, instead of the determination data, a calculation formula V(L) for the threshold speed, which uses the distance L to the regulated area 110 as a variable, may be stored in the memory. This calculation formula V(L) may be a linear function, a quadratic function, or any other type of function, so long as the calculated threshold speed decreases as the distance L becomes shorter.

[0042] The entry determination unit 21 acquires a threshold speed corresponding to the distance L from the vehicle 100 to the restricted area 110 for the vehicle 100 traveling in a lane in which the restricted area 110 is set. If the speed of the vehicle 100 exceeds the threshold speed acquired for the vehicle 100, the entry determination unit 21 determines that the vehicle 100 is entering the restricted area 110.

[0043] The entry determination unit 21 does not determine that the vehicle 100 is entering the restricted area 110 unless the speed of the vehicle 100 exceeds the threshold speed acquired for the vehicle 100. Furthermore, the entry determination unit 21 does not determine that the vehicle 100 is entering the restricted area 110 for a vehicle 100 that is not traveling in a lane in which the restricted area 110 is set, regardless of the speed of the vehicle 100.

[0044] The display control unit 22 causes the display device 14 to display an image captured by the camera 8. The display control unit 22 causes the screen of the display device 14 to display a composite image in which an image showing the optical axis of the camera 8 is superimposed on the image captured by the camera 8. The display control unit 22 causes, for example, the images shown in Figs. 4(A) and (B) to be displayed on the screen of the display device 14. Fig. 4(A) is an example of a display screen in which the optical axis of the camera is shown as a cross made up of two broken lines, and Fig. 4(B) is an example of a display screen in which the optical axis of the camera is shown as a dot. In Fig. 4(A), the position where the two broken lines intersect is the position of the optical axis of the camera 8. In Fig. 4(B), the display position of the dot is the position of the optical axis of the camera 8.

[0045] The rotation control unit 23 outputs a drive instruction to rotate the rotating member 9 to the rotation drive unit 16. The rotation control unit 23 instructs the rotation drive unit 16 on the direction in which to rotate the rotating member 9 and the amount of rotation. The rotation control unit 23 determines the direction in which to rotate the rotating member 9 and the amount of rotation, based on the rotation operation of the rotating member 9 received by the operation unit 15.

[0046] The control unit 11 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 is composed of a hardware CPU, a memory, and other electronic circuits. When the hardware CPU executes the intruding vehicle detection program according to the present invention, it operates as an intrusion determination unit 21, a display control unit 22, and a rotation control unit 23. The memory also has an area for developing the intruding vehicle detection program according to the present invention and an area for temporarily storing data generated during execution of the intruding vehicle detection program. The memory also stores determination data for acquiring a threshold speed. The control unit 11 may be an LSI that integrates the hardware CPU, memory, and the like. The hardware CPU is also a computer that executes the intruding vehicle detection method according to the present invention.

[0047] <3. Example of operation> Next, a description will be given of the operation of the entering vehicle detection device 1 according to this example. The entering vehicle detection device 1 according to this example performs an adjustment process for adjusting the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves emitted by the radio radar 7, and an entering vehicle detection process for detecting a vehicle 100 entering a restricted area 110 set on a road.

[0048] First, the adjustment process for adjusting the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves emitted by the radio radar 7 will be described. In this example, as described above, the radio radar 7 horizontally scans the radio waves within a range of 2α° centered on the reference irradiation direction. In this example, the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves emitted by the radio radar 7 is adjusted so as to be parallel to the lane.

[0049] 5 is a flow chart showing the procedure of the adjustment process for adjusting the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves emitted by the radio radar. First, a coordinator (for example, the site manager of the current road construction) stops the monitoring vehicle 5 at an appropriate position upstream of the restricted area 110 (s1). At this time, the coordinator may stop the monitoring vehicle 5 in a state where it is slightly tilted with respect to the lane. In other words, the coordinator does not need to stop the monitoring vehicle 5 straight with respect to the lane, and therefore the monitoring vehicle 5 can be easily stopped.

[0050] When the coordinator stops the surveillance vehicle 5, he operates the operation unit 15 of the in-vehicle device 2 inside the surveillance vehicle 5 to perform input operations related to capturing an image by the camera 8 and displaying the captured image on the operation unit 15. In response to this operation, the in-vehicle device 2 starts capturing an image by the camera 8 and displays the captured image on the screen of the display 14 (s2, s3).

[0051] 6(A) and (B) are diagrams showing the captured image of the camera displayed on the screen of the display device at s3. When the optical axis of the camera 8 is tilted upward (toward the lane where the regulated area 110 is not set) in FIG. 1(A), the image shown in FIG. 6(A) is displayed on the screen of the display device 14. When the optical axis of the camera 8 is tilted downward (toward the road side) in FIG. 1(A), the image shown in FIG. 6(B) is displayed on the screen of the display device 14.

[0052] Since the optical axis of the camera 8 in the horizontal direction is aligned with the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves from the radio radar 7, when the image shown in Fig. 6(A) is displayed on the screen of the display 14, the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves from the radio radar 7 is tilted upward in Fig. 1(A). Also, when the image shown in Fig. 6(B) is displayed on the screen of the display 14, the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves from the radio radar 7 is tilted downward in Fig. 1(A).

[0053] Therefore, the adjuster can easily check, by using the image displayed on the screen of the display 14 (the image captured by the camera 8), whether the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves from the radio radar 7 is inclined with respect to the lane, and if so, in which direction it is inclined.

[0054] When the adjuster confirms that the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves from the radio radar 7 is inclined with respect to the lane, the adjuster performs an input operation on the operation unit 15 to rotate the rotating member 9. In this input operation, the adjuster inputs the direction in which the rotating member 9 is rotated and the amount of rotation. The input operation of the rotation direction is, for example, an input operation that specifies the positive direction (clockwise) or the negative direction (counterclockwise). In addition, the input operation of the rotation amount is, for example, an input operation that specifies the number of degrees (1°, 2°, etc.).

[0055] Furthermore, when the adjuster confirms that the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves from the radio radar 7 is not inclined with respect to the lane, he or she performs an input operation on the operation unit 15 to complete the adjustment.

[0056] When the in-vehicle device 2 receives an input operation to rotate the rotating member 9, the rotation control unit 23 generates a control signal to rotate the rotating member 9, performs rotation control to output the control signal to the rotation drive unit 16 (s4, s6), and returns to s2. The rotation drive unit 16 drives the motor in response to the control signal from the rotation control unit 23 to rotate the rotating member 9. The adjuster inputs the direction in which the rotating member 9 is to be rotated and the amount of rotation of the rotating member 9.

[0057] Therefore, when the control in s6 is performed, an image captured by the camera 8 after the rotating member 9 has been rotated is displayed on the screen of the display 14 in accordance with the input operation performed by the adjuster on the operation unit 15. The adjuster checks whether the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves from the radio radar 7 is inclined with respect to the lane, and if it is determined that it is inclined, performs an input operation on the operation unit 15 again to rotate the rotating member 9.

[0058] Furthermore, when the adjuster determines that the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves from the radio radar 7 is not inclined with respect to the lane, the adjuster performs an input operation on the operation unit 15 to complete the adjustment.

[0059] When the input operation for completing the adjustment is performed, the vehicle-mounted device 2 starts the entering vehicle detection process (s7).

[0060] In adjusting the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves from the radio radar 7, the adjuster aligns the optical axis of the camera 8 with the vanishing point of the lane (the lane in which the restricted area 110 is set). For example, an input operation is performed to adjust the amount of rotation of the rotating member 9 so that the image displayed on the screen of the display 14 becomes the image shown in FIG.

[0061] 8 is a flowchart showing the approaching vehicle detection process that starts at s7. During this approaching vehicle detection process, the imaging by the camera 8 may be stopped. The radio wave radar 7 horizontally scans the radio waves, which are exploration waves, in a range of 2α° centered on the reference irradiation direction, and detects the reflected waves to detect the position and speed of the vehicle 100. The radio wave radar 7 repeats the horizontal scanning of the radio waves at regular time intervals (for example, 100 msec intervals). Every time the radio wave radar 7 scans the radio waves horizontally, it outputs vehicle detection data, which associates the position and speed of the vehicle 100 with each other, for each vehicle 100 detected in the scan, to the on-board device 2.

[0062] The vehicle-mounted device 2 waits for vehicle detection data to be input from the radio radar 7 or for an input operation to end this process to be performed on the operation unit 15 (s11, s12). When the vehicle detection data is input, the vehicle-mounted device 2 determines whether or not there is a vehicle 100 traveling in the corresponding lane (s13). The corresponding lane is a lane in which a regulated area 110 is set.

[0063] If the vehicle 100 traveling in the lane is not detected, the vehicle-mounted device 2 returns to step s11.

[0064] If a vehicle 100 traveling in the lane is detected, the vehicle-mounted device 2 acquires a threshold speed for each of the detected vehicles 100 (vehicles 100 traveling in the lane) (s14). The threshold speed is set according to the distance from the position of the detected vehicle 100 to the restricted area 110.

[0065] The vehicle-mounted device 2 determines whether or not any of the vehicles 100 currently detected and traveling on the lane in question are traveling at a speed exceeding the threshold speed acquired for that vehicle 100 (s15). If there is no vehicle 100 traveling on the lane in question that is traveling at a speed exceeding the threshold speed acquired for that vehicle 100, the vehicle-mounted device 2 returns to s11. If there is a vehicle 100 traveling on the lane in question that is traveling at a speed exceeding the threshold speed acquired for that vehicle 100, the vehicle-mounted device 2 outputs evacuation guidance from the output unit 17 (s16) and returns to s11.

[0066] The entry determination unit 21 executes the above-mentioned steps s11 and s13 to s16.

[0067] When the current road construction is completed and the restricted area 110 is to be lifted, the coordinator performs an input operation for terminating the intruding vehicle detection process on the operation unit 15. When the in-vehicle device 2 receives the input operation for terminating the intruding vehicle detection process in s12, it terminates this process.

[0068] In this way, in the entering vehicle detection device 1 of this example, the adjuster can adjust the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves of the radio radar 7 by checking the image displayed on the display 14. Therefore, the entering vehicle detection device 1 of this example can easily adjust the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves of the radio radar 7. Furthermore, in adjusting the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves of the radio radar 7, there is no need to detect the vehicle 100 traveling from upstream toward the restricted area 110 (there is no need to wait for the vehicle 100 traveling from upstream toward the restricted area 110), so the time required to adjust the reference irradiation direction can be shortened. Furthermore, the adjuster can adjust the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves of the radio radar 7 inside the surveillance vehicle 5.

[0069] In the above example, the radio radar 7 and the camera 8 are arranged in the height direction of the surveillance vehicle 5, but they may be arranged in the width direction of the surveillance vehicle 5.

[0070] In the above example, the rotating member 9 to which the radio radar 7 and the camera 8 are attached is configured to rotate about an axis in the height direction of the surveillance vehicle 5, but it may be configured to rotate about two axes, one in the height direction of the surveillance vehicle 5 and the other in the width direction of the surveillance vehicle 5. By rotating the rotating member 9 about an axis in the width direction of the surveillance vehicle 5, the reference irradiation direction of the radio waves of the radio radar 7 can also be adjusted in the vertical direction.

[0071] <4. Modifications> Variation 1 As is well known, the radio radar 7 detects the position of an object such as the vehicle 100, using the position of an irradiation unit that irradiates radio waves, which are search waves, as a reference position (reference position). The position of an object detected by the radio radar 7 is a relative position to the reference position. For this reason, if the position where the monitoring vehicle 5 is stopped is on one side of the width direction of the lane, as shown in FIG. 9(A) or FIG. 9(B), the lane in which the vehicle 100 detected by the radio radar 7 is traveling may be erroneously determined. For example, as shown in FIG. 9(A), if the position where the monitoring vehicle 5 is stopped is near the boundary between a lane in which a regulated area 110 is set and the adjacent lane, the lane in which the vehicle 100a is traveling may be determined to be the lane in which the regulated area 110 is set. Also, as shown in FIG. 9(B), when the monitoring vehicle 5 is stopped near a shoulder adjacent to a lane in which a restricted area 110 is set, the lane in which the vehicle 100b is traveling may be determined to be a lane in which a restricted area 110 is not set.

[0072] 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of an entering vehicle detection device according to Modification 1. An entering vehicle detection device 1A of Modification 1 differs from the entering vehicle detection device 1 of the above example in that it additionally includes a position measurement unit 18.

[0073] The position measurement unit 18 has a sensor that measures the stopping position of the surveillance vehicle 5 in the width direction of the lane in which the regulated area 110 is set. The position measurement unit 18 only needs to perform measurements that can obtain the position in the width direction of the lane of the irradiation part that irradiates radio waves of the radio wave radar 7. In this example, the radio wave radar 7 is also attached to the roof of the surveillance vehicle 5. The mounting position of the radio wave radar 7 (more specifically, the irradiation part of the radio wave radar 7) in the surveillance vehicle 5 is known. Therefore, by measuring the stopping position of the surveillance vehicle 5 in the width direction of the lane, the position of the irradiation part of the radio wave radar 7 in the width direction of the lane can be obtained. The position of the irradiation part of the radio wave radar 7 in the vehicle width direction of the lane corresponds to the installation position of the moving body detection sensor referred to in this invention.

[0074] For example, the position measurement unit 18 may be configured to have two sensors that measure the distance from the right side of the surveillance vehicle 5 to the right white line, and the distance from the left side of the surveillance vehicle 5 to the left white line. However, the vehicle width (total width) of the surveillance vehicle 5 is known.

[0075] In addition, if the width of the lane is known, the configuration may include a sensor that measures the distance from the right side of the surveillance vehicle 5 to the right white line, or a sensor that measures the distance from the left side of the surveillance vehicle 5 to the left white line.

[0076] In addition, if the distance from the white line indicating the boundary between the lane and the shoulder to the parapet is known, the configuration may include a sensor that measures the distance from the side of the surveillance vehicle 5 facing the shoulder to the road parapet.

[0077] In this first modification, the position measurement section 18 corresponds to the first setting section of the present invention.

[0078] The vehicle-mounted unit 2 may be configured to accept input operations related to the input of the vehicle width (total width) of the surveillance vehicle 5, the width of the lane, the distance from the white line indicating the boundary between the lane and the shoulder to the parapet, etc., via the operation unit 15, and to store the accepted values ​​in memory.

[0079] In this first modified example, the operation section 15 corresponds to the second setting section of the present invention.

[0080] The entering vehicle detection device 1A of this modified example 1 also executes the processes shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 8 in the same manner as the above example. The entering vehicle detection device 1A of this modified example 1 performs the determination related to s13 using the stopping position of the monitoring vehicle 5 in the vehicle width direction of the lane in which the restricted area 110 is set. This allows the entering vehicle detection device 1A to suppress erroneous determination of the lane in which the vehicle 100 detected by the radio radar 7 is traveling. Therefore, the entering vehicle detection device 1A of this modified example 1 can suppress erroneous output of evacuation guidance or erroneous non-output of evacuation guidance due to erroneous determination of the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling. If the vehicle 100 traveling in a lane in which the restricted area 110 is not set is erroneously determined to be traveling in a lane in which the restricted area 110 is set, a situation in which evacuation guidance is erroneously output may occur. In addition, if the vehicle 100 traveling in a lane in which the restricted area 110 is set is erroneously determined to be traveling in a lane in which the restricted area 110 is not set, a situation in which evacuation guidance is erroneously not output may occur.

[0081] In addition, the position measurement unit 18 may be configured to obtain the stopped position of the monitoring vehicle 5 in the width direction of the lane based on the latitude and longitude measured by a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor attached to the monitoring vehicle 5.

[0082] Variation 2 The entering vehicle detection device 1 of this modified example 2 has the configuration shown in Fig. 3. In the entering vehicle detection device 1 of this modified example 2, a road construction worker measures the items that are to be measured by the position measurement unit 18 of modified example 1 using a tape measure or the like, and performs an input operation on the operation unit 15 to input the measurement results (measured values).

[0083] Like the entering vehicle detection device 1A of the first modification, the entering vehicle detection device 1 of the second modification also performs the determination in s13 using the stopping position of the surveillance vehicle 5 in the vehicle width direction of the lane in which the restricted area 110 is set.

[0084] In this modified example 2, the operation section 15 has what is referred to as a first setting section and a second setting section in this invention.

[0085] In the above example, the entering vehicle detection device 1, 1A is configured to detect the vehicle 100 using a radio radar 7, but it may also be configured to detect the vehicle 100 using a laser radar that uses laser light as a search wave (the radio radar 7 may be replaced with a laser radar).

[0086] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and in the implementation stage, the components can be modified and embodied without departing from the gist of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

[0087] Furthermore, the correspondence between the configuration according to the present invention and the configuration according to the above-mentioned embodiment can be described as follows. <Additional Notes> a moving object detection sensor (7) that detects the position and speed of a vehicle (100) located upstream of a set area (110) defined on a road on which the vehicle (100) travels by emitting a search wave toward the upstream side of the set area (110) and detecting the reflected wave; an entry determination unit (21) that determines whether the vehicle (100) detected by the moving body detection sensor (7) is entering the set area (110); an output unit (17) that outputs a signal indicating that the vehicle (100) is entering the set area (110) when the entry determination unit (21) determines that the vehicle (100) is entering the set area (110); an image sensor (8) whose optical axis is aligned with the reference irradiation direction of the search wave irradiated by the moving body detection sensor (7); and a display control unit (22) that displays the image captured by the image sensor (8) on a display. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1, 1A…Incoming vehicle detection device 2…In-vehicle device 5. Surveillance vehicle 7...Radio wave radar 8. Camera 9... Rotating member 11…Control unit 12…Detection data input section 13...Image input section 14...Indicator 15...Operation unit 16... Rotation drive unit 17...Output section 18...Position measurement section 21...Entry judgment section 22...Display control unit 23...Rotation control section 100(100a~100c)…Vehicle 110...Restricted Area

Claims

1. a moving object detection sensor that detects the position and speed of a vehicle located upstream of a set area defined on a road on which the vehicle travels by detecting a reflected wave of a search wave emitted toward the upstream side of the set area; an entry determination unit that determines whether the vehicle detected by the moving body detection sensor is entering the set area; an output unit that outputs evacuation guidance when the entry determination unit determines that the vehicle is entering the set area; an image sensor that is attached to a surveillance vehicle together with the moving object detection sensor and has an optical axis aligned with a reference irradiation direction of the search wave irradiated by the moving object detection sensor; a display control unit that displays an image captured by the image sensor on a display; an exploration direction changing unit that changes the orientation of the moving object detection sensor and the image sensor attached to the surveillance vehicle while maintaining a state in which the reference irradiation direction and the optical axis are aligned in response to an input operation on an operation unit; a first setting unit having an installation position detection sensor that detects an installation position of the moving object detection sensor in a vehicle width direction perpendicular to a traveling direction of the vehicle on the road, and setting an installation position of the moving object detection sensor in the vehicle width direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle on the road detected by the installation position detection sensor, The entry determination unit determines whether a vehicle detected by the moving body detection sensor is entering the set area using the installation position of the moving body detection sensor in a vehicle width direction perpendicular to the vehicle's traveling direction on the road.

2. a second setting unit that sets a lane width divided in a vehicle travel direction on the road, 2. The entering vehicle detection device according to claim 1, wherein the entry determination unit determines whether the vehicle detected by the moving object detection sensor is entering the set area by also using the set value of the lane width.

3. 3. The approaching vehicle detection device according to claim 1, wherein the moving object detection sensor detects the position and speed of a vehicle located upstream of the set area using the time between emitting the exploration wave and detecting the reflected wave of the irradiated exploration wave, and the frequency of the detected reflected wave.

4. A computer of an approaching vehicle detection device including a moving object detection sensor that detects the position and speed of a vehicle located upstream of a set area defined on a road on which the vehicle travels by detecting a reflected wave of a search wave emitted toward the upstream side of the set area, an entry determination step of determining whether or not the vehicle detected by the moving body detection sensor is entering the set area; an output step of outputting evacuation guidance when it is determined in the entry determination step that the vehicle is entering the set area; a display control step of displaying on a display an image captured by an image sensor which is attached to a surveillance vehicle together with the moving object detection sensor and has an optical axis aligned with a reference irradiation direction of the search wave irradiated by the moving object detection sensor; an exploration direction changing step of changing the orientation of the moving object detection sensor and the image sensor attached to the surveillance vehicle while maintaining a state in which the optical axis is aligned with the reference irradiation direction in response to an input operation on an operation unit; a first setting step of having an installation position detection sensor that detects an installation position of the moving body detection sensor in a vehicle width direction perpendicular to a traveling direction of the vehicle on the road, and setting an installation position of the moving body detection sensor in the vehicle width direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle on the road detected by the installation position detection sensor; The ingress determination step is a step of determining whether a vehicle detected by the moving body detection sensor is entering the set area using the installation position of the moving body detection sensor in a vehicle width direction perpendicular to the vehicle's traveling direction on the road.

5. A computer of an approaching vehicle detection device including a moving object detection sensor that detects the position and speed of a vehicle located upstream of a set area defined on a road on which the vehicle travels by detecting a reflected wave of a search wave emitted toward the upstream side of the set area, an entry determination step of determining whether or not the vehicle detected by the moving body detection sensor is entering the set area; an output step of outputting evacuation guidance when it is determined in the entry determination step that the vehicle is entering the set area; a display control step of displaying on a display an image captured by an image sensor which is attached to a surveillance vehicle together with the moving object detection sensor and has an optical axis aligned with a reference irradiation direction of the search wave irradiated by the moving object detection sensor; an exploration direction changing step of changing the orientation of the moving object detection sensor and the image sensor attached to the surveillance vehicle while maintaining a state in which the optical axis is aligned with the reference irradiation direction in response to an input operation on an operation unit; a first setting step of having an installation position detection sensor that detects an installation position of the moving body detection sensor in a vehicle width direction perpendicular to a traveling direction of the vehicle on the road, and setting an installation position of the moving body detection sensor in the vehicle width direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle on the road detected by the installation position detection sensor, The entry determination step is a step of determining whether a vehicle detected by the moving body detection sensor is entering the set area using the installation position of the moving body detection sensor in a vehicle width direction perpendicular to the vehicle's traveling direction on the road.

Images