Construction vehicle exit support system, its method, and its program

Abstract

To provide a construction vehicle exit support system, a method thereof, and a program thereof for preventing accidents between construction-related vehicles and general vehicles in a construction section on a highway, and for supporting the efficient exit of security guards with reduced burden. 【Solution means】The construction vehicle exit support system 1a includes a vehicle imaging device 3 that captures vehicles passing through a predetermined position to support the exit of construction-related vehicles from an exit for construction-related vehicles on a highway, a vehicle recognition device 8 that analyzes an image to recognize a vehicle and outputs a vehicle image, a timing device 10 that measures the time from the recognition of this vehicle until the subsequent vehicle passing next is recognized, and transmits a safety signal when a safety time is reached, a reporting device 12 that transmits a reporting signal, and a terminal 4a that displays the output vehicle image and is notified of the arrival of the safety time by sound or the like upon receiving the reporting signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a construction vehicle exit support system, a method thereof, and a program for assisting a construction-related vehicle to exit from a construction section on an expressway without an accident with a general vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a number of technologies have been disclosed regarding regulations on vehicle traffic and signal control associated with road construction. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for performing smooth and efficient traffic guidance in an alternating traffic section. In this technology, at both ends of the alternating traffic section, the passage of vehicles is detected, the number of vehicles within the section is calculated, and corrections are made using information on the entry and exit of vehicles in the area outside the alternating traffic section of the number of vehicles, thereby reducing the personnel related to traffic guidance and enabling smooth and efficient traffic guidance. In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a technology that enables flexible traffic control according to the size of vehicles when one-way alternating traffic is performed on a construction road including a tunnel. In some cases, depending on the width of the construction road, small vehicles can perform oncoming traffic. Furthermore, Patent Document 3 discloses a technology for controlling the running of a host vehicle by imaging the front of the vehicle using an imaging unit installed in the host vehicle in a restricted section or a construction section and recognizing road signs based on the captured image.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in these technologies, traffic guidance and traffic control when construction-related vehicles exit from the exits provided in the construction section are not considered. Especially on highways, since the driving speed of general vehicles is also high, there has been a problem that large construction-related vehicles exiting from the construction section at a low speed cannot be supported to carefully check safety to prevent accidents. On the other hand, when construction-related vehicles exit on highways, traffic is often restricted to one lane in the construction section, and it is rare for multiple general vehicles to run side by side and pass through in the lanes of the construction section. Therefore, as long as it is known that there is sufficient distance from the following vehicle, even large construction-related vehicles can exit from the construction section, and there is also a feature that there is no need to perform particularly complicated control.

[0005] The present invention has been made in response to such conventional circumstances, and aims to provide a construction vehicle exit support system, its method, and its program for supporting construction-related vehicles to exit from a construction section on a highway without accidents with general vehicles and reducing the burden on security guards so that they can exit efficiently.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, a construction vehicle exit support system according to a first invention is a system for assisting the exit of a construction-related vehicle from an exit for a construction-related vehicle installed in a construction section on an expressway, the system including: a vehicle imaging device installed beside the expressway away from the construction section for photographing a vehicle passing through a predetermined position; a vehicle recognition device for analyzing an image photographed by the vehicle imaging device to recognize the vehicle and output a vehicle image; a timing device that measures a time from when it receives a vehicle recognition signal transmitted when the vehicle recognition device recognizes the vehicle until a following vehicle passing through the position is photographed and recognized, and transmits a safety signal when the time reaches a predetermined safety time; a reporting device that receives the safety signal and transmits a safety reporting signal; and a terminal installed or held near the exit for displaying the output vehicle image and receiving the safety reporting signal to notify, by at least one of sound, voice, characters, or light, that the safety time has been reached. When the timing device receives a vehicle recognition signal from the vehicle recognition device and starts timing, if the safety time has not been reached, it transmits an instruction signal to the terminal to attach a suppression mark so as to overlap the vehicle image already displayed on the terminal. On the other hand, when the terminal receives the safety reporting signal, it makes the suppression mark that overlaps the vehicle image already displayed on the terminal disappear. It is characterized by the above. In the construction vehicle exit support system having the above configuration, when the vehicle recognition device recognizes a vehicle photographed by the vehicle imaging device, a vehicle image is output to the terminal. Also, the timing device that receives a vehicle recognition signal transmitted from the vehicle recognition device measures the time until a following vehicle is recognized. When that time reaches the safety time, the timing device transmits a safety signal to the reporting device, and the reporting device transmits a safety reporting signal to the terminal. The terminal is notified that the safety time has been reached by at least one of sound, voice, characters, or light. Therefore, when a vehicle displayed on the terminal at that time passes by the terminal installed or held near the exit, it functions to assist in making a determination to allow a construction-related vehicle to exit from the exit thereafter. That is, the "time" in the first invention means the "arrival time" expected from when the "vehicle" passes through the exit until the "following vehicle" reaches the exit. When that "time" exceeds the safety time required for the construction-related vehicle to safely exit from the exit, it becomes possible to make a determination that the construction-related vehicle may exit when the "vehicle" passes.

[0007] In addition, the construction vehicle exit support system, which is the second invention, in the first invention, the vehicle recognition device is configured to be able to recognize emergency vehicles. When an emergency vehicle is recognized, an emergency signal is transmitted to the reporting device. The reporting device receives the emergency signal and transmits an emergency reporting signal. The terminal receives the emergency reporting signal and notifies that the emergency vehicle is approaching by at least one of sound, voice, text, or light. In the construction vehicle exit support system with the above configuration, in addition to the operation of the first invention, when an emergency vehicle is recognized, an emergency signal is transmitted from the vehicle recognition device to the reporting device. The reporting device transmits an emergency reporting signal to the terminal. The terminal receives the emergency reporting signal and is notified that the emergency vehicle is approaching by at least one of sound, voice, text, or light. Therefore, when the vehicle currently displayed on the terminal passes by the terminal installed near or held at the exit, and then an emergency vehicle is approaching, it acts to assist in determining that the construction-related vehicle cannot exit from the exit. Note that the emergency vehicle means a vehicle such as a police car, ambulance, fire truck, rescue vehicle, etc. that travels at a higher speed than ordinary vehicles in an emergency.

[0008] Furthermore, the construction vehicle exit support system, which is the third invention, in the first or second invention, the vehicle recognition device is provided with a learned model that has been pre-trained to input image information, recognize the presence of the vehicle included in the image information, and generate an image of the recognized vehicle. The image is input, and the vehicle image is output based on the generation by the learned model. In the construction vehicle exit support system with such a configuration, in addition to the operation of the first invention or the second invention, the learned model of the vehicle recognition device acts to recognize the presence of the vehicle and generate an image of the vehicle.

[0009] The construction vehicle exit support system, which is the fourth invention, in the third invention, A vehicle speed analysis device that analyzes the speed of a vehicle by calculating the actual distance from the pixel distance of the vehicle that has moved within a plurality of the images generated within an analysis time predetermined by the vehicle recognition device, and a reaching time calculation device that calculates the reaching time for the vehicle to reach the exit from the distance from the position where the vehicle is located to the exit based on the speed of the vehicle analyzed by this vehicle speed analysis device. The reaching time calculation device transmits the difference between the reaching time for the vehicle and the reaching time for the following vehicle to the timing device, and the timing device adds the difference to the time to correct the time. In a construction vehicle exit support system having such a configuration, in addition to the operation of the third invention, the vehicle speed analysis device analyzes the speeds of the vehicle and the following vehicle, and using these speeds, the reaching time calculation device calculates the respective reaching times of the vehicle and the following vehicle and the difference therebetween, and transmits the difference to the timing device, and operates to correct the extension or shortening of the "time" expected until the following vehicle reaches the exit.

[0010] A construction vehicle exit support system according to a fifth invention, in the first or second invention, includes a vehicle speed measurement device installed beside the highway for measuring the speed of the vehicle, and a reaching time calculation device for calculating the reaching time for the vehicle to reach the exit from the distance from the position where the vehicle is located to the exit based on the speed of the vehicle measured by this vehicle speed measurement device. The reaching time calculation device transmits the difference between the reaching time for the vehicle and the reaching time for the following vehicle to the timing device, and the timing device adds the difference to the time to correct the time. In a construction vehicle exit support system having the above configuration, in addition to the operation of the first invention or the second invention, the vehicle speed measurement device measures the speeds of the vehicle and the following vehicle, and using these speeds, the reaching time calculation device calculates the respective reaching times of the vehicle and the following vehicle and the difference therebetween, and transmits the difference to the timing device, and operates to correct the extension or shortening of the "time" expected until the following vehicle reaches the exit.

[0011] The sixth invention is a method for assisting the exit of a construction vehicle, which is a method for assisting the exit of a construction-related vehicle from an exit for construction-related vehicles installed in a construction section on a highway. The method includes a vehicle imaging step of photographing a vehicle passing through a predetermined position by a vehicle imaging device installed on the side of the highway away from the construction section, a vehicle recognition step of analyzing the image photographed in the vehicle imaging step to recognize the vehicle and outputting the vehicle image to a terminal installed or held near the exit, a safety signal transmitting step of receiving a vehicle recognition signal transmitted after recognizing the vehicle in the vehicle recognition step, measuring the time from when the vehicle passes through the position until a subsequent vehicle passing through the position next is photographed by the vehicle imaging device and recognized, and transmitting a safety signal when the time reaches a predetermined safety time, a safety notification signal transmitting step of receiving the safety signal and transmitting a safety notification signal, and a notification step of receiving the safety notification signal and notifying the terminal by at least one of sound, voice, characters, or light that the safety time has been reached. In the safety signal transmission step, when the vehicle recognition signal is received and timing starts, if the safety time has not been reached, a suppression mark is output so as to overlap the vehicle image already displayed on the terminal. On the other hand, when the safety reporting signal is received, the suppression mark that overlaps the vehicle image already displayed on the terminal disappears. It is characterized by the above. In the method for assisting the exit of a construction vehicle with the above configuration, the image of the vehicle photographed in the vehicle imaging step is recognized as a vehicle in the vehicle recognition step, the vehicle image is output to the terminal, and a vehicle recognition signal is further transmitted. In the safety signal transmitting step, after receiving the vehicle recognition signal, the time from when a subsequent vehicle is photographed by the vehicle imaging device until the subsequent vehicle is recognized is measured, and when the time reaches the safety time, a safety signal is transmitted. The notification signal transmitting step receives the safety signal and transmits a safety notification signal, and the safety notification signal transmitting step receives the safety notification signal and notifies by at least one of sound, voice, characters, or light that the safety time has been reached. Therefore, when the vehicle displayed on the terminal at that time passes by the terminal installed or held near the exit, it acts to assist in determining whether to allow the construction-related vehicle to exit from the exit thereafter.

[0012] The seventh invention, a construction vehicle exit support method, in the sixth invention, includes a vehicle speed measurement step of measuring the speed of the vehicle passing through the position by a vehicle speed measurement device installed beside the highway away from the construction section, and a reaching time calculation step of calculating the reaching time for the vehicle to reach the exit from the position based on the speed of the vehicle measured in this vehicle speed measurement step and the distance from the position to the exit. The safety signal transmission step is characterized by adding and correcting the difference between the reaching time for the vehicle and the reaching time for the following vehicle to the time. In the construction vehicle exit support method with the above configuration, the speed of the vehicle is measured in the vehicle speed measurement step, the reaching time of the vehicle is calculated in the reaching time calculation step, the difference between the reaching times of the vehicle and the following vehicle is obtained in the safety signal transmission step, and by adding it to the time until the following vehicle passes through a predetermined position and is recognized, it acts to correct the extension or shortening of the "time" expected for the following vehicle to reach the exit.

[0013] The eighth invention, a construction vehicle exit support program, is a construction vehicle exit support program executed by a computer to support the exit of a construction-related vehicle from an exit for the construction-related vehicle installed in a construction section on a highway. It includes a vehicle imaging step of imaging a vehicle passing through a predetermined position by a vehicle imaging device installed beside the highway away from the construction section, a vehicle recognition step of analyzing the image captured in this vehicle imaging step to recognize the vehicle and outputting the vehicle image to a terminal installed or held near the exit, a safety signal transmission step of receiving a vehicle recognition signal transmitted after recognizing the vehicle in this vehicle recognition step, measuring the time until the following vehicle passing through the position next is captured by the vehicle imaging device and the following vehicle is recognized, and transmitting a safety signal when the time reaches a predetermined safety time, a safety reporting signal transmission step of receiving the safety signal and transmitting a safety reporting signal, and a notification step of receiving the safety reporting signal and notifying the terminal that the safety time has been reached by at least one of sound, voice, text, or light. In the safety signal transmission step, when the vehicle recognition signal is received and timing starts, if the safety time has not been reached, a suppression mark is output so as to overlap the vehicle image already displayed on the terminal. On the other hand, when the safety reporting signal is received, the suppression mark that overlaps the vehicle already displayed on the terminal disappears. It is characterized by the above. In the construction vehicle exit support program with the above configuration, it is a program invention for causing a computer to execute the sixth method invention, and its operation is the same as the operation in the sixth invention.

[0014] The construction vehicle exit support method which is the ninth invention, in the eighth invention, a vehicle speed measurement step of measuring the speed of the vehicle passing through the position by a vehicle speed measurement device installed beside the highway away from the construction section, and a reaching time calculation step of calculating the reaching time for the vehicle to reach the exit from the position based on the speed of the vehicle measured in this vehicle speed measurement step and the distance from the position to the exit, and the safety signal transmission step is characterized in that the difference between the reaching time for the vehicle and the reaching time for the following vehicle is added to and corrected for the time. In the construction vehicle exit support program with the above configuration, it is a program invention for causing a computer to execute the seventh method invention, and its operation is the same as the operation in the seventh invention.

Effects of the Invention

[0015] The construction vehicle exit support system which is the first invention does not require a security guard to be arranged at a location away from the construction section on the highway. The security guard only waits near the exit of the construction section and does not need to communicate with other security guards. Therefore, it is possible to prevent accidents caused by the inadvertent exit of construction-related vehicles due to insufficient communication. In addition, when the security guard waiting at the exit of the construction section visually recognizes the vehicle displayed on the terminal and is notified that the vehicle has reached the safety time by at least one of sound, voice, characters, or light, the security guard can prompt the exit of the construction-related vehicle at the timing when the vehicle displayed on the terminal passes through the exit. Since the judgment by the security guard is simple and straightforward, the mental burden is small and it is possible to easily control the exit of the construction-related vehicle.

[0016] The construction vehicle exit support system according to the second invention, in addition to the effects of the first invention, can avoid the exit of construction-related vehicles at the timing of the preceding vehicle passing through the exit, regardless of the distance between the emergency vehicle and the preceding vehicle, because the vehicle recognition device recognizes the emergency vehicle and notifies the terminal of the approach of the emergency vehicle. Since the approach of an emergency vehicle may cause an unexpected situation, it is prioritized to avoid the exit of construction-related vehicles in order to ensure the safety of the construction.

[0017] The construction vehicle exit support system according to the third invention can recognize a vehicle by mounting a learned model that has been machine-learned so that the vehicle recognition device inputs image information to recognize the presence of a vehicle and generates an image of the recognized vehicle. Other effects are the same as those of the first or second invention.

[0018] The construction vehicle exit support system according to the fourth invention, in addition to the effects of the third invention, can correct the extension or shortening of the "time" expected until the following vehicle reaches the exit according to the speeds of the vehicle and the following vehicle, and can more accurately guide the exit of the construction-related vehicle from the exit.

[0019] The construction vehicle exit support system according to the fifth invention, in addition to the effects of the first or second invention, can correct the extension or shortening of the "time" expected until the following vehicle reaches the exit according to the speeds of the vehicle and the following vehicle, and can more accurately guide the exit of the construction-related vehicle from the exit.

[0020] The construction vehicle exit support method according to the sixth invention is an invention that regards the construction vehicle exit support system according to the first invention as a method invention. Therefore, the effects obtained by implementing the method invention are the same as those of the first invention.

[0021] The construction vehicle exit support method according to the seventh invention, in addition to the effects of the sixth invention, can correct the extension or shortening of the "time" expected until the following vehicle reaches the exit according to the speeds of the vehicle and the following vehicle, and can more accurately guide the exit of the construction-related vehicle from the exit.

[0022] The construction vehicle exit support program according to the eighth invention is an invention that regards the construction vehicle exit support method according to the sixth invention as a program invention to be executed using a computer. Therefore, the effects obtained by implementing this program invention are the same as those of the first and sixth inventions.

[0023] In addition to the effects of the eighth invention, the construction vehicle exit support program according to the ninth invention can correct the extension or shortening of the "time" expected until the following vehicle reaches the exit according to the speeds of the vehicle and the following vehicle, and can guide the construction-related vehicle to exit from the exit with higher accuracy.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0025] Hereinafter, the construction vehicle exit support system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1-5. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a construction vehicle exit support system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a construction vehicle exit support system 1a mainly includes a vehicle imaging device 3 installed on the side of the road away from the construction section on the highway, a terminal 4a installed near the exit provided for exiting construction-related vehicles from the construction section or held by a security guard there, and an arithmetic unit 7a. The vehicle imaging device 3 and the terminal 4a are connected to the arithmetic unit 7a via an information communication network 2 such as the Internet, an input unit 5, and an output unit 6. The input unit 5 functions as a data receiving unit, corresponding to a receiving device from devices such as the vehicle imaging device 3 and the terminal 4a and the information communication network 2, and a keyboard, mouse, tablet, optical reading device, etc. used when an administrator of the construction vehicle exit support system 1a inputs data. Also, as the output unit 6, a display device for an administrator or the like, a transmission device to the information communication network 2, or a transmitter that transfers data to other devices as a data transmission unit can be considered. That is, even if the components shown in FIG. 1 are not integrated, it is also possible to separate the input unit 5 and the output unit 6 and provide them separately, and configure a system that transmits and receives data and information between the arithmetic unit 7a, the vehicle imaging device 3, or the terminal 4a by wire or wirelessly. The arithmetic unit 7a includes a vehicle recognition device 8 having an input layer 9a, a learned model 9b as an intermediate layer, and an output layer 9c, a timing device 10, and a reporting device 12. The learned model 9b is machine-learned so that a learning vehicle image as a correct label is derived from the output layer 9c from the learning image input from the input layer 9a. For example, an evaluation model function using a convolutional neural network (CNN) that receives various image inputs, extracts and outputs vehicle images can be considered, but other neural networks can also be used for learning. Also, by machine-learning to be able to distinguish between general vehicles including passenger cars, trucks, motorcycles and emergency vehicles such as police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, rescue vehicles, etc., it is possible to respond to the approach of emergency vehicles. Also, it may be learned to be able to distinguish the types of each vehicle within general vehicles and emergency vehicles.

[0026] Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the flow of information (data) processing in the construction vehicle exit support system 1a and its operation in a construction section on a highway will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation flow of the construction vehicle exit support system according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the operation of the construction vehicle exit support system according to the first embodiment. (a) is a conceptual diagram showing the situation on the highway, (b) is a conceptual diagram of the terminal screen shown after vehicle A is photographed and recognized at the imaging position, and (c) is a conceptual diagram of the terminal screen shown with the following vehicle B replacing vehicle A immediately after the following vehicle B is photographed and recognized at the imaging position. FIG. 2 also represents the execution steps of the construction vehicle exit support method and the construction vehicle exit support program of the present invention. Explaining the data processing flow and operation flow in the construction vehicle exit support system 1a with reference to this figure is equivalent to explaining the embodiments of the construction vehicle exit support method and the construction vehicle exit support program using a computer. In FIG. 2, the reference numerals indicated by lead lines drawn from the description of the steps indicated by "S" are the components of the construction vehicle exit support system 1a shown in FIG. 1, and the reference numerals are the same.

[0027] First, in FIG. 3, cones 14 are placed on the driving lane on the highway 13 to provide a construction section 18. In this construction section 18, construction-related vehicles 15 such as dump trucks enter and exit from the exit 16. In such a construction section 18, the overtaking lane is used as the driving lane. Therefore, basically, vehicles do not drive side by side. For example, if the following vehicle B comes a sufficient time after the vehicle A, as a general vehicle, passes in front of the exit 16, after the vehicle A passes, the security guard 11 can urge the construction-related vehicle 15 to exit from the exit 16. In the construction vehicle exit support system 1a according to the first embodiment, a vehicle imaging device 3 is installed on the roadside with a location at a certain distance from the construction section 18 as the imaging position 17. After preparing in this way, wait for the vehicle to drive by.

[0028] The operation of the construction vehicle exit support system 1a after this will be described with reference to FIG. 2 as well. In FIG. 3(a), vehicle A has already traveled beyond the imaging position 17 and is traveling in the passing lane of the construction section 18. Therefore, the vehicle imaging / recognition process shown as step S1 in FIG. 2 will be described retroactively until vehicle A passes the imaging position 17. In the vehicle imaging / recognition process of step S1, when the traveling vehicle A reaches the imaging position 17, it is photographed by the vehicle imaging device 3, and the image is input from the vehicle imaging device 3 to the vehicle recognition device 8 of the arithmetic device 7a via the information communication network 2 and the input unit 5. The vehicle recognition device 8 analyzes the image information to recognize the vehicle, extracts it as an image vehicle, and transmits it to the terminal 4a via the output unit 6 and the information communication network 2. And in the vehicle display process to the security guard's terminal of step S2, the photographed image 23 of vehicle A is displayed on the terminal 4a. Note that as long as the vehicle recognition device 8 can recognize whether the object shown in the image photographed by the vehicle imaging device 3 is a vehicle or not, the recognition method is not limited. For example, as described above, a pre-trained model 9b obtained by inputting a large number of images related to vehicles including emergency vehicles and performing machine learning is obtained in advance, installed in the vehicle recognition device 8, the image photographed by the vehicle imaging device 3 is input from the input layer 9a, and only the images related to vehicles including emergency vehicles are extracted by this pre-trained model 9b and output as vehicle images from the output layer 9c. Hereinafter, in the description of the embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise indicated as an exception, the vehicle recognition device 8 will be described as being able to distinguish and recognize general vehicles and emergency vehicles.

[0029] Next, in the emergency vehicle recognition process of step S3, since vehicle A is not recognized as an emergency vehicle, it proceeds to the timer start process of step S4a. The timer 10 receives the vehicle recognition signal from the vehicle recognition device 8 and starts timing. When the timer 10 has not reached the safety time, it transmits an instruction signal to attach a suppression mark 20a to the terminal 4a together with the timing information. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 3(b), on the terminal 4a carried by the security guard 11 waiting at the exit 16, the captured image 23 of the vehicle A is displayed, and at the same time, the timer display window 19 shows 6 seconds as the timing information from the timing device 10. In this state, since the subsequent vehicle B has not been recognized yet and it is unknown whether the distance between the vehicles is sufficient, a suppression mark 20a is attached to the captured image 23, and it can be understood that the security guard 11 cannot guide the construction-related vehicle 15 out of the exit 16. The safety time determined to be sufficient for the distance between the subsequent vehicle B is preset according to the distance between the exit 16 of the construction section 18 and the imaging position 17 and stored in the timing device 10. When the elapsed time after the vehicle A is recognized reaches the safety time, the timing device 10 transmits a safety signal to the reporting device 12. When the reporting device 12 receives the safety signal, it transmits a safety reporting signal to the terminal 4a. When the terminal 4a receives the safety reporting signal, it not only makes the suppression mark 20a disappear but also lights the light-emitting device 21 or generates sound or voice from the speaker 22 to notify the security guard 11. Of course, the light-emitting device 21 may be lit and at the same time sound or the like may be generated from the speaker 22. The same applies to all other embodiments.

[0030] In Fig. 3(b), no characters for notifying the passage of the safety time are displayed on the screen of the terminal 4a. However, not only the suppression mark 20a should be made to disappear, but also it may be designed so that characters such as "safe" are easily visible to the security guard 11. The same applies to all the following embodiments. Next, consider the case where, for example, a following vehicle B enters the imaging position 17 after the state shown in FIG. 3(b). This corresponds to step S5 in FIG. 2. After the timing starts in step S4a, the construction vehicle exit support system 1a proceeds to the recognition process of the following vehicle B as step S5. As shown in FIG. 2, this process is a process of confirming whether the following vehicle B is recognized by the vehicle imaging device 3 and the vehicle recognition device 8 after step S4a. If not, the process proceeds to the safety time elapsed confirmation process in step S6. If the safety time elapsed cannot be confirmed, that is, if the timing by the timing device 10 has not elapsed the safety time, the process returns to step S5 and proceeds to the recognition process of the following vehicle B again.

[0031] On the other hand, if the following vehicle B is recognized in step S5 after returning from step S6, since the safety time has not elapsed after vehicle A passes the imaging position 17, the process returns to step S2 and this time the captured image 23 of the following vehicle B is displayed on the terminal 4a. FIG. 3(c) shows this state. As shown in FIG. 3(a), this state is one in which the following vehicle B has entered the imaging position 17. Similar to vehicle A, the following vehicle B is photographed by the vehicle imaging device 3, recognized by the vehicle recognition device 8, and further timed by the timing device 10. As described above, the captured image 23 of the following vehicle B is displayed on the terminal 4a instead of vehicle A. In FIG. 3(c), since the captured image 23 has just changed to the following vehicle B and the timing has just started, the timer display window 19 shows 0 seconds. Also, the presence or absence of the next following vehicle of the following vehicle B is unknown, and it is also unknown whether the safety time is ensured, so the suppression mark 20a remains attached to the captured image 23.

[0032] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the operation and function of the construction vehicle withdrawal support system 1a accompanying the approach of the subsequent vehicle C of the subsequent vehicle B will be further described. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the operation of the construction vehicle withdrawal support system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4(a) is a conceptual diagram showing the situation on the highway, and both the subsequent vehicles B1 and B2 are the subsequent vehicle B, and the expression includes their positions. Also, although the subsequent vehicle C is approaching the imaging position 17, it has not yet reached. FIG. 4(b) is a conceptual diagram of the screen of the terminal displayed when the subsequent vehicle B has advanced to the position of B1 shown in FIG. 4(a) after being photographed and recognized at the imaging position, and FIG. 4(c) is a conceptual diagram of the screen of the terminal displayed when the subsequent vehicle B has advanced to the position of B2 shown in FIG. 4(a). When the subsequent vehicle B is at the B1 position, as shown in the timer display window 19 of the terminal 4a in FIG. 4(b), only 10 seconds have elapsed since passing the imaging position 17, and it becomes NO in the safety time elapsed confirmation step of step S6. And since the subsequent vehicle C has not been recognized yet, steps S5 and S6 are being repeated. However, when the subsequent vehicle B reaches B2, as shown in the timer display window 19 of the terminal 4a in FIG. 4(c), although the subsequent vehicle C has not been recognized yet, the safety time (set to 15 seconds in this embodiment) has been reached. Therefore, the suppression mark 20a disappears from the photographed image 23, and further, the light emitting device 21 emits light, or sound or voice is output from the speaker 22. In this state, first, since 15 seconds set in advance as the safety time have elapsed in step S6, it is confirmed by the timing device 10 that the safety time has elapsed, and the timing device 10 transmits a safety signal to the reporting device 12. This safety signal transmission step is step S7.

[0033] In the next step S8, it is a safety alarm signal transmission process in which the alarm device 12 that has received a safety signal from the timing device 10 transmits a safety alarm signal to the terminal 4a. In the security guard's terminal notification process in step S9, the terminal 4a that has received the safety alarm signal from the alarm device 12 causes the suppression mark 20a to disappear as described above, promotes the operations of the light emitting device 21 and the speaker 22, and acts to notify the surroundings of the terminal 4a. Therefore, the security guard 11 waiting at the exit 16 can determine that the suppression mark 20a has disappeared on the terminal 4a he / she is holding, the light emission from the light emitting device 21, the sound or voice from the speaker 22 indicates that the safety time has elapsed, and the construction vehicle 15 can safely exit from the exit 16. In this embodiment, the transmission of the safety signal by the timing device 10 and the transmission of the safety alarm signal by the alarm device 12 are separated. However, a signal combining these two may be transmitted to the terminal 4a by a device having the functions of the timing device 10 and the alarm device 12. The same applies to the following other embodiments.

[0034] Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the operation and action of the construction vehicle exit support system 1a accompanying the approach of an emergency vehicle will be further described. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the operation of the construction vehicle exit support system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5(a) is a conceptual diagram showing a situation where the emergency vehicle K has reached the imaging position 17 when the following vehicle B is at the position B2 following FIG. 4(a). FIG. 5(b) is a conceptual diagram of the screen of the terminal 4a still showing that there is sufficient distance in relation to the following vehicle in a state where the following vehicle B has advanced for another 1 second from the state shown in FIG. 4(c) and has reached 16 seconds. FIG. 5(c) is a conceptual diagram of the screen of the terminal 4a immediately after the emergency vehicle K has reached the imaging position 17. Immediately before the emergency vehicle K reaches the imaging position 17, the recognition process of the following vehicle in step S10 is repeated through step S9 in FIG. 2. When the emergency vehicle K reaches the imaging position 17, the process proceeds from step S10 to the recognition process of the emergency vehicle in step S11, and further proceeds to the emergency vehicle display process in step S4b. FIG. 5(c) shows the display of the terminal 4a in this state.

[0035] The shooting by the vehicle imaging device 3 of the emergency vehicle K and the recognition by the vehicle recognition device 8 are performed in the same manner as those of general vehicles described above. However, as shown in FIG. 5(c), in the case of recognizing the emergency vehicle K, the vehicle recognition device 8 transmits an emergency vehicle recognition signal to the reporting device 12, and the reporting device 12 transmits an emergency reporting signal to the terminal 4a to display the suppression mark 20b and the emergency vehicle display 24 (emergency reporting signal transmission step). The terminal 4a displays the suppression mark 20b on the captured image 23 and the emergency vehicle display 24 on the screen of the terminal 4a according to the emergency reporting signal (emergency vehicle display step). Since the emergency vehicle K generally approaches at high speed and, in the case of a police vehicle or the like, is often on official duty, even if a safety time is ensured behind the following vehicle B as shown in FIG. 5(b), it is desirable to wait for the emergency vehicle K to pass through the exit 16 without letting the construction-related vehicle 15 exit from the exit 16. After step S4b, when it is confirmed by the security guard 11 that the emergency vehicle K has passed through the exit 16 and reset is performed by a reset button (not shown) provided for the terminal 4a or a reset key (not shown) on the screen, the process returns to step S1. As shown in FIG. 2, the emergency vehicle recognition process is also executed in step S3 in addition to step S11. This is because, even when the emergency vehicle K is recognized without waiting for the elapse confirmation of the safety time, the vehicle recognition device 8 transmits an emergency vehicle recognition signal to the reporting device 12, and the reporting device 12 transmits an instruction signal to proceed to step S4b to display the suppression mark 20b and the emergency vehicle display 24 for the terminal 4a, and always waits for the emergency vehicle K to pass through the exit 16. Also in that case, when reset is performed at the terminal 4a, the process returns to step S1. Further, after step S9, when the security guard 11 guides and exits the construction-related vehicle 15 from the exit 16, it is also advisable to perform reset with the above-described reset button or reset key at the terminal 4a. Also in that case, the control is such that the process returns to step S1.

[0036] As described above, in the construction vehicle exit support system 1a, as shown in FIGS. 3-5, the security guard 11 can safely and directly give instructions to the construction-related vehicle 15 near the exit 16. Moreover, since the security guard 11 can guide the construction-related vehicle 15 from the exit 16 to the highway 13 alone, it is possible to work efficiently. In addition, as a basis for the judgment by the security guard 11, since it is stated that if the vehicle displayed on the terminal 4a passes through the exit 16, the construction-related vehicle 15 may be guided, only the recognition of that vehicle needs to be focused on, so the mental burden on the security guard 11 is also reduced.

[0037] Next, the construction vehicle exit support system according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6-9. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the construction vehicle exit support system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation flow of the construction vehicle exit support system according to the second embodiment. FIGS. 8 and 9 are conceptual diagrams showing the operation of the construction vehicle exit support system according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 6, when the construction vehicle exit support system 1b is compared with the construction vehicle exit support system 1a according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, it is different in that it additionally includes an arrival time calculation device 26 in the vehicle speed measurement device 25 and the calculation device 7b. Since the other components are the same and their actions and effects are also the same, in the construction vehicle exit support system 1b according to the second embodiment, the vehicle speed measurement device 25 and the arrival time calculation device 26 will be described.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 8(a), the vehicle speed measurement device 25 is installed near the imaging position 17 and measures the speed of the vehicle passing through the imaging position 17. Regardless of the principle of vehicle speed measurement in the vehicle speed measurement device 25, for example, it is conceivable to irradiate radio waves and measure the reflected waves, and use the Doppler effect to measure the speed of the vehicle to be measured. In addition to radio waves, ultrasonic waves or electromagnetic waves may be used if possible. The speed measured by the vehicle speed measurement device 25 is input to the arrival time calculation device 26 via the information communication network 2 and the input unit 5. The arrival time calculation device 26 can calculate the time when the following vehicle B at the imaging position 17 reaches the exit 16 by storing in advance the distance from the imaging position 17 to the exit 16. Therefore, by performing correction to add the difference in the arrival times of the following vehicle B and the next following vehicle C to the arrival time of the following vehicle C, it is possible to obtain a more accurate arrival time of the following vehicle C. Also, in FIG. 7, by adding the vehicle speed measurement device 25 and the arrival time calculation device 26, a vehicle speed measurement step is added to steps S1 and S3 with respect to the construction vehicle exit support system 1a according to the first embodiment, step S5 is divided into steps S5a - S5c, and vehicle speed measurement steps are also added to steps S10 and S11. The common steps are as already described as the operations and effects of the construction vehicle exit support system 1a. Since this figure is also used in the description of the construction vehicle exit support system 1c according to the third embodiment, not only the components according to the second embodiment but also the components according to the third embodiment are described.

[0039] The operations and effects of the specific construction vehicle exit support system 1b will be described using the state shown in FIG. 8(a). In Fig. 8(a), the following vehicle B is first at the position B1, already recognized, the vehicle speed measurement by the vehicle speed measurement device 25 has also been completed, and the vehicle speed information has been transmitted by the vehicle speed measurement device 25 to the arrival time calculation device 26. This is step S1 in Fig. 7 and has ended. Also, step S2-4a has ended in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Further, in the emergency vehicle recognition / vehicle speed measurement step of step S3, when an emergency vehicle is recognized, the vehicle speed is also measured, but in this embodiment, the following vehicle B is not an emergency vehicle, so it is not measured. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 8(b), the display of the captured image 23 with the suppression mark 20a on the terminal 4b and the timing device 10 have started, and 8 seconds as the timing information is displayed in the timer display window 19. However, in the following vehicle recognition / vehicle speed measurement step of step S5a, since the following vehicle B is at the position B1 and the next following vehicle C has not been recognized, it proceeds to step S6 and is in the safety time elapsed confirmation step. Therefore, although the vehicle speed of the following vehicle B is shown in the vehicle speed display window 27 as 80 km / h, the vehicle speed of the next following vehicle C has not been measured, and the speed shown in the following vehicle speed display window 28 is 0 km / h.

[0040] Next, when the following vehicle B advances to the position B2 and the next following vehicle C enters the imaging position 17, in step S5a which had returned from step S6 without being able to confirm the elapsed safety time until then, the recognition of the following vehicle C by the vehicle recognition device 8 and the measurement of the vehicle speed by the vehicle speed measurement device 25 are executed, and the vehicle speed information is transmitted from the vehicle speed measurement device 25 to the terminal 4b and the arrival time calculation device 26. If the following vehicle C is not recognized as the emergency vehicle K in the following vehicle recognition / vehicle speed measurement step of step S5b, the vehicle speed is not measured by the vehicle speed measurement device 25, and it proceeds to the arrival time calculation step of step S5c, where the arrival time calculation device 26 calculates the arrival time of the following vehicle C. Then, the arrival time calculation device 26 calculates the difference from the arrival time of the following vehicle B, transmits the difference information to the timing device 10, and the timing device 10 corrects the arrival time of the following vehicle C by adding the difference to the arrival time of the following vehicle C. For example, in Fig. 8(c), as the vehicle speed information of the following vehicle C, the speed of 70 km / h is displayed on the following vehicle speed display window 28. When the following vehicle B is traveling at a speed of 80 km / h and the following vehicle C is traveling at a speed of 70 km / h, the time until the following vehicle C reaches the exit 16 is longer than the time for the following vehicle B to reach the exit 16. Therefore, when the following vehicle C enters the imaging position 17, a positive difference is added to the arrival time of the following vehicle C, exceeding 15 seconds of the safety time and reaching 16 seconds. At step S6, it is confirmed that the safety time has elapsed, and the process proceeds to step S7, where a safety signal is transmitted from the timing device 10 to the alarm device 12. Then, at step S8, a safety alarm signal is transmitted from the alarm device 12 that has received the safety signal to the terminal 4b. At step S9, the terminal 4b receives the safety alarm signal, and the suppression mark 20a is disappeared from the captured image 23, the light emitting device 21 is made to emit light, or sound or voice is output from the speaker 22 to notify the surrounding area of the elapse of the safety time. By this notification, the security guard 11 can safely guide and let the construction-related vehicle 15 exit from the exit 16. After the construction-related vehicle 15 has exited, when a subsequent construction-related vehicle 15 requests to exit, the security guard 11 resets the terminal 4b, and the construction vehicle exit support system 1b returns from step S9 to step S1. In addition, if a following vehicle is recognized at step S5b and it is recognized as the emergency vehicle K, similar to the case of the construction vehicle exit support system 1a according to the first embodiment, the process proceeds to step S4b by the actions of the vehicle recognition device 8 and the alarm device 12. An emergency vehicle display is made on the terminal 4b. After the emergency vehicle K has passed through the exit 16, the security guard 11 resets the terminal 4b, and the construction vehicle exit support system 1b returns to step S1.

[0041] On the other hand, the operation and effect of the construction vehicle exit support system 1b when the speed of the following vehicle C is faster than that of the following vehicle B will be described with reference to Fig. 9. In Fig. 9(a), the following vehicle B has advanced to the position of B2. As shown in Fig. 9(b), in the terminal 4b, there is a captured image 23 of the following vehicle B, and since it has reached 16 seconds, exceeding 15 seconds of the safety time, the suppression mark 20a has disappeared. Also, 16 seconds exceeding the safety time is displayed in the timer display window 19. And the light-emitting device 21 is emitting light, and sound or the like is being output from the speaker 22. However, since the next following vehicle C has not yet entered the imaging position 17, the display in the following vehicle speed display window 28 remains at 0 km / h. In the process shown in Fig. 7, after passing through the arrival time calculation process of step S5c, it has advanced to the security guard's terminal notification process of step S9.

[0042] Considering the case where the following vehicle C enters the imaging position 17 at a higher speed than the following vehicle B from such a state, it proceeds to the recognition and vehicle speed measurement process of the following vehicle in step S10. When the recognition of the following vehicle C by the vehicle recognition device 8 and the measurement of the vehicle speed by the vehicle speed measurement device 25 are completed, it proceeds to the recognition and vehicle speed measurement process of the emergency vehicle K in step S11. If it is not the emergency vehicle K, the timing device 10 and the reporting device 12 reset their respective safety signals and safety reporting signals to the terminal 4b and return to step S5c. The arrival time is calculated by the arrival time calculation device 26 using the vehicle speed information of the following vehicle C. The arrival time calculation device 26 calculates the difference from the arrival time of the following vehicle B that has already been calculated and transmits the difference to the timing device 10, and the timing device 10 corrects it by adding the arrival time of the following vehicle C. This is the again step S5c. Then, it proceeds to step S6. If it seems to have exceeded the safety time, in step S7, the timing device 10 transmits a safety signal to the reporting device 12, and in step S8, the reporting device 12 transmits a safety reporting signal to the terminal 4b. However, as shown in Fig. 9(c), when the speed of the following vehicle C is high, the difference becomes negative. For example, as shown in the timer display window 19 of Fig. 9(c), when it becomes 14 seconds, shorter than 15 seconds of the safety time, the suppression mark 20a is displayed again in the captured image 23. In that case, the elapse of the safety time cannot be confirmed in step S6, and the timing device 10 does not send a safety signal to the reporting device 12. Instead, the timing device 10 resets the terminal 4b, and the construction vehicle exit support system 1b returns to step S1. Therefore, on the screen of the terminal 4b in FIG. 9(c), the captured image 23 and the like disappear immediately thereafter, and the numerical values in the timer display window 19, the vehicle speed display window 27, and the following vehicle speed display window 28 also disappear. At that time, an alarm signal for notifying the terminal 4b that the elapse of the safety time could not be confirmed may be transmitted from the timing device 10, and the security guard may be notified through the visual or auditory sense via the screen of the terminal 4b, the light emitting device 21, or the speaker 22. Then, after the following vehicle B and the next following vehicle C have passed, wait for another vehicle to pass the imaging position 17 from the beginning. However, since in step S10 the following vehicle C has already been imaged by the vehicle imaging device 3, recognized by the vehicle recognition device 8, and the vehicle speed has also been measured by the vehicle speed measuring device 25, in step S1, without waiting for the vehicle from the beginning, the processing content in step S10 may be adopted, the following vehicle C may be displayed on the security guard's terminal in step S2, and the timing device 10 may be started in step S4a. In addition, when the confirmation of the elapse of the safety time is NO in step S6, if there is no following vehicle C, it returns to step S5a, but if the following vehicle C exists but the elapse of the safety time cannot be confirmed, as described above, the timing device 10 resets the terminal 4b and returns to step S1. If the elapse of the safety time is confirmed in step S6, it proceeds to step S7. These determinations in step S6 are executed by the timing device 10. Also, when recognized as the emergency vehicle K in steps S3 and S11, similar to the construction vehicle exit support system 1a described with reference to FIG. 2, it proceeds to step S4b due to the actions of the vehicle recognition device 8 and the reporting device 12, and then returns to step S1 by reset.

[0043] As described above, in the construction vehicle exit support system 1b according to the second embodiment, while exhibiting the same effects as the construction vehicle exit support system 1a, by including the vehicle speed measurement device 25 and the arrival time calculation device 26, it is possible to correct the arrival time of the following vehicle C at the exit 16 based on the vehicle speeds of the following vehicle B and the next following vehicle C. Thus, it is possible to know the allowance time (safety time) with higher accuracy and to allow the construction-related vehicle 15 to exit from the exit 16, and it is possible to more efficiently allow the construction-related vehicle 15 to exit. Further, even if a safety time is once ensured, if the vehicle speed of the following vehicle is high and the safety time may not necessarily be ensured, it is also possible to wait for the passage of this following vehicle or to wait for the elapse of the safety time with the next following vehicle with respect to this following vehicle as a reference. Note that, in the construction vehicle exit support system 1b and the construction vehicle exit support system 1c according to the third embodiment described next, since the measurement and analysis of the vehicle speed are carried out, when the vehicle speed of the following vehicle C reaches a predetermined high speed, for example, 110 km / h, it may be recognized as an emergency vehicle K even if it is a general vehicle. Specifically, when the vehicle speed reaches 110 km / h in the recognition of the following vehicle C and the measurement of the vehicle speed in step S5a or step S10 of FIG. 7, it may be advanced from step S5a to step S4b so as to display an emergency vehicle on the terminal 4b by a signal from the vehicle speed measurement device 25. By doing so, an emergency vehicle K that has not taken emergency measures can be excluded. Further, steps S3, S5b, and S11 regarding the recognition and vehicle speed measurement of the emergency vehicle K are deleted, and when the following vehicle C is recognized in steps S5a and S10 and the vehicle speed is measured by the vehicle speed measurement device 25 and exceeds 110 km / h, it is also possible to advance from steps S5a and S10 to step S4b so as to display an emergency vehicle on the terminal 4b by a signal from the vehicle speed measurement device 25.

[0044] Next, the construction vehicle exit support system according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 - 19. FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the construction vehicle exit support system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 10, compared with the construction vehicle exit support system 1b according to the second embodiment, in the arithmetic unit 7c of the information communication network 2 according to the third embodiment, the vehicle speed measuring device 25 is not used to obtain the vehicle speed of the vehicle, but the vehicle speed analyzer 30 is used to analyze the speed of the vehicle by calculating the actual distance from the pixel-to-pixel distance of the vehicle that has moved within a predetermined analysis time by the vehicle recognition device 8. The other configurations remain the same, and only the method of obtaining the vehicle speed is different. Therefore, the operation flow of the construction vehicle exit support system 1c according to the third embodiment is the same as that of FIG. 7 described in the second embodiment. Therefore, it will be described below with reference to FIG. 7 again.

[0045] Hereinafter, the analysis of the vehicle image by the vehicle speed analyzer 30 of the construction vehicle exit support system 1c will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 11-19. FIGS. 11-13 are conceptual diagrams showing the case where the vehicle moves from the left side to the right side in the drawing in order to explain the analysis content in the vehicle speed analyzer 30 according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 11, what is extracted as an image 32 including the generated vehicle 31 is shown using the vehicle recognition device 8 including the input layer 9a, the learned model 9b, and the output layer 9c from the image captured by the vehicle imaging device 3. The vehicle speed analyzer 30 uses a plurality of images generated within a predetermined analysis time from the vehicle recognition device 8 to obtain the distance of the vehicle 31 that has moved between the plurality of images in pixels (picture elements), that is, in pixel units, and performs an operation to convert it into an actual distance, and divides the distance by the time required for the movement to obtain the speed of the vehicle 31. Note that 0.9 attached to the horizontal axis 33 in the figure means that the position 0.9 from the left end is defined as the reference of the "exit position" of the vehicle 31 based on the vertical axis 34 at 0.1 from the right end in the image. The same applies to 0.9 shown in FIGS. 12-19. Note that the rectangular portion indicated by the broken line in the figure shows the range of the vehicle 31 in the horizontal axis 33 and the vertical axis 34 recognized and generated as a vehicle by the vehicle recognition device 8. This rectangular portion is used to specify the position of the vehicle 31 in the image 32 in x-y coordinates with reference to FIG. 13.

[0046] To explain it in more detail, as shown in FIG. 12, when the inside of the image 32 is equally divided into 10 parts in advance and an image 32 is extracted in which the vehicles 31a to 31c move from the left side to the right side in the figure, on the horizontal axis 33, with the vertical axis 34 of 0.1 as a reference from the left end, the position of the vehicle 31c at the timing when this axis is first exceeded is defined as B0. 4 Taking this as a reference, for example, the position of the vehicle 31b at a position two frames back from here is defined as B0. 2 The position of the vehicle 31a at a position four frames back is defined as B0. Then, for example, the distance between specific common points in the vehicles 31a and 31c is calculated in pixel units and converted into the actual distance.

[0047] With reference to FIG. 13, a method for calculating the distance within the image 32 between the vehicles 31a and 31c will be described. Considering the distance (length of the dashed line) from the lower right part (x1, y1) of the image of the vehicle 31a to the lower right part (x2, y2) of the image of the vehicle 31c, in pixel units, it is (x2 - x1) pixels in the horizontal axis 33 direction and (y2 - y1) pixels in the vertical axis 34 direction. Therefore, the distance traveled in four frames can be expressed by Equation (1).

[0048]

Equation

[0049] In the experiment conducted by the inventors, the frame rate of the vehicle imaging device 3 is 15 fps (frames per second), and the time taken to move in four frames is 0.267 seconds. When the vehicle is traveling at a speed of 100 km / h, it moves 27.8 m in one second and 7.42 m in 0.267 seconds. However, when measuring the moving distance in pixel units within the image 32 and then converting it into the actual distance, when moving in a three-dimensional image as shown in FIG. 13, the actual distance per pixel is longer on the back side and shorter on the front side. Therefore, even for the same vehicle speed and the same movement in four frames, the vehicle speeds after conversion are considered to be different depending on the positions of the vehicles 31a and 31c. Therefore, the inventors conducted experiments and developed a technique for correcting the vehicle speed based on the position of the vehicle 31c photographed in the image 32.

[0050] Hereinafter, the experimental results will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 17. FIG. 14 is a graph showing the result of measuring the speed of a vehicle traveling on a highway using the vehicle speed analysis device according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the amount of protrusion (Δe) from the exit position by the vehicle. FIG. 16 is a graph showing the result of obtaining the correction coefficient α for correcting the graph of FIG. 14 according to the exit position, and FIG. 17 is a graph showing the result of correcting the graph of FIG. 14 according to the exit position. The inventors photographed the vehicle 31 traveling on the highway at an angle as shown in FIGS. 11 and 13 and having a speed considered to be in the vicinity of 100 km / h with the vehicle imaging device 3, and obtained a plurality of sample images. The moving distance in pixel units between 4 frames and within 0.267 seconds was obtained using Equation (1), and it was assumed that the distance was 7.42 m in actual distance. Thereby, the actual distance corresponding to 1 pixel can be obtained as a conversion coefficient. Next, the moving distance between 4 frames and within 0.267 seconds in the image of the vehicle 31 that has traveled thereafter was obtained using Equation (1), and the actual distance was obtained by multiplying by the above-described conversion coefficient. Since this is the movement within 0.267 seconds, the vehicle speed was obtained. In the present embodiment, the speed of the vehicle 31 obtained in this way is referred to as the "normalized speed". FIG. 14 shows the normalized speed of the vehicle 31 traveling on the highway measured and plotted in this way.

[0051] In FIG. 14, the horizontal axis represents the exit position based on 0.9 described in FIG. 11, and the vertical axis represents the speed of the vehicle 31. The line represented by the broken line in the figure represents the approximate expression obtained by the least squares method shown in the graph, and the symbol R 2represents the variance (R is the standard deviation). From this graph, it can be understood that clearly, when the exit position is greater than 0.9, the measured speed is higher. As described above, since the pixel - to - pixel distance of movement per unit time is longer when the exit position is on the front side, that is, at a position farther than 0.9, when calculating the actual distance using the same conversion factor as the back side, the speed of the vehicle 31 is faster at a position farther than 0.9. Therefore, it is necessary to correct this. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15, the inventors set the amount of deviation Δe (Equation (2)) from the reference (0.9) of the exit position with the horizontal - axis position as x, the slope due to speed as Cright, and the speed to be corrected as Δv [km / h] (Equation (3)), and obtained the correction coefficient α (Equation (4)). Note that width in Equation (2) is 1. Also, Cright was obtained by actual measurement and was - 7.7.

[0052]

Number

Number

Number

Number

[0053] The graph plotting the relationship with the exit position on the horizontal axis and the correction coefficient α on the vertical axis after obtaining the correction coefficient α from the obtained Cright is shown in FIG. 16. The dashed - line y (a linear expression of x) is the formula for α based on the least - squares method, and it is shown that Cright is - 7.7. R and R 2 are the standard deviation and variance respectively. Figure 17 shows the true speed obtained from the normalized speed plotted in Figure 14 using the correction coefficient α, regardless of the exit position. The horizontal axis represents the exit position and the vertical axis represents the speed of the vehicle 31. The dashed line y (a linear expression of x) is the equation of the true vehicle speed based on the least squares method. And this y shows almost a constant value even when the exit position of x changes, indicating that a true speed independent of the exit position has been obtained. So far, the vehicle 31 photographed by the vehicle imaging device 3 has been moving from the left side to the right side. However, depending on the photographing angle of the vehicle 31 by the vehicle imaging device 3, there may be cases where it moves from the right side to the left side as shown in Figure 18 or from the upper side to the lower side as shown in Figure 19. In such cases as well, as explained using Figures 11 - 17 so far, it is possible to obtain the speed of the vehicle 31 by similarly analyzing the image 32 and obtaining the correction coefficient α.

[0054] Next, while referring to Figure 20, the operation and effects of the specific construction vehicle exit support system 1c of the construction vehicle exit support system 1c will be described. Figure 20 is a conceptual diagram showing the operation of the construction vehicle exit support system 1c according to the third embodiment. (a) is a conceptual diagram showing the situation on the highway, (b) is a conceptual diagram of the screen of the terminal shown when the following vehicle B has advanced to the position of B1 in (a) after being photographed and recognized at the imaging position, and (c) is a conceptual diagram of the screen of the terminal shown when the following vehicle C has entered the imaging position at a lower speed after the following vehicle B has advanced to the position of B2 in (a). In Figure 20(a), the following vehicle B is at the position of B1. The vehicle recognition device 8 analyzes the image photographed by the vehicle imaging device 3 and recognizes the vehicle 31. The vehicle recognition device 8 transmits a plurality of output vehicle images to the vehicle speed analysis device 30. The vehicle speed analysis device 30 calculates the actual distance from the pixel - to - pixel distance of the vehicle 31 from the point when the vehicle crosses a predetermined exit position to a point several frames back in a plurality of input vehicle images, and analyzes the speed of the vehicle 31. Here, step S1 in Figure 7 ends. At that time, a conversion coefficient for calculating the actual distance from the pixel interval is obtained in advance so that the speeds of a predetermined number of vehicles 31 are approximately, for example, 100 km / h. After the conversion coefficient is obtained, the speed of the vehicle running on the highway is obtained as the normalized speed, and the true speed considering the exit position is analyzed by multiplying the correction coefficient α obtained in this experiment by the normalized speed. However, since the correction coefficient α varies depending on the position and shooting direction of the vehicle imaging device 3 and also on the setting of the exit position, it is also desirable to obtain the correction coefficient α in advance at the installation site. In that case, the normalized speed as described above may be obtained at the site, Cright may be obtained from actual measurement with Δe in mind, α may be obtained, and the true speed may be obtained using the α and the normalized speed.

[0055] The vehicle speed of the following vehicle B is analyzed by the vehicle speed analysis device 30, and the vehicle speed information is transmitted by the vehicle speed analysis device 30 to the arrival time calculation device 26. Therefore, in the construction vehicle exit support system 1c, the vehicle speed measurement device 25 is unnecessary and is not shown in Fig. 20(a). This state is step S5c in Fig. 7 and has ended. Also, step S2-4a has ended in the same manner as in the construction vehicle exit support system 1b. As shown in Fig. 20(b), the captured image 23 with the suppression mark 20a for the terminal 4c is being displayed and the timing device 10 has started, and 8 seconds as the timing information is being displayed in the timer display window 19. However, in step S5a, since the following vehicle B is at the position B1 and no following vehicle is recognized, it proceeds to step S6 and is in the safety time elapse confirmation process. Therefore, although the vehicle speed of the following vehicle B is shown in the vehicle speed display window 27 as 80 km / h, the vehicle speed of the following vehicle has not been measured, and the speed shown in the following vehicle speed display window 28 is 0 km / h.

[0056] Next, when the following vehicle B advances to the position of B2, the next following vehicle C enters the imaging position 17. In step S5a, which had returned because the elapse of the safety time could not be confirmed from step S6 until then, the recognition of the following vehicle C and the measurement of the vehicle speed are executed, and the vehicle speed information is transmitted from the vehicle speed analysis device 30 to the arrival time calculation device 26. If the following vehicle C is not recognized as the emergency vehicle K in step S5b, the process proceeds to step S5c, where the arrival time calculation device 26 calculates the arrival time of the following vehicle C. Then, the difference from the arrival time of the following vehicle B is calculated, and the difference information is transmitted to the timing device 10. The timing device 10 corrects the arrival time by adding the difference to the arrival time of the following vehicle C. For example, in FIG. 20(c), as the vehicle speed information of the following vehicle C, the vehicle speed of 70 km / h is displayed in the following vehicle speed display window 28. When the following vehicle B is traveling at 80 km / h and the following vehicle C is traveling at 70 km / h, the time for the following vehicle C to reach the exit 16 is longer than the time for the following vehicle B to reach the exit 16. Therefore, when the following vehicle C enters the imaging position 17, a positive difference is added to the arrival time, and it reaches 16 seconds, which exceeds the predetermined safety time. In step S6, the elapse of the safety time is confirmed, and the process proceeds to step S7. A safety signal is transmitted from the timing device 10 to the warning device 12. A safety warning signal is transmitted from the warning device 12 that has received the safety signal to the terminal 4c. The terminal 4c receives the warning signal, disappears the suppression mark 20a from the captured image 23, lights the light emitting device 21, and outputs sound or voice from the speaker 22 to notify the surrounding area of the elapse of the safety time. Due to this notification, the security guard 11 can safely guide and let the construction-related vehicle 15 exit from the exit 16. In addition, the operation and effect of the construction vehicle exit support system 1b described with reference to FIG. 9 are the same in the construction vehicle exit support system 1c. Furthermore, even in the construction vehicle exit support system 1c according to the third embodiment, while exhibiting the same effects as the construction vehicle exit support system 1a, by providing a vehicle speed analysis device 30 and an arrival time calculation device 26 in place of the vehicle speed measurement device 25 of the construction vehicle exit support system 1b, similarly, based on the vehicle speeds of the following vehicles B and C, it is possible to correct the arrival time of the following vehicle C at the exit 16. It is possible to know the waiting time with higher accuracy and to allow the construction-related vehicle 15 to exit from the exit 16, and it is also possible to more efficiently allow the construction-related vehicle 15 to exit. Furthermore, even when a safety time has been secured once, it is similarly possible to handle the case where the safety time cannot be ensured due to the vehicle speed of the following vehicle.

Industrial Applicability

[0057] The present invention can be used in a construction vehicle exit support system, its method, and its program that can safely and efficiently exit a construction-related vehicle from an exit in a highway construction section while suppressing the number of security guards to one and without imposing a mental burden on the security guard.

Explanation of Signs

[0058] 1a~1c... Construction vehicle exit support system 2... Information communication network 3... Vehicle imaging device 4a~4c... Terminal 5... Input unit 6... Output unit 7a~7c... Arithmetic unit 8... Vehicle recognition device 9a... Input layer 9b... Trained model 9c... Output layer 10... Timing device 11... Security guard 12... Transmitting device 13... Highway 14... Cone 15... Construction-related vehicle 16... Exit 17... Imaging position 18... Construction section 19... Timer display window 20a, 20b... Suppression mark 21... Light-emitting device 22... Speaker 23... Captured image 24... Emergency vehicle display 25... Vehicle speed measurement device 26... Arrival time calculation device 27... Vehicle speed display window 28... Following vehicle speed display window 30... Vehicle speed analysis device 31, 31a - 31c... Vehicle 32... Image 33... Horizontal axis 34... Vertical axis A... Vehicle B, C... Following vehicles

Claims

1. A system for supporting the exit of construction-related vehicles from an exit gate installed in a construction section on an expressway, the system comprising: a vehicle imaging device installed on the side of the expressway away from the construction section and photographing vehicles passing through a predetermined position; a vehicle recognition device analyzing the image photographed by the vehicle imaging device to recognize the vehicle and output a vehicle image; a timing device which measures the time from when the vehicle recognition device receives a vehicle recognition signal transmitted by recognizing the vehicle and photographing a following vehicle passing through the position after the vehicle and recognizes the following vehicle, and transmits a safety signal when the time reaches a predetermined safety time; and a timing device which receives the safety signal and transmits a safety alert signal. and a terminal that is installed or carried near the exit, displays the output vehicle image, and receives the safety alert signal to notify that the safety time has been reached with at least one of sound, voice, text, or light, wherein when the timing device receives the vehicle recognition signal from the vehicle recognition device and starts timing, if the safety time has not been reached, it sends an instruction signal to the terminal to place a deterrent mark so that it is superimposed on the vehicle image already displayed on the terminal, and when the terminal receives the safety alert signal from the alert device, it causes the deterrent mark superimposed on the vehicle already displayed on the terminal to disappear.

2. The vehicle recognition device is configured to be able to recognize emergency vehicles, and when the emergency vehicle is recognized, it transmits an emergency signal to the alarm device, the alarm device receives the emergency signal and transmits an emergency alert signal, and the terminal receives the emergency alert signal and notifies the terminal of the approach of the emergency vehicle by at least one of sound, voice, text, or light.

3. The vehicle recognition device is equipped with a trained model that has been machine-learned in advance to input image information, recognize the presence of the vehicle contained in the image information, and generate an image of the recognized vehicle, and is characterized in that the vehicle recognition device inputs the image and outputs the vehicle image based on the generation by the trained model.

4. The construction vehicle exit support system described in claim 3, further comprising a vehicle speed analysis device that calculates an actual distance from the pixel-to-pixel distance of the vehicle moving within a plurality of images generated within a predetermined analysis time by the vehicle recognition device to analyze the speed of the vehicle, and an arrival time calculation device that calculates an arrival time for the vehicle to arrive at the exit from the predetermined position based on the speed of the vehicle analyzed by the vehicle speed analysis device and the distance from the position to the exit, wherein the arrival time calculation device transmits the difference between the arrival time for the vehicle and the arrival time for the following vehicle to the timing device, and the timing device adds the difference to the time to correct the time.

5. The construction vehicle exit support system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a vehicle speed measuring device installed beside the expressway for measuring the speed of the vehicle; and an arrival time calculation device for calculating the arrival time for the vehicle to arrive at the exit from a predetermined position based on the speed of the vehicle measured by the vehicle speed measuring device and the distance from the predetermined position to the exit, wherein the arrival time calculation device transmits the difference between the arrival time for the vehicle and the arrival time for the following vehicle to the timing device, and the timing device adds the difference to the time to correct the time.

6. A method for supporting the exit of construction-related vehicles from an exit for said vehicles installed in a construction zone on an expressway, comprising: a vehicle imaging step of imaging a vehicle passing a predetermined position by a vehicle imaging device installed on the side of the expressway away from the construction zone; a vehicle recognition step of analyzing the image captured in the vehicle imaging step to recognize the vehicle and outputting the vehicle image to a terminal installed or carried near the exit; and a step of measuring the time from when a vehicle recognition signal transmitted by recognizing the vehicle in the vehicle recognition step is received until a following vehicle passing the position after the vehicle is imaged by the vehicle imaging device and the following vehicle is recognized, and measuring the time within a predetermined safety range. A construction vehicle exit support method comprising: a safety signal transmitting step of transmitting a safety signal when the time is reached; a safety alert signal transmitting step of receiving the safety signal and transmitting a safety alert signal; and a notification step of receiving the safety alert signal and notifying the terminal that the safety time has been reached by at least one of sound, voice, text or light, wherein in the safety signal transmitting step, when the vehicle recognition signal is received and timing is started, if the safety time has not been reached, a deterrent mark is output so as to be superimposed on the vehicle image already displayed on the terminal, and when the safety alert signal is received, the deterrent mark superimposed on the vehicle already displayed on the terminal is made to disappear.

7. The construction vehicle exit support method according to claim 6, further comprising: a vehicle speed measurement process for measuring the speed of the vehicle passing through the position using a vehicle speed measurement device installed on the side of the expressway away from the construction section; and an arrival time calculation process for calculating an arrival time for the vehicle to arrive at the exit from the position based on the speed of the vehicle measured in the vehicle speed measurement process and the distance from the position to the exit, wherein the safety signal transmission process corrects the time by adding a difference between the arrival time for the vehicle and the arrival time for the following vehicle.

8. A construction vehicle exit assistance program executed by a computer to assist the exit of construction-related vehicles from an exit for said vehicles installed in a construction section on an expressway, the program comprising: a vehicle imaging step of photographing a vehicle passing a predetermined position by a vehicle imaging device installed on the side of the expressway away from the construction section; a vehicle recognition step of analyzing an image photographed in the vehicle imaging step, recognizing said vehicle, and outputting the vehicle image to a terminal installed or carried near said exit; and a vehicle recognition step of measuring the time from when a vehicle recognition signal transmitted by recognizing said vehicle in the vehicle recognition step is received until a following vehicle passing said position next to said vehicle is photographed by said vehicle imaging device and said following vehicle is recognized, and A construction vehicle exit support program comprising: a safety signal transmitting step of transmitting a safety signal when the time reaches a predetermined safety time; a safety alert signal transmitting step of receiving the safety signal and transmitting a safety alert signal; and a notification step of receiving the safety alert signal and notifying the terminal that the safety time has been reached by at least one of sound, voice, text or light, wherein in the safety signal transmitting step, when the vehicle recognition signal is received and timing is started, if the safety time has not been reached, a deterrent mark is output so as to be superimposed on the vehicle image already displayed on the terminal, and when the safety alert signal is received, the deterrent mark superimposed on the vehicle already displayed on the terminal is made to disappear.

9. The construction vehicle exit support program of claim 8, further comprising: a vehicle speed measurement process for measuring the speed of the vehicle passing through the position using a vehicle speed measurement device installed on the side of the expressway away from the construction section; and an arrival time calculation process for calculating an arrival time for the vehicle to arrive at the exit from the position based on the vehicle speed measured in the vehicle speed measurement process and the distance from the position to the exit, wherein the safety signal transmission process corrects the time by adding a difference between the arrival time for the vehicle and the arrival time for the following vehicle.

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