Radar system, detection result display method, and radar device

Abstract

[Problem] To facilitate a search for objects detected from within a wide area by a radar system comprising a plurality of radar devices.　[Solution] A radar system of an embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of radar devices 20 that detect objects by monitoring mutually different areas. The plurality of radar devices 20 each have a display device 30. In a case where an object 15 is detected by any of the plurality of radar devices 20, a display device 30 of a radar device 20 that detected the object 15 (for example, a display device 30-2 of a radar device 20-2) produces a display indicating that the object 15 has been detected, and a display device 30 of a radar device 20 different from that radar device 20 (for example, a display device 30-1 of a radar device 20-1) produces a display indicating the position of the radar device 20 that detected the object 15.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a radar system including a plurality of radar devices that monitor different areas and detect objects. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, radar devices that detect objects present within a monitoring area based on the reception results of reflected waves in response to transmitted waves have been put to practical use. Radar devices are used to detect objects such as obstacles and fallen objects at work sites, grounds, facilities, parking lots, roads, railroad tracks, runways, etc. Radar devices for such purposes include, for example, FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous-Wave) radar devices that use microwaves or millimeter wave bands.

[0003] The prior art in the technical field of the present invention includes the following. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention that supports the monitoring work of an operator in charge of monitoring a specific monitoring area. Patent Document 2 discloses an invention that protects the receiving circuit of a radar device from the input of excessive reflected receiving power. Patent Document 3 discloses an invention that supports an operator to efficiently find an object detected by a radar device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-194371 A [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2018 / 235397 [Patent Document 3] International Publication No. 2021 / 059340 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In order to monitor a vast area such as a runway, for example, a radar system equipped with multiple radar devices is constructed. The radar system makes it possible to measure the position of a detected object in a vast area with a certain degree of accuracy. When an object to be removed is detected by the radar system, workers from the management company or the like will head to remove the detected object. In order to complete the work quickly, the workers travel by car while looking at a map of the monitoring area based on the position information of the detected object obtained from the radar system, and search for the detected object. At this time, for example, the map is displayed on a portable terminal such as a tablet, and the location where the detected object is located is highlighted.

[0006] However, when searching using a portable device such as a tablet, there was a problem that it took a long time to find the object to be searched in a vast area without landmarks. In addition, since the search had to be done while looking at the display of the portable device, it was dangerous for the worker. Furthermore, the search work was not limited to daytime, but could also be done after sunset when the sunlight was poor. In such dim conditions, it was even more difficult to search if the object to be searched was small.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described conventional circumstances, and aims to propose a technique that makes it easier to search for objects detected in a vast area by a radar system equipped with multiple radar devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, a radar system according to one aspect of the present invention is configured as follows: That is, the radar system according to the present invention is a radar system including a plurality of radar devices that monitor different areas to detect objects, each of the plurality of radar devices having a display device, and when an object is detected by any of the plurality of radar devices, the display device of the first radar device that detected the object displays an indication that the object has been detected, and the display device of the second radar device that is different from the first radar device displays an indication showing the position of the first radar device.

[0009] Here, in the radar system according to the present invention, the indication indicating the position of the first radar device may include an indication indicating the direction of the first radar device relative to the second radar device.

[0010] In the radar system according to the present invention, the indication indicating the position of the first radar device may include an indication indicating the distance from the second radar device to the first radar device.

[0011] In addition, in the radar system according to the present invention, the indication indicating the position of the first radar device may be an indication indicating the coordinates of the first radar device.

[0012] In addition, in the radar system according to the present invention, the indication indicating that an object has been detected may be an indication showing the coordinates at which the object has been detected.

[0013] In addition, in the radar system according to the present invention, the display indicating that an object has been detected may be a display in a form in which the position of the object is superimposed on a map showing the area monitored by the first radar device.

[0014] A detection result display method according to another aspect of the present invention is configured as follows: A detection result display method using a radar system including a plurality of radar devices that monitor different areas to detect objects, each of the plurality of radar devices having a display device, and when an object is detected by any of the plurality of radar devices, the display device of a first radar device that detected the object displays a message indicating that the object has been detected, and a display device of a second radar device different from the first radar device displays a message indicating the position of the first radar device.

[0015] A radar device according to another aspect of the present invention is configured as follows: A radar device for object detection used together with another radar device monitoring a different area, characterized in that, when an object is detected by the radar device, the radar device has a display device that displays a message indicating that an object has been detected.

[0016] A radar device according to yet another aspect of the present invention is configured as follows: That is, the radar device is for object detection used together with another radar device monitoring a different area, and is characterized in having a display device that, when an object is detected by the other radar device, displays the position of the other radar device that detected the object. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, it becomes easier to search for objects detected in a vast area by a radar system equipped with a plurality of radar devices. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a radar system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of the radar system of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display on a display device of the radar system of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an outline of a radar system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The radar system of this example is a system for detecting and removing objects 15, such as obstacles and fallen objects, present within a monitoring area 10. In this example, the monitoring area 10 is divided into a plurality of areas (not shown), and a radar device 20 is installed in each area. That is, each of the radar devices 20 is assigned a different area as a monitoring area. Each of the radar devices 20 detects objects present within its own monitoring area under the control of a radar control device 40 that is communicably connected to the radar devices 20.

[0020] 1, four radar devices 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, and 20-4 are installed along the longitudinal direction of the monitored area 10, but the number of radar devices 20 is not limited to this. In addition, in FIG. 1, the radar devices 20 are installed only on one side of the monitored area 10 in the longitudinal direction, but the radar devices 20 may be installed on both sides of the monitored area 10.

[0021] Each of the radar devices 20 has a display device 30 having a function of displaying various information. In FIG. 1, the display device 30-1 is attached to the right side of the main body of the radar device 20-1, and the radar devices 20-2, 20-3, and 20-4 are similarly attached to the right side of the main body of each of the radar devices 20-2, 20-3, and 20-4. The attachment position of the display device 30 is not limited to this, and the display device 30 may be attached to another position such as the left side, upper side, or lower side of the radar device 20. Also, instead of attaching the display device 30 directly to the radar device 20, the display device 30 may be installed at a position slightly away from the radar device 20. In other words, the arrangement of the display device 30 is not particularly important as long as the pair relationship between the radar device 20 and the display device 30 can be easily understood and the display contents can be easily confirmed.

[0022] The display device 30 displays the result of the object detection. For example, when the object 15 is detected by the radar device 20-2, the display device 30-2 of the radar device 20-2 displays a message indicating that the object 15 has been detected. At this time, the display devices 30-1, 30-3, and 30-4 of the other radar devices 20-1, 20-3, and 20-4 each display a message indicating the position of the radar device 20-2 that detected the object 15. In other words, the display devices 30 of the other radar devices 20 display a message guiding the worker toward the radar device 20 that detected the object 15. The mechanism behind this will be described below.

[0023] Fig. 2 shows an example of functional blocks of the radar system of Fig. 1. For the sake of simplicity, the radar devices 20-3 and 20-4 and the display devices 30-3 and 30-4 are omitted from Fig. 2. Each radar device 20 has a signal control unit 21, a transmission unit 22, and a reception unit 23. Each display device 30 has a display control unit 31 and a display unit 32.

[0024] In the radar device 20, the signal control unit 21 generates a radar signal of a predetermined frequency and supplies it to the transmission unit 22, and causes the transmission unit 22 to emit a radar transmission wave toward the monitoring area. If an object 15 exists within the monitoring area, the radar transmission wave is reflected by the object 15. The reflected wave from the object 15 is received by the receiving unit 23 of the radar device 20 and subjected to signal processing by the signal control unit 21. As a result, the object 15 existing within the monitoring area is detected. In addition, in order to specify the detected position of the object 15, the distance and the direction from the radar device 20 to the object 15 are also measured. Note that the operating principle and the frequency used of the radar device 20 are not particularly limited.

[0025] When an object 15 existing within a monitoring area is detected, the radar device 20 transmits object detection information to the display device 30 of its own device, and also transmits the object detection information to the display devices 30 of the other radar devices 20 via the radar control device 40. That is, the object detection information is transmitted to all display devices 30 in the system. The object detection information includes radar identification information (e.g., radar number) for identifying the radar device 20 that detected the object 15, and object detection position information indicating the detection position of the object 15.

[0026] The display device 30, under the control of the display control unit 31, determines the display contents based on the object detection information and causes the display unit 32 to display the object detection result. The display unit 32 is configured using, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) display. Here, it is assumed that the display device 30 stores in advance in a memory radar identification information for identifying the radar device 20 paired with the display device 30. In the following, a case where the radar device 20-2 detects an object 15 will be taken as an example, and the display of the display device 30-2 paired with the radar device 20-2 and the display of the display device 30-1, which is an example of another display device, will be described.

[0027] The display control unit 31 of the display device 30-2 recognizes that the radar device that transmitted the object detection information is in a pair with the display device itself, because the radar identification information included in the object detection information matches the radar identification information stored in advance, and causes the display unit 32 to perform a display indicating that the object 15 has been detected. At this time, the display control unit 31 of the display device 30-2 can also cause the display unit 32 to perform a display indicating the position of the object 15 in the monitoring area of ​​the radar device 20-2 (for example, a display as shown in FIG. 3(d) or FIG. 3(e)) based on the object detection position information included in the object detection information. On the other hand, the display control unit 31 of the display device 30-1 recognizes that the radar device that transmitted the object detection information is not in a pair with the display device itself, because the radar identification information included in the object detection information does not match the radar identification information stored in advance, and causes the display unit 32 to perform a display indicating the position of the radar device 20-2 that detected the object 15 (for example, a display as shown in FIG. 3(a) or FIG. 3(b)).

[0028] The type of display to be performed by the display device 30 of each radar device 20 can be determined based on the positional relationship between the radar device 20 performing the display and the radar device 20 that detected the object 15. For example, display pattern data that defines the display mode of the display device 30 of the radar device 20 that detected the object 15 and the display mode of the display device 30 of the other radar devices 20 can be prepared in advance, and the display mode of the display device 30 of each radar device 20 can be determined according to this display pattern data.

[0029] FIG. 3 shows several display examples by the display device 30. FIG. 3(a) shows a display example in which five circular indicator lights are arranged horizontally. In the display device 30 of the radar device 20 that detected the object 15 (for example, the display device 30-2 of the radar device 20-2), the central indicator light is turned on. At this time, in the display device 30 of the radar device 20 adjacent to the left side of the radar device that detected the object (for example, the display device 30-1 of the radar device 20-1), the indicator light one light to the right of the center is turned on. In the display device 30 of the radar device 20 further to the left of that, the rightmost indicator light is turned on. In the display device 30 of the radar device 20 adjacent to the right side of the radar device that detected the object (for example, the display device 30-3 of the radar device 20-3), the indicator light one light to the left of the center is turned on. In the display device 30 of the radar device 20 further to the right of that (for example, the display device 30-4 of the radar device 20-4), the leftmost indicator light is turned on. 3(a), the closer to the radar device 20 that detected the object 15, the closer the indicator light is to the center. In this way, by visually representing the direction and distance of the radar device 20 that detected the object 15, it is possible to guide the worker toward the radar device 20 that detected the object 15.

[0030] Fig. 3(b) is an example of a display using arrow-shaped indicator lights. Other radar devices 20 that have not detected the object 15 light up pentagonal arrow-shaped indicator lights that point in the direction of the radar device 20 that detected the object 15. In the figure, the right-pointing arrow-shaped indicator light is turned on to indicate that the radar device 20 that detected the object 15 is located to the right of the radar device 20 having the display device 30 that displays the display. Also, as in the figure, the number of arrow-shaped indicator lights that are turned on may be changed to indicate the distance to the radar device 20 that detected the object 15.

[0031] FIG. 3(c) shows an example in which the distance to the radar device 20 that detected the object 15 is represented by the number of times the indicator light blinks or the display color. For example, the distance to the radar device 20 that detected the object 15 can be represented by gradually increasing the number of times the indicator light blinks as the radar device 20 that detected the object 15 approaches. Also, the distance to the radar device 20 that detected the object 15 can be represented by changing the display color of the indicator light from blue, green, yellow, orange, to red as the radar device 20 that detected the object 15 approaches. Note that the display method of FIG. 3(c) cannot represent the direction of the radar device 20 that detected the object 15, so it may be combined with the display method of FIG. 3(a) or FIG. 3(b).

[0032] FIG. 3(d) is a display example in the case where the monitoring area 10 is divided into a plurality of blocks, and each block is assigned a coordinate ID for management. In such a case, the radar device 20 that detected the object 15 and the other radar devices 20 that did not detect the object 15 may both display the coordinate ID of the block in which the object 15 was detected. The display of the coordinate ID is a display indicating that the object 15 was detected, and also a display indicating the position of the radar device 20 that detected the object 15, and also a display indicating the detected position of the object 15. Note that only the radar device 20 that detected the object 15 may display the coordinate ID shown in FIG. 3(d), and the other radar devices 20 may display as shown in FIG. 3(a) to FIG. 3(c) described above.

[0033] 3(e) is a display example of a radar device 20 that has detected an object 15, and shows the position of the object 15 within the monitoring area of ​​the radar device 20. In this figure, the position of the object 15 (circle mark) is displayed superimposed on a map showing the monitoring area of ​​the radar device 20. This type of display makes it easier for a worker who arrives in the monitoring area of ​​the radar device 20 that has detected the object 15 to visually grasp the position of the object 15.

[0034] As described above, the radar system of this example includes a plurality of radar devices 20 that monitor different areas to detect objects, and each of the plurality of radar devices 20 has a display device 30. When an object 15 is detected by any of the plurality of radar devices 20, the display device 30 of the radar device 20 that detected the object 15 (e.g., the display device 30-2 of the radar device 20-2) displays an indication that the object 15 has been detected, and the display device 30 of the other radar device 20 (e.g., the display device 30-1 of the radar device 20-1) is configured to display an indication of the position of the radar device 20 that detected the object 15.

[0035] According to this configuration, the worker in charge of removing the detected object can quickly move to the monitoring area of ​​the radar device that detected the object and search for the detected object from within the monitoring area. Therefore, it becomes easy to search for the detected object from a large area. As a result, it becomes possible to quickly resolve the situation where the facility or equipment cannot be operated normally due to the presence of objects such as obstacles or fallen objects.

[0036] Here, in the radar system of this example, each display device 30 controls its own display content, but the display content of the display device 30 may be controlled by another device. For example, the radar device 20 may control the display content of the display device 30 of that radar device 20. Also, for example, the radar control device 40 may centrally control the display content of the display devices 30 of all the radar devices 20.

[0037] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention can take various other embodiments, and various modifications such as omissions and substitutions can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. These embodiments and modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention described in this specification, etc., and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

[0038] Furthermore, the present invention can be provided not only as devices such as those described above or as a system composed of these devices, but also as methods executed by these devices, programs for causing a processor to realize the functions of these devices, and storage media for storing such programs in a computer-readable format.

[0039] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-190794, filed on November 25, 2021, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. [Industrial Applicability]

[0040] The present invention can be used in a radar system including a plurality of radar devices that monitor different areas to detect objects. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10: monitoring area, 15: object, 20 (20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4): radar device, 21: signal control section, 22: transmission section, 23: reception section, 30 (30-1, 30-2, 30-3, 30-4): display device, 31: display control section, 32: display section, 40: radar control device

Claims

1. In a radar system having a plurality of radar devices monitoring different areas to detect objects, each of the plurality of radar devices has a display device; A radar system characterized in that, when an object is detected by any of the plurality of radar devices, a display device of a first radar device that detected the object displays an indication that the object has been detected, and a display device of a second radar device different from the first radar device displays an indication showing the position of the first radar device.

2. 2. The radar system of claim 1, 13. A radar system according to claim 12, wherein the indication of the position of the first radar device includes an indication of an orientation of the first radar device relative to the second radar device.

3. 3. The radar system of claim 2, A radar system, wherein the display indicating the position of the first radar device includes a display indicating the distance from the second radar device to the first radar device.

4. 2. The radar system of claim 1, A radar system, wherein the indication indicating the position of the first radar device is an indication indicating the coordinates of the first radar device.

5. A radar system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A radar system, wherein the indication indicating that the object has been detected is an indication showing the coordinates at which the object was detected.

6. A radar system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A radar system characterized in that the display indicating that the object has been detected is a display in a form in which the position of the object is superimposed on a map showing the area monitored by the first radar device.

7. A method for displaying detection results by a radar system having a plurality of radar devices that monitor different areas and detect objects, comprising: each of the plurality of radar devices has a display device; a display device of a first radar device which detected the object, performing a display indicating that the object has been detected, and a display device of a second radar device which is different from the first radar device, performing a display indicating the position of the first radar device.

Images