Information Processing Apparatus, Determination Method, Program, and Storage Medium

Abstract

To provide an information processing device capable of suitably outputting information related to an under-bridge passage of a ship.SOLUTION: A controller 13 of an information processing device 1 acquires a bridge height indicating the height corresponding to a distance from a riverside to a bridge under which a ship is scheduled to pass, and acquires the largest height of the ship being the height of the highest point of the ship. A controller 13 determines a bridge passage possible range indicating the range for enabling the ship to pass under the bridge based on the bridge height and the largest height of the ship. The controller 13 outputs information related to the bridge passage possible range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to determining whether a ship can pass under a bridge.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a technique for estimating the self-position of a moving object by comparing (matching) the shape data of surrounding objects measured using a measuring device such as a laser scanner with map information in which the shapes of the surrounding objects are stored in advance. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an autonomous movement system that determines whether a detected object in a voxel obtained by dividing a space according to a predetermined rule is a stationary object or a moving object, and performs matching between map information and measurement data for voxels in which stationary objects exist. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a scan matching method for estimating the self-position by comparing voxel data including the average vector and covariance matrix of stationary objects for each voxel with point cloud data output by a lidar. Furthermore, Patent Document 3 describes a method of controlling the attitude of a ship so that light emitted from a lidar can be reflected by an object around the landing position and received by the lidar in an automatic landing device for automatically landing a ship.

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] When determining the navigation route, it is common to select a route that can safely pass through the bridge based on tide level prediction information and the like. However, whether the ship can actually pass through needs to be confirmed before approaching the bridge, taking into account cases where the water level is higher than the tide level prediction. Also, in this case, depending on the shape of the bridge, the range within which the ship can pass under the bridge is limited, so it is necessary to accurately grasp the passable range of the ship before passing through the bridge.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and one of the main objects is to provide an information processing apparatus capable of suitably outputting information related to passage under a bridge by a ship.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The invention according to the claims is a first acquisition means for acquiring a bridge height indicating a height corresponding to the riverbank distance of the bridge where the ship is scheduled to pass, A plurality of a second acquisition means for acquiring a ship highest point height that is the height of the highest point of the ship, a bridge passable range determination means for determining a bridge passable range indicating a range within which the ship can pass under the bridge based on the bridge height and the ship highest point height, and an output control means for outputting information regarding the bridge passable range. According to the riverbank distance The information processing apparatus having and is

[0007] Also, the invention according to the claims is a determination method executed by a computer, acquiring a bridge height indicating a height corresponding to the riverbank distance of the bridge where the ship is scheduled to pass, A plurality of acquiring a ship highest point height that is the height of the highest point of the ship, determining a bridge passable range indicating a range within which the ship can pass under the bridge based on the bridge height and the ship highest point height, and According to the riverbank distance outputting information regarding the bridge passable range. Outputting information regarding the bridge passageable range is a control method.

[0008] Also, the invention according to the claims obtains a bridge height indicating a height corresponding to the riverbank distance of the bridge that the ship is scheduled to pass through, A plurality of obtains a ship highest point height that is the height of the highest point of the ship, and based on the bridge height and the ship highest point height, determines a bridge passageable range indicating a range where the ship can pass under the bridge, and is a program that causes a computer to execute a process of outputting information regarding the bridge passageable range. According to the riverbank distance

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

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Figure 14

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the information processing device includes: a first acquisition means for acquiring a bridge height indicating a height corresponding to the riverbank distance from the riverbank of the bridge through which the ship is scheduled to pass; a second acquisition means for acquiring a ship highest point height which is the height of the highest point of the ship; a bridge passable range determination means for determining a bridge passable range indicating a range in which the ship can pass under the bridge based on the bridge height and the ship highest point height; and an output control means for outputting information regarding the bridge passable range. According to this aspect, the information processing device can accurately determine the bridge passable range in which the ship can pass under the bridge and output information regarding the bridge passable range.

[0011] In one aspect of the above information processing device, the bridge passable range determination means calculates, for each riverbank distance, a predicted interval which is a predicted interval between the bridge and the ship based on the bridge height and the ship highest point height, and determines the bridge passable range based on the predicted interval. According to this aspect, the information processing device can accurately determine the bridge passable range for a bridge with different heights for each riverbank distance, such as an arch-shaped bridge.

[0012] In another aspect of the information processing apparatus, the bridge passageable range determining means determines the bridge passageable range based on the predicted interval and the width of the ship. Thereby, even when the ship passes through an arch-shaped bridge with a sharp curve, the information processing apparatus can accurately determine the bridge passageable range within which the ship can pass safely. In a preferred example, the bridge passageable range determining means may determine, as the bridge passageable range, a range obtained by reducing, based on the width, the range of the riverbank distance at which the predicted interval is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

[0013] In another aspect of the information processing apparatus, the first acquisition means acquires the bridge height based on voxel data representing the position of the bridge for each voxel which is a unit area. With this aspect, the information processing apparatus can suitably recognize the bridge height according to the riverbank distance.

[0014] In another aspect of the information processing apparatus, the output control means calculates the distance from the riverbank to the ship based on the measurement data output by the measuring device, and outputs information regarding the movement of the ship based on the distance and the bridge passageable range. With this aspect, the information processing apparatus can accurately recognize the necessity or the like of the movement of the ship according to the bridge passageable range, and can suitably output information regarding the movement according to the recognition result.

[0015] In another aspect of the information processing apparatus, the output control means supplies the information regarding the movement to a ship control system or causes the information to be displayed on a display device provided on the ship. With this aspect, the information processing apparatus can suitably supply information necessary for ship control to a ship control system or a helmsman that performs ship control of the ship.

[0016] In another aspect of the information processing apparatus, the output control means causes the bridge passageable range to be displayed on a map on a display device that displays a map around the position of the ship. With this aspect, the information processing apparatus can accurately cause a helmsman or the like who uses the display device to grasp the bridge passageable range.

[0017] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a control method executed by a computer, which acquires a bridge height indicating a height corresponding to the bank distance from the bank of a bridge through which a ship is scheduled to pass, acquires a ship highest point height which is the height of the highest point of the ship, determines a bridge passable range indicating a range in which the ship can pass under the bridge based on the bridge height and the ship highest point height, and outputs information regarding the bridge passable range. By executing this control method, the computer can accurately determine the bridge passable range in which the ship can pass under the bridge and output information regarding the bridge passable range.

[0018] According to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer to execute a process of acquiring a bridge height indicating a height corresponding to the bank distance from the bank of a bridge through which a ship is scheduled to pass, acquiring a ship highest point height which is the height of the highest point of the ship, determining a bridge passable range indicating a range in which the ship can pass under the bridge based on the bridge height and the ship highest point height, and outputting information regarding the bridge passable range. By executing this program, the computer can accurately determine whether the ship can safely pass under the bridge. Preferably, the above program is stored in a storage medium.

Example

[0019] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, for the sake of convenience, a character with "^" or "-" attached above an arbitrary symbol is represented as "A^" or "A - "(where "A" is an arbitrary character).

[0020] (1) Overview of the operation support system Figs. 1(A) to 1(C) show the schematic configuration of the operation support system according to this embodiment. Specifically, Fig. 1(A) shows the block configuration diagram of the operation support system, Fig. 1(B) is a top view exemplifying the visual field range (measurable range) 90 of the ship included in the operation support system and the later-described lidar 3, and Fig. 1(C) is a view showing the visual field range 90 of the ship and the lidar 3 from the rear. The operation support system includes an information processing device 1 that moves together with a ship, which is a moving body, and a sensor group 2 mounted on the ship.

[0021] The information processing device 1 is electrically connected to the sensor group 2 and estimates the position of the ship (also referred to as "self-position") where the information processing device 1 is provided based on the outputs of various sensors included in the sensor group 2. Then, the information processing device 1 performs operation support such as automatic operation control of the ship based on the estimation result of the self-position. In this embodiment, as an example of operation support, the information processing device 1 determines whether a ship can pass under a bridge through which it is scheduled to pass and executes processing according to the determination result. Note that operation support may include approach support such as automatic docking (landing). The information processing device 1 may be a navigation device provided on the ship or an electronic control device built into the ship.

[0022] In addition, the information processing device 1 stores a map database (DB: DataBase) 10 including voxel data "VD". The voxel data VD is data in which position information of stationary structures and the like are recorded for each voxel indicating a cube (regular lattice) that is the minimum unit in a three-dimensional space. The voxel data VD includes data representing the measured point cloud data of stationary structures in each voxel by a normal distribution and is used for scan matching using NDT (Normal Distributions Transform) as described later. The information processing device 1 estimates, for example, the position on the plane of the ship, the height position, the yaw angle, the pitch angle, and the roll angle by NDT scan matching. Note that unless otherwise specified, the self-position includes attitude angles such as the yaw angle of the ship.

[0023] The sensor group 2 includes various external sensors and internal sensors provided on the ship. In this embodiment, the sensor group 2 includes a Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging, or Laser Illuminated Detection And Ranging) 3, a speed sensor 4 for detecting the speed of the ship, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 5, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 6 for measuring the acceleration and angular velocity of the target moving ship in three axial directions.

[0024] The Lidar 3 is an external sensor that discretely measures the distance to an object existing in the external world by emitting pulsed lasers within a predetermined angular range in the horizontal direction (see Fig. 1(B)) and a predetermined angular range in the vertical direction (see Fig. 1(C)), and generates three-dimensional point cloud data indicating the position of the object. In the examples of Fig. 1(B) and Fig. 1(C), as the Lidar 3, a Lidar directed toward the left side surface direction of the ship and a Lidar directed toward the right side surface direction of the ship are respectively provided on the ship. Note that the number of Lidars 3 installed on the ship is not limited to two, and may be one, or three or more. The Lidar 3 has an irradiation unit that irradiates laser light while changing the irradiation direction, a light receiving unit that receives the reflected light (scattered light) of the irradiated laser light, and an output unit that outputs scan data based on the light reception signal output by the light receiving unit. The data measured for each direction (scanning position) in which the laser light is irradiated is generated based on the irradiation direction corresponding to the laser light received by the light receiving unit and the response delay time of the laser light specified based on the above-described light reception signal. Note that the Lidar 3 is not limited to the above-described scanning type Lidar, and may be a flash type Lidar that generates three-dimensional data by diffusely irradiating laser light within the field of view of a two-dimensional array sensor. The Lidar 3 is an example of the "measurement device" in the present invention. The speed sensor 4 may be, for example, a speed meter using Doppler or a speed meter using GNSS.

[0025] Note that the sensor group 2 may have a receiver that generates positioning results of GNSS other than GPS instead of the GPS receiver 5.

[0026] (2) Configuration of the information processing device FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 1. The information processing apparatus 1 mainly includes an interface 11, a memory 12, and a controller 13. These elements are interconnected via a bus line.

[0027] The interface 11 performs an interface operation related to data transfer between the information processing apparatus 1 and an external device. In this embodiment, the interface 11 acquires output data from each sensor of the sensor group 2 such as the rider 3, the speed sensor 4, the GPS receiver 5, and the IMU 6, and supplies it to the controller 13. Further, the interface 11 supplies, for example, a signal related to the control of the ship generated by the controller 13 to each component of the ship that controls the operation of the ship. For example, the ship includes a drive source such as an engine or an electric motor, a screw that generates a propulsive force in the traveling direction based on the driving force of the drive source, a thruster that generates a lateral propulsive force based on the driving force of the drive source, and a rudder or the like that is a mechanism for freely determining the traveling direction of the ship. During automatic operation such as automatic landing, the interface 11 supplies a control signal generated by the controller 13 to each of these components. When an electronic control device is provided on the ship, the interface 11 supplies a control signal generated by the controller 13 to the electronic control device. The interface 11 may be a wireless interface such as a network adapter for performing wireless communication, or may be a hardware interface for connecting to an external device via a cable or the like.

[0028] Further, the interface 11 performs an interface operation with the display device 19. The display device 19 is a display (including a head-up display, a projector, etc.), and displays information based on a display signal supplied from the controller 13. Further, the interface 11 may perform interface operations with various peripheral devices such as an input device, a display device, and a sound output device in addition to the display device 19.

[0029] The memory 12 is composed of various volatile memories and non-volatile memories such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), hard disk drives, and flash memories. The memory 12 stores a program for the controller 13 to execute predetermined processing. Note that the program executed by the controller 13 may be stored in a storage medium other than the memory 12.

[0030] Also, the memory 12 stores the map DB10 including the voxel data VD and the highest point information IH.

[0031] In addition to the voxel data VD, the map DB10 includes, for example, information regarding landing sites (including shores and piers), information regarding waterways where the ship can move, and the like. Note that the map DB10 may be stored in an external storage device of the information processing device 1, such as a hard disk, connected to the information processing device 1 via the interface 11. The above storage device may be a server device that communicates with the information processing device 1. Also, the above storage device may be composed of a plurality of devices. Further, the map DB10 may be updated periodically. In this case, for example, the controller 13 receives partial map information regarding the area to which its own position belongs from a server device that manages map information via the interface 11 and reflects it in the map DB10.

[0032] The highest point information IH is information regarding the height of the part (highest point) of the ship that exists at the highest position in the ship coordinate system, which is a coordinate system based on the ship. For example, the highest point information IH represents the height (distance in the height direction) from the reference position of the ship (also referred to as the "ship reference position") in the self-position estimation executed by the information processing device 1 to the highest point. In other words, the ship reference position is the representative position of the ship whose position is estimated in the self-position estimation. The highest point information IH is generated based on a previous measurement result and is stored in advance in the memory 12.

[0033] In addition to the map DB 10, the memory 12 stores information necessary for the processing executed by the information processing apparatus 1 in this embodiment. For example, the memory 12 stores information used for setting the size of downsampling when performing downsampling on the point cloud data obtained when the lidar 3 performs one-cycle scanning. In another example, the memory 12 stores route information regarding the navigation route that the ship should follow. In still another example, the memory 12 stores information regarding the length of the ship's width. Additionally, the memory 12 may store information regarding thresholds and the like used for various determinations.

[0034] The controller 13 includes one or more processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit), and controls the entire information processing apparatus 1. In this case, the controller 13 performs processing related to self-position estimation and navigation support by executing the program stored in the memory 12 and the like.

[0035] Also, functionally, the controller 13 has a self-position estimation unit 15, a bridge passage determination unit 16, and an output control unit 17. And the controller 13 functions as "first acquisition means", "second acquisition means", "bridge passageable range determination means", "output control means", and a computer that executes a program.

[0036] The self-position estimation unit 15 estimates the self-position by performing scan matching based on NDT (Normal Distributions Transform) on the point cloud data based on the output of the lidar 3 and the voxel data VD corresponding to the voxel to which the point cloud data belongs. Here, the point cloud data to be processed by the self-position estimation unit 15 may be the point cloud data generated by the lidar 3 or the point cloud data after performing downsampling processing on the point cloud data.

[0037] Based on the self-position estimation result by the self-position estimation unit 15, the voxel data VD, and the highest point information IH, the bridge passage determination unit 16 determines a range (also referred to as the "bridge passable range") within which the ship can safely pass under the bridge existing on the operation route where the ship is scheduled to pass. Generally, when an arch-shaped bridge with a high central part and low sides is on the operation route, it is necessary to grasp which part of the river can be passed. Considering the above, the bridge passage determination unit 16 determines the bridge passable range for each bridge on the operation route.

[0038] The output control unit 17 performs output control based on the bridge passable range determined by the bridge passage determination unit 16. In this case, as an example of the first output control, the output control unit 17 calculates, based on the bridge passable range, the movement distance by which the ship should laterally move to pass under the bridge that the ship will pass next, and transmits information regarding the movement distance to the ship operation control system. The ship operation control system may be realized by the controller 13 or may be realized by an electronic control device provided on the ship and performing data communication with the information processing device 1. As an example of the second output control, the output control unit 17 generates a display signal and supplies the display signal to the display device 19, thereby causing the display device 19 to display information such as the bridge passable range and the above-mentioned movement distance.

[0039] (3) NDT scan matching Next, an explanation will be given regarding the position estimation based on the NDT scan matching executed by the self-position estimation unit 15.

[0040] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the self-position to be estimated by the self-position estimator 15 in three-dimensional orthogonal coordinates. As shown in FIG. 3, the self-position defined on the three-dimensional orthogonal coordinates of xyz is represented by the coordinates "(x, y, z)", the roll angle "φ" of the ship, the pitch angle "θ", and the yaw angle (azimuth) "ψ". Here, the roll angle φ is the rotation angle about the traveling direction axis of the ship, the pitch angle θ is the elevation angle of the traveling direction of the ship with respect to the xy plane, and the yaw angle ψ is defined as the angle formed by the traveling direction of the ship and the x-axis. The coordinates (x, y, z) are, for example, absolute positions corresponding to a combination of latitude, longitude, and altitude, or world coordinates indicating a position with a predetermined point as the origin. Then, the self-position estimator 15 performs self-position estimation using these x, y, z, φ, θ, and ψ as estimation parameters.

[0041] Next, the voxel data VD used for NDT scan matching will be described. The voxel data VD includes data representing the measured point cloud data of the stationary structures in each voxel by a normal distribution.

[0042] FIG. 4 shows an example of the schematic data structure of the voxel data VD. The voxel data VD includes information on parameters when expressing the point cloud in the voxel by a normal distribution. In this embodiment, for each voxel, it includes a "voxel ID", "voxel coordinates", "attribute information", "mean vector", and "covariance matrix".

[0043] The "voxel ID" indicates the identification information of each voxel. The "voxel coordinates" indicate the absolute three-dimensional coordinates of a reference position such as the center position of each voxel. Since each voxel is a cube obtained by dividing the space into a grid pattern and its shape and size are determined in advance, it is possible to specify the space of each voxel by the voxel coordinates. The voxel coordinates may be used as the voxel ID.

[0044] "Attribute information" indicates information regarding the attributes of the target voxel. For example, in this embodiment, the "attribute information" of the voxel corresponding to a bridge includes information indicating that it is a bridge part. Note that the "attribute information" of the voxel corresponding to the lower part of the bridge girder (i.e., the bottom surface of the structure above the river) may further include information indicating that it is the lower part of the girder.

[0045] "Average vector" and "covariance matrix" indicate the average vector and covariance matrix corresponding to the parameters when expressing the point cloud within the target voxel by a normal distribution. Note that the coordinates of any point "i" within an arbitrary voxel "n" are X n (i)=[x n (i), y n (i), z n (i)] T defined as such, and assuming the number of points in voxel n is "N n ", the average vector "μ n " and covariance matrix "V n " of voxel n are respectively represented by the following equations (1) and (2).

[0046]

Number

[0047]

Number

[0048] Next, an overview of NDT scan matching using voxel data VD will be described.

[0049] Scan matching by NDT assuming a ship is an estimation parameter P = [t x , t y , t z , t φ , t θ , t ψ ​T will be estimated. Here, "t x " represents the movement amount in the x direction, "t y " represents the movement amount in the y direction, "t z " represents the movement amount in the z direction, "t φ " represents the roll angle, "t θ " represents the pitch angle, "t ψ " represents the yaw angle.

[0050] Also, the coordinates of the point cloud data output by the lidar 3 are X L (j)=[x n (j), y n (j), z n (j)] T Then, the average value "L´ L " of X n "(j) is represented by the following formula (3).

[0051]

Equation

[0052] Then, the self-position estimation unit 15 searches for voxel data VD associated with the point cloud data transformed into the world coordinate system. Here, the world coordinate system is an absolute coordinate system adopted in the map DB10 (including the voxel data VD). At this time, the self-position estimation unit 15 may exclude the voxel data VD of the voxels located below the water surface (in the height direction) from the search target. Thereby, when the information processing apparatus 1 performs the association between the point cloud data and the voxels, unnecessary processing can be omitted, and a decrease in the position estimation accuracy due to an association error can be suppressed.

[0053] Then, the self-position estimation unit 15 is the average vector μ n contained in the searched voxel data VD and the covariance matrix V nUsing these, the evaluation function value regarding the matching of voxel n (also referred to as the "individual evaluation function value") "E n " is calculated.

[0054] In this case, the self-position estimation unit 15 calculates the individual evaluation function value E of voxel n based on the following formula (4). n is calculated.

[0055]

Equation

[0056] Then, the self-position estimation unit 15 calculates a comprehensive evaluation function value (also referred to as the "score value") "E(k)" for all voxels to be matched, which is represented by the following formula (5). The score value E is an index indicating the degree of matching.

[0057]

Equation

[0058] [Number]

[0059] FIG. 5 is an example of a functional block diagram of the self-position estimation unit 15. As shown in FIG. 5, the self-position estimation unit 15 includes a dead reckoning unit 51, a coordinate conversion unit 52, a water surface reflection data removal unit 53, and an NDT position calculation unit 54. In FIG. 5, blocks that exchange data are connected by arrows, but the data flow between the blocks is not limited to this. The same applies to the diagrams of other functional blocks described later.

[0060] The dead reckoning unit 51 calculates the DR position based on the signals output by the sensor group 2. Specifically, the dead reckoning unit 51 uses the moving speed and angular velocity of the ship based on the outputs of the speed sensor 4 and the IMU 6, etc., to obtain the moving distance and azimuth change from the previous time. Then, the dead reckoning unit 51 adds the moving distance and azimuth change from the previous time to the estimated self-position X^(k - 1) at the previous processing time, which is the processing time k - 1 for the current processing time k, to calculate the DR position X DR (k). This DR position X DR (k) is the self-position obtained at time k based on dead reckoning and corresponds to the predicted self-position X - (k). When, for example, immediately after the start of self-position estimation, the estimated self-position X^(k - 1) at time k - 1 does not exist, the dead reckoning unit 51 determines the DR position X DR (k) based on the signal output by the GPS receiver 5, for example.

[0061] The coordinate conversion unit 52 converts the point cloud data based on the output of the lidar 3 into the world coordinate system, which is the same coordinate system as the map DB 10. In this case, the coordinate conversion unit 52 performs coordinate conversion of the point cloud data at time k, for example, based on the predicted self-position output by the dead reckoning unit 51 at time k. Note that the process of converting the point cloud data in the coordinate system based on the lidar installed on the moving body (a ship in this embodiment) into the coordinate system of the moving body, and the process of converting from the coordinate system of the moving body to the world coordinate system, etc. are disclosed in, for example, International Publication WO2019 / 188745 and the like.

[0062] The water surface reflection data removal unit 53 removes data (also referred to as "water surface reflection data") that is erroneously generated when the lidar 3 receives light reflected by the water surface from the point cloud data supplied from the coordinate conversion unit 52. In this case, the water surface reflection data removal unit 53 removes data representing a position below the water surface position (including the same height, the same hereinafter), that is, a position where the z coordinate value is the same or lower, as water surface reflection data from the point cloud data. Note that the water surface reflection data removal unit 53 may estimate the water surface position, for example, based on the z coordinate value after the coordinate conversion process of the point cloud data output by the lidar 3 when the ship is at a position more than a predetermined distance away from the shore. Then, the water surface reflection data removal unit 53 supplies the point cloud data obtained by removing the data below the water surface position from the point cloud data supplied from the coordinate conversion unit 52 to the NDT position calculation unit 54.

[0063] The NDT position calculation unit 54 calculates the NDT position based on the point cloud data supplied from the water surface reflection data removal unit 53. In this case, the NDT position calculation unit 54 collates the point cloud data in the world coordinate system supplied from the water surface reflection data removal unit 53 with the voxel data VD represented in the same world coordinate system to perform association between the point cloud data and the voxels. Then, the NDT position calculation unit 54 calculates an individual evaluation function value based on Equation (4) for each voxel associated with the point cloud data, and calculates an estimated parameter P at which the score value E(k) based on Equation (5) becomes maximum. Then, the NDT position calculation unit 54, based on Equation (6), the DR position X output by the dead reckoning unit 51 DRFor (k), the NDT position X NDT at time k is determined by applying the estimated parameter P obtained at time k. NDT The NDT position calculation unit 54 obtains the NDT position X NDT . NDT The NDT position calculation unit 54 outputs the NDT position X NDT as the estimated own position X^(k) at time k.

[0064] Hereinafter, the height of the bridge is referred to as the "bridge height", and the height of the highest point of the ship is also referred to as the "highest point height of the ship". The bridge height represents the height of the bottom surface of the bridge over the river (i.e., the height of the under - girder part). Also, the "height" adopted in calculating the highest point height of the ship and the bridge height represents the height (for example, elevation) in the world coordinate system adopted in the map DB10, and for example, refers to the z - coordinate value in the world coordinate system. Further, the distance in the river - width direction from the river bank (either the right - hand river bank or the left - hand river bank of the ship) where the bridge pier of the bridge that the ship should pass through exists is also referred to as the "river - bank distance".

[0065] (4) Determination of the bridge passageable range Next, a method for determining the bridge - passing possible range executed by the bridge - passing determination unit 16 will be described. Generally speaking, the bridge - passing determination unit 16 calculates the bridge height according to the river - bank distance based on the voxel data VD, and calculates the predicted interval (also referred to as the "predicted interval") in the height direction between the ship and the bridge under the bridge for each river - bank distance based on the bridge height and the highest point height of the ship. Then, the bridge - passing determination unit 16 determines the bridge - passing possible range based on the calculated predicted interval.

[0066] (4 - 1) Case where the predicted interval is constant regardless of the river - bank distance Here, first, the case where the predicted interval is constant regardless of the river - bank distance will be described.

[0067] FIG. 6 is a view of observing a ship passing through a bridge 30 with a constant predicted interval regardless of the riverbank distance from behind. In the example of FIG. 6, two lidars 3 are provided on the ship, and a position at the same height as the lidar 3 is defined as the ship reference position. Further, there is a protrusion 33 at the highest point of the ship. The bridge 30 has a lower girder part 32 that forms the bottom surface of the structural part located above the river, and forms a clearance under the girder 31 through which the ship can pass. The broken-line rectangular frame 35 indicates the positions of the respective voxels where the voxel data VD exists. The line "L1" indicates a position at the same height as a reference position for measuring heights such as the bridge height and the highest point height of the ship (i.e., a point where the z coordinate value of the world coordinate system is 0), and the line "L2" indicates a position at the same height as the ship reference position. The line "L3" indicates a position at the same height as the highest point of the ship, and the line "L4" indicates a position at the same height as the lower girder part 32 that forms the bottom surface of the bridge 30 on the river.

[0068] In this case, as will be described below, the bridge passage determination unit 16 calculates the predicted interval used for determining whether the ship can pass through the bridge by calculating the heights or widths corresponding to the arrows A1 to A5 in the order of the arrows A1 to A5.

[0069] First, the bridge passage determination unit 16 extracts the voxel data VD of the voxels (see the rectangular frame 35) corresponding to the bridge to be passed through from the map DB10, and calculates the bridge height (see the arrow A1) based on the extracted voxel data VD. In this case, the bridge passage determination unit 16 refers to, for example, the attribute information included in the voxel data VD, and extracts the voxel data VD of the voxels corresponding to the bridge (or the lower girder part) existing on the river through which the ship passes. Then, the bridge passage determination unit 16 calculates the bridge height based on, for example, the z coordinate value of the average vector included in each of the extracted voxel data VD. Here, the lower girder part 32 forms a horizontal plane, and the bridge passage determination unit 16 calculates a bridge height that is constant regardless of the riverbank distance.

[0070] Next, the bridge passage determination unit 16 acquires the estimation result of the self-position estimation executed by the self-position estimation unit 15, and specifies the z coordinate indicated by the self-position estimation result as the height of the ship reference position (the height corresponding to arrow A2, hereinafter also referred to as the "ship reference height"). In FIG. 6, as an example, the ship reference position is set at the same height as the position of the lidar 3.

[0071] Next, the bridge passage determination unit 16 specifies the height direction width (refer to arrow A3) from the ship reference position to the highest point by referring to the highest point information IH from the memory 12. Then, the bridge passage determination unit 16 calculates the ship highest point height (refer to arrow A4) corresponding to the height obtained by adding the height direction width (refer to arrow A3) from the ship reference position to the highest point to the ship reference height (refer to arrow A2).

[0072] Then, the bridge passage determination unit 16 calculates the width obtained by subtracting the ship highest point height from the bridge height as the prediction interval (refer to arrow A5).

[0073] Thereafter, the bridge passage determination unit 16 determines the range of the riverbank distance where the calculated prediction interval is equal to or greater than the threshold value (also referred to as the "prediction interval threshold Th") as the bridge passageable range of the bridge 30. In the example of FIG. 6, the bridge passage determination unit 16 assumes that the entire river width spanned by the bridge 30 is the bridge passageable range, and supplies information regarding the bridge passageable range to the output control unit 17. Note that the bridge passage determination unit 16 may determine the bridge passageable range in consideration of the ship width, as described in the section of "(4-2) When the prediction interval changes according to the riverbank distance" to be described later. In this case, the bridge passageable range is set to a range where both ends are shorter than the river width by half of the ship width.

[0074] Note that when the prediction interval is less than the prediction interval threshold Th and there is no bridge passageable range for the bridge 30, the output control unit 17 determines that the ship cannot pass through the bridge 30. In this case, the output control unit 17 causes the display device 19 to display information prompting the ship to turn back, for example, in a situation where the river width is wide and there are no other ships, or information prompting the route to be changed.

[0075] Next, a supplementary explanation will be given on the method for determining the prediction interval threshold Th. Here, as an example, a method for determining the prediction interval threshold Th based on the self-position estimation result by the self-position estimation unit 15 will be described. Note that the prediction interval threshold Th may be set to a fixed value stored in advance in the memory 12 or the like instead of being determined based on the method described below.

[0076] The bridge passage determination unit 16 calculates the standard deviation "σ1" of the ship reference height (z coordinate value) indicated by a plurality of self-position estimation results calculated by the self-position estimation unit 15 within the immediately preceding predetermined period. For example, when the self-position estimation is calculated at a cycle of 100 [ms], if the predetermined period is set to 5 [s], it becomes the standard deviation σ1 of 50 ship reference height calculation values. Here, the standard deviation σ1 corresponds to the width indicated by the arrow A7 in FIG. 6 (that is, half of the width of the arrow A6 centered on the line L2). Then, the bridge passage determination unit 16 calculates, as the prediction interval threshold Th, a value obtained by multiplying the maximum value "σ1(max)" of a plurality of standard deviations σ1 calculated at a predetermined time interval while changing the above-mentioned predetermined period by a predetermined coefficient "k". That is, the bridge passage determination unit 16 calculates the prediction interval threshold Th based on the following formula (7). Th = k·σ1(max) (7)

[0077] In this case, the coefficient k is set to a fixed value that provides a sufficient confidence interval (for example, k = 5), for example.

[0078] Here, a supplementary explanation will be given on the effect of determining the prediction interval threshold Th based on the self-position estimation result. The variation in the ship height obtained as the self-position estimation result is affected by the error of the point cloud data output by the lidar 3 and the sway of the ship, but the large wave height is also a factor. When the wave height is large, the vertical movement of the ship in the z direction also becomes large. Considering the above, the bridge passage determination unit 16 can accurately determine whether the prediction interval is a sufficiently safe interval by increasing the prediction interval threshold Th as the standard deviation σ1 increases based on formula (7).

[0079] (4-2) Case where the prediction interval changes according to the riverbank distance Next, a method for calculating a predicted interval and a method for determining a bridge passageable range when passing through a bridge where the predicted interval changes according to the riverbank distance, such as a bridge with a steep arch curve, will be described.

[0080] FIG. 7 is a view of a ship passing through a bridge 30A whose predicted interval changes according to the riverbank distance, observed from the rear. The bridge 30A has a lower girder part 32A formed in an arch shape, and forms an under-girder space 31A through which the ship can pass. Also, the dashed rectangular frame 35A indicates the positions of the respective voxels where the voxel data VD exists. Also, the line L5 indicates a position that is at the same height as the highest point of the ship.

[0081] In this case, the bridge passage determination unit 16 extracts the voxel data VD of the voxels (refer to the rectangular frame 35A) corresponding to the bridge to be traveled from the map DB10, and based on the z-coordinate value of the average vector included in the extracted voxel data VD, calculates the bridge height according to the riverbank distance (bridge height with respect to the riverbank distance). Then, the bridge passage determination unit 16 calculates the ship highest point height by the method described in the section of "(4-1) When the predicted interval is constant regardless of the riverbank distance", and based on the ship highest point height and the bridge height according to the riverbank distance, calculates the predicted interval for each riverbank distance. Then, the bridge passage determination unit 16 determines that the range of the riverbank distance where the predicted interval is equal to or greater than the predicted interval threshold Th is the bridge passageable range.

[0082] Note that when the curve of the arch of the lower girder part 32A is steep, even in the range where the predicted interval is equal to or greater than the predicted interval threshold Th, the side part of the ship may approach the bridge 30A. Taking the above into consideration, preferably, the bridge passage determination unit 16 may determine the bridge passageable range in consideration of the ship's width. Specifically, the bridge passage determination unit 16 determines, as the bridge passageable range, a range obtained by reducing the range of the riverbank distance where the predicted interval is equal to or greater than the predicted interval threshold Th based on the ship's width.

[0083] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an outline of a method for determining a bridge passageable range considering the width of a ship. Here, "Wr" in the figure indicates the distance from the right bank to the right end position of the bridge passageable range when the bridge passageable range is determined without considering the width of the ship, and "Wr2" indicates the distance from the right bank to the right end position of the bridge passageable range when the bridge passageable range is determined considering the width of the ship. "Ws" represents the width of the ship. Also, the ship existing at the right end position of the bridge passageable range determined without considering the width of the ship is shown by a dashed line, and the ship existing at the right end position of the bridge passageable range determined considering the width of the ship is shown by a solid line. Hereinafter, the bridge passageable range shall indicate the range in the river width direction of the center position of the ship where the ship can safely pass under the bridge.

[0084] Here, at the position of the ship shown by the dashed line, although the predicted interval is equal to or greater than the predicted interval threshold Th, due to the steep curve of the arch of the lower girder 32A, the side part of the ship is in contact with the lower girder 32A. Thus, when the bridge passageable range is determined without considering the width of the ship, the side part of the ship may approach.

[0085] Taking the above into consideration, the bridge passage determination unit 16 determines a bridge passageable range in which both sides of the range where the predicted interval is equal to or greater than the predicted interval threshold Th are reduced by a length of 1 / 2 of the ship width Ws. In other words, the bridge passage determination unit 16 defines, as the bridge passageable range, a range in which both ends of the range where the predicted interval is equal to or greater than the predicted interval threshold Th are shifted inward by Ws / 2 in the river width direction. As a result, the distance Wr2 from the right bank to the right end position of the bridge passageable range determined considering the width of the ship becomes Ws / 2 longer than the distance Wr from the right bank to the right end position of the bridge passageable range determined without considering the width of the ship.

[0086] In this case, even if the highest point of the ship exists on the starboard side (i.e., the rightmost position) or the port side (i.e., the leftmost position) of the ship, the predicted interval at the highest point of the ship is equal to or greater than the predicted interval threshold Th. Therefore, in this case, regardless of the position of the highest point of the ship on the hull, contact between the ship and the bridge can be suitably avoided, and contact between the bridge and the side of the ship can be surely prevented.

[0087] A supplementary explanation of the method for determining the bridge passageable range considering the width of the ship will be given with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the bridge height of bridge 30A in a two-dimensional coordinate system with the predicted interval and the riverbank distance (here, the distance from the right bank) as axes respectively. Since the ship basically travels on the right side, the distance from the right bank is adopted here as the riverbank distance. Here, the plot points "P1" to "P12" represent positions based on the average vector (including the z coordinate value) of the voxel data VD of the voxel corresponding to bridge 30A (rectangular frame 35A in FIG. 7), and graph G1 is a curve generated by interpolating plot points P1 to P12. Plot point P1 indicates the position of the bridge pier on the right bank, and plot point P12 indicates the position of the bridge pier on the left bank. Also, "Wb" indicates the distance from the right bank to the left bank (i.e., the river width).

[0088] First, the bridge passage determination unit 16 generates graph G1 that continuously represents the position of the lower part of bridge 30A (i.e., the lower part of the girder 32A) in the above two-dimensional coordinate system by linearly interpolating plot points P1 to P12 based on the position information of the voxel data VD of the voxel corresponding to bridge 30A. Note that the interpolation method is not limited to linear interpolation and may be any interpolation method (for example, spline interpolation or polynomial approximation).

[0089] Then, the bridge passage determination unit 16 extracts, in graph G1, a range where the predicted interval is equal to or greater than the predicted interval threshold Th. Here, the bridge passage determination unit 16 extracts a range with the distance "Wr" from the right bank as the right end position and the distance "Wl" from the right bank as the left end. Then, the bridge passage determination unit 16 uses the ship width Ws to determine a bridge passageable range with the position where the distance from the right bank is "Wr2" as the right end position of the bridge passageable range and the position where the distance from the right bank is "Wl2" as the left end position of the bridge passageable range. In this case, the distance Wr2 and the distance Wl2 are respectively represented as follows. Wr2 = Wr + Ws / 2 Wl2 = Wl - Ws / 2

[0090] Then, the width "Wp" of the bridge passageable range is represented as follows. Wp = Wl2 - Wr2

[0091] Also, the output control unit 17 may determine whether the ship can pass through the bridge based on the width Wp of the bridge passageable range notified from the bridge passage determination unit 16. For example, when the width Wp is equal to or greater than twice the ship width Ws (i.e., when "Wp ≧ 2Ws" holds), the output control unit 17 determines that the ship can pass through the bridge, and when the width Wp is less than twice the ship width Ws (i.e., when "Wp < 2Ws" holds), the output control unit 17 determines that the ship cannot pass through the bridge 30A. Here, as an example, the criterion for determining whether the ship can pass through the bridge is that the width Wp is twice the line width Ws, but this is a margin for safe passage and may be set according to the ship. Then, when the output control unit 17 determines that the ship can pass through the bridge, it performs an output on the premise that the ship passes through the target bridge. Specific examples of this output will be described in the section of "(5) Processing of the output control unit ". On the other hand, when the output control unit 17 determines that the ship cannot pass through the bridge, it causes the display device 19 to display information prompting the ship to turn back in a situation where the river width is wide and there are no other ships, or information prompting the ship to change its route.

[0092] (4 - 3) Functional Blocks FIG. 10 is an example of the functional blocks of the bridge passage determination unit 16. Functionally, the bridge passage determination unit 16 includes a bridge height calculation unit 61, a ship highest point height calculation unit 62, a prediction interval calculation unit 63, a threshold determination unit 64, and a bridge passage possible range determination unit 65.

[0093] The bridge height calculation unit 61 extracts the voxel data VD of the voxels corresponding to the bridge to be passed from the map DB 10, and calculates the bridge height according to the river distance based on the extracted voxel data VD. In this case, the bridge height calculation unit 61 generates data that continuously represents the relationship between the river distance and the bridge height through interpolation processing. The ship highest point height calculation unit 62 calculates the ship highest point height based on the ship reference height indicated by the estimation result of the self-position estimation executed by the self-position estimation unit 15 and the height direction width from the ship reference position indicated by the highest point information IH to the highest point.

[0094] The prediction interval calculation unit 63 calculates the prediction interval according to the river distance based on the bridge height according to the river distance calculated by the bridge height calculation unit 61 and the ship highest point height calculated by the ship highest point height calculation unit 62. The threshold determination unit 64 determines the prediction interval threshold Th.

[0095] The bridge passage possible range determination unit 65 determines the bridge passage possible range for the target bridge based on the prediction interval according to the river distance calculated by the prediction interval calculation unit 63 and the prediction interval threshold Th determined by the threshold determination unit 64. Then, the bridge passage possible range determination unit 65 supplies the information regarding the determined bridge passage possible range to the output control unit 17.

[0096] (5) Processing of the output control unit Next, specific examples (the first specific example and the second specific example) of the processing of the output control unit 17 will be described.

[0097] In the first specific example, based on the bridge passage possible range determined by the bridge passage determination unit 16, the output control unit 17 calculates the distance by which the ship should move laterally before passing the target bridge, and notifies the calculated distance to the ship control system.

[0098] In this case, first, the output control unit 17 calculates the distance from the shore (either the right bank or the left bank) closest to the hull to the hull center (also referred to as the "river bank - ship distance") based on the point cloud data output by the lidar 3.

[0099] Figure 11(A) is a top view of the area around the ship when the ship is close to the right bank among the right bank and the left bank. Here, "Dr" represents the river bank - ship distance from the right bank to the ship center. In this case, the output control unit 17 extracts data with the river bank as the measured point (also referred to as "river bank measurement data") from the point cloud data output by the lidar 3, and calculates the distance Dr from the river bank measurement data. In this case, for example, the output control unit 17 applies a known edge detection technique or the like to the point cloud data output by the lidar 3 installed on the right side of the ship to detect the edge of the right bank, and calculates the distance between the edge and the hull center as the distance Dr. In this case, the output control unit 17 may perform the above-mentioned edge detection and calculation of the distance Dr in a two-dimensional coordinate system with the dimension in the height direction reduced.

[0100] Next, the output control unit 17 compares the river bank - ship distance with the bridge passageable range of the next bridge to pass. When it is determined that the ship does not exist within the bridge passageable range, the output control unit 17 calculates the distance "Ty" that the ship should move in the lateral direction (river width direction), and notifies the calculated distance to the ship control system. In this case, the information notified to the ship control system (that is, the information regarding the distance Ty) is an example of the "information regarding the movement of the ship".

[0101] Figure 11(B) is a top view of the area around the ship before passing the bridge 30A. Here, the distances Wl2 and Wr2 from the right bank calculated according to the example of Figure 9 are shown together with the distance Dr and the distance Ty.

[0102] In this example, since the distance Dr is shorter than the distance Wr2, the center of the hull is on the right bank side of the right end position of the bridge passageable range, and the ship is not within the bridge passageable range. Therefore, the output control unit 17 notifies the ship control system of the distance Ty (= Wr2 - Dr) by which the ship should move to the left. Thereby, the output control unit 17 can suitably assist the ship control so that the ship is within the bridge passageable range when passing through the bridge 30A.

[0103] A first specific example in the case where the ship is closer to the left bank out of the right bank and the left bank will be continuously described.

[0104] FIG. 12(A) is a top view of the vicinity of the ship in the case where the ship is closer to the left bank out of the right bank and the left bank. Here, "Dl" represents the riverbank-ship distance from the center of the hull to the left bank. In this case, the output control unit 17 calculates the distance Dl based on the riverbank measurement data extracted from the point cloud data output by the lidar 3 installed on the left side of the ship. Then, the output control unit 17 calculates the distance Dr (= Wb - Dl) to the right bank by subtracting the distance Dl from the river width Wb. Thus, when the ship is close to the left bank, the output control unit 17 may obtain the distance Dr by subtracting the distance Dl to the left bank from the river width Wb. Note that the river width Wb is stored in advance in the map DB10, for example.

[0105] FIG. 12(B) is a top view of the vicinity of the ship before passing through the bridge 30A. Here, the distance Wl2 and the distance Wr2 from the right bank calculated according to the example of FIG. 9 are shown together with the distance Dr.

[0106] In this example, since the distance Dr is shorter than the distance Wl2 and longer than the distance Wr2, the center of the hull is within the bridge passageable range. On the other hand, the difference between the distance Dr and the distance Wl2 is only the distance corresponding to the margin amount "My". Therefore, in this case, the output control unit 17 transmits information regarding the margin amount My to the ship control system. Thus, preferably, when the margin amount of the ship in the river width direction with respect to the right end or the left end of the bridge passageable range becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, the output control unit 17 transmits information regarding the margin amount that becomes equal to or less than the threshold value (including information on whether the ship is close to the right bank or the left bank) to the ship control system. Thereby, the output control unit 17 can preferably provide the ship control system with the information necessary for the ship to safely pass the bridge.

[0107] In the second specific example, the output control unit 17 performs control to display the bridge passageable range on the map. FIG. 13 shows the display screen of the display device 19 in the second specific example. In this example, the output control unit 17 causes the display device 19 to display the river map and the own ship position based on the own ship position estimation result output by the own ship position estimation unit 15 and the map DB 10. At this time, the output control unit 17 superimposes and displays a bridge passageable area 95 representing the bridge passageable range on the display area of the bridge to be passed next. In this case, the output control unit 17 highlights the display by coloring the bridge passageable area 95 in a prominent color. Note that the output control unit 17 may highlight the bridge passageable area 95 by various methods such as a border effect. Thereby, the output control unit 17 can cause the operator of the ship or the like to clearly recognize the bridge passageable range.

[0108] Furthermore, since the ship center position is outside the right bank side with respect to the bridge passageable range indicated by the bridge passageable area 95, the output control unit 17 causes the display device 19 to display a display object 96 in red that prompts the ship to move left by "3 m" corresponding to the distance Ty. Also, the output control unit 17 increases the font and arrow size of the display object 96 as the distance Ty increases to express the importance of the movement. The display object 96 is an example of "information regarding the movement of the ship". In this way, when the ship is outside the bridge passageable range, the output control unit 17 displays the direction of the rudder to be taken and the distance to be laterally moved so that the ship enters the bridge passageable range. Also, even when the ship is within the bridge passageable range, if the margin corresponding to the distance My is less than a predetermined threshold, the output control unit 17 displays, for example, a smaller display object 96 in blue. Thereby, the output control unit 17 can suitably provide the ship operator and the like with the ship handling information necessary for passing the bridge.

[0109] (6) Processing flow FIG. 14 is an example of a flowchart executed by the information processing apparatus 1 in this embodiment. The information processing apparatus 1 executes the processing of the flowchart with respect to the bridge that the ship will next pass through when there is a bridge that the ship is scheduled to pass through during the operation of the ship based on, for example, the operation route.

[0110] First, the bridge passage determination unit 16 calculates the bridge height corresponding to the river bank distance (that is, the bridge height for each river bank distance) based on the voxel data VD of the voxel corresponding to the bridge to be passed (step S11). Next, the bridge passage determination unit 16 specifies the ship reference height based on the estimation result of the self-position estimation executed by the self-position estimation unit 15 (step S12). Then, the bridge passage determination unit 16 calculates the ship highest point height based on the ship reference height specified in step S12 and the highest point information IH (step S13).

[0111] Then, based on the bridge height calculated in step S11 and the highest point height of the ship calculated in step S13, the bridge passage determination unit 16 calculates a predicted interval for each riverbank distance (step S14). Then, based on the predicted interval calculated in step S14, the bridge passage determination unit 16 determines a bridge passageable range in consideration of the predicted interval threshold Th and the width of the ship (step S15). Further, the bridge passage determination unit 16 may determine whether the ship can pass through the target bridge.

[0112] Then, the output control unit 17 performs an output based on the bridge passageable range (step S16). In this case, based on the first specific example described in the section of “(5) Processing of the output control unit ”, the output control unit 17 may transmit information indicating the direction and distance in which the ship should move to the ship control system, or based on the second specific example, may cause the display device 19 to display information regarding the bridge passageable range and the like.

[0113] (7) Modification example As shown in FIG. 4, the voxel data VD is not limited to a data structure including an average vector and a covariance matrix. For example, the voxel data VD may directly include the point cloud data used when calculating the average vector and the covariance matrix.

[0114] Also, the self-position estimation method using the voxel data VD is not limited to NDT scan matching. For example, the information processing device 1 may perform self-position estimation by collating (matching) the voxel data VD and the point cloud data of the lidar 3 based on ICP (Iterative Closest Point).

[0115] Also, the information processing device 1 does not necessarily have to perform high-precision position estimation such as NDT scan matching. In this case, the information processing device 1 may estimate the position of the ship based on the information output by the GPS receiver 5.

[0116] As described above, the controller 13 of the information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment acquires the bridge height indicating the height corresponding to the distance from the riverbank of the bridge that the ship is scheduled to pass through, and acquires the ship's highest point height which is the height of the highest point of the ship. Then, based on the bridge height and the ship's highest point height, the controller 13 determines the bridge passable range indicating the range in which the ship can pass under the bridge. And the controller 13 outputs information regarding the bridge passable range. Thereby, the information processing apparatus 1 can accurately grasp the bridge passable range for the bridge that the ship is scheduled to pass through and utilize it suitably for the operation of the ship.

[0117] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the program can be stored using various types of non-transitory computer readable media and supplied to a controller or the like which is a computer. The non-transitory computer readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of the non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic storage media (e.g., flexible disk, magnetic tape, hard disk drive), magneto-optical storage media (e.g., magneto-optical disk), CD-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R, CD-R / W, semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (Random Access Memory)).

[0118] Although the invention of the present application has been described with reference to the embodiments above, the invention of the present application is not limited to the above embodiments. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the invention of the present application within the scope of the invention of the present application. That is, the invention of the present application naturally includes various modifications and corrections that those skilled in the art could make in accordance with the entire disclosure including the claims and the technical idea. Also, each disclosure of the above-mentioned patent documents and the like cited shall be incorporated herein by reference.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0119] 1 Information processing device 2 Sensor group 3 LiDAR 4 Speed sensor 5 GPS receiver 6 IMU 10 Map DB

Claims

1. a first acquisition means for acquiring a bridge height indicating a height corresponding to a plurality of bank distances from the banks of a bridge through which a ship is scheduled to pass; a second acquisition means for acquiring a ship highest point height which is the height of the highest point of the ship; a bridge passable range determination means for determining a bridge passable range indicating a range in which the ship can pass according to the bank distance under the bridge based on the bridge height and the ship highest point height; an output control means for outputting information regarding the bridge passable range; and an information processing apparatus having the above.

2. The bridge passable range determination means calculates, for each bank distance, a predicted interval which is a predicted interval between the bridge and the ship based on the bridge height and the ship highest point height, and determines the bridge passable range based on the predicted interval. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 1.

3. The bridge passable range determination means determines the bridge passable range based on the predicted interval and the width of the ship. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 2.

4. The bridge passable range determination means determines, as the bridge passable range, a range obtained by reducing, based on the width, a range of the bank distance in which the predicted interval is equal to or greater than a threshold value. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 3.

5. The first acquisition means acquires the bridge height based on voxel data representing the position of the bridge for each voxel which is a unit area. The information processing apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 4.

6. The output control means calculates a distance from the bank to the ship based on measurement data output by a measuring device, and outputs information regarding the movement of the ship based on the distance and the bridge passable range. The information processing apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 5.

7. The output control means supplies the information regarding the movement to a steering control system that performs steering control of the ship, or causes the information to be displayed on a display device provided on the ship. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 6.

8. The output control means causes the bridge passable range to be displayed on a map on a display device that displays a map around the position of the ship. The information processing apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 7.

9. A control method executed by a computer, comprising: acquiring a bridge height indicating a height corresponding to a plurality of bank distances from the banks of a bridge through which a ship is scheduled to pass; acquiring a ship highest point height which is the height of the highest point of the ship; Based on the bridge height and the height of the highest point of the ship, determine a bridge passable range indicating a range in which the ship can pass according to the riverbank distance under the bridge, output information regarding the bridge passable range, control method.

10. Obtain a bridge height indicating heights corresponding to a plurality of riverbank distances from the riverbank of a bridge through which a ship is scheduled to pass, obtain the height of the highest point of the ship, which is the ship highest point height, Based on the bridge height and the ship highest point height, determine a bridge passable range indicating a range in which the ship can pass according to the riverbank distance under the bridge, A program that causes a computer to execute a process of outputting information regarding the bridge passable range.

11. A storage medium storing the program according to Claim 10.

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