Stop line detection device

Abstract

To provide a stop line detection device capable of avoiding erroneous detection of a white line or the like at a position away from a crosswalk as a stop line.SOLUTION: A stop line detection device recognizes a road on which a self-vehicle travels and a boundary line of a lane based on an image captured by a front camera of the self-vehicle and detects a stop line of a crossing ahead of the self-vehicle, and includes: a crossing area detection unit for setting a crossing area corresponding to a crossing in a road on which the self-vehicle travels based on the image captured by the front camera; a pedestrian crossing detection unit for detecting a pedestrian crossing in the crossing area based on the image captured by the front camera; a stop line search area setting unit for setting a stop line search area extending from the pedestrian crossing to a near side in the lane on which the self-vehicle travels; and a stop line detection unit for detecting the stop line in the stop line search area. A depth of the stop line search area in an extending direction of a travel lane is smaller than twice a depth of the pedestrian crossing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a stop line detection device. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-066003 is a known technical document relating to a stop line detection device. This publication describes a stop line detection device that detects stop lines on a road from images captured by a vehicle camera, and sets a stop line detection area so as not to include crosswalks. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-066003 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in addition to crosswalks, there are lines on roads that separate various areas, such as bus stop areas. This technology has not given sufficient consideration to the possibility of such lines being mistaken for stop lines. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present invention is a stop line detection device that recognizes the boundary lines of a road and a lane on which a vehicle is traveling and detects a stop line at an intersection in front of the vehicle, based on an image captured by a front camera of the vehicle, a nearby traffic light detection unit that detects a nearby traffic light that is closest to the vehicle at the intersection based on an image captured by the front camera; The vehicle is provided with an intersection area detection unit that sets an intersection area corresponding to an intersection on a road on which the vehicle is traveling based on an image captured by a front camera, a crosswalk detection unit that detects a crosswalk within the intersection area based on an image captured by the front camera, a stop line search area setting unit that sets a stop line search area extending forward from the crosswalk within the travel lane on which the vehicle is traveling, and a stop line detection unit that detects a stop line within the stop line search area, The intersection area detection unit sets an intersection area based on the positions of nearby traffic lights, The depth of the stop line search area in the direction in which the driving lane extends is less than twice the depth of the crosswalk.

[0006] According to one aspect of the stop line detection device of the present invention, a stop line search area is set within the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, extending from the crosswalk toward the vehicle's target, and the depth of the stop line search area in the direction in which the vehicle's traveling lane extends is set to be less than twice the depth of the crosswalk, thereby making it possible to avoid erroneously detecting a line located far from the crosswalk as a stop line.

[0008] A stop line detection device according to one aspect of the present invention may further include a crosswalk determination unit that determines whether a first crosswalk, which is a crosswalk located on the near side of the intersection, has been detected based on the positional relationship between a nearby traffic light and the crosswalk, and when the crosswalk determination unit determines that the first crosswalk has been detected, the stop line search area setting unit may set the stop line search area to extend from the near end of the first crosswalk toward the host vehicle. With this stop line detection device, when a first crosswalk, which is a crosswalk located on the near side of an intersection, is detected, a stop line search area can be set so that it extends from the near end of the first crosswalk toward the vehicle.

[0009] In a stop line detection device according to one aspect of the present invention, if it is determined that the first crosswalk has not been detected, the crosswalk determination unit determines whether or not a second crosswalk, which is a crosswalk located on the far side of the intersection, has been detected, and if the crosswalk determination unit determines that the second crosswalk has been detected, the stop line search area setting unit may set the stop line search area so that the stop line search area extends from the near end of the projected crosswalk, which is projected by rotating the second crosswalk, using the center of the intersection as a reference, to a position closer to the center of the intersection on the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. With this stop line detection device, even if a first crosswalk is detected, if a second crosswalk located at the back of the intersection is detected, the stop line search area can be set so that it extends from the near end of the projected crosswalk, which is projected by rotating the second crosswalk to a position closer to the center of the intersection on the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, using the center of the intersection as a reference, toward the vehicle.

[0010] A stop line detection device according to one aspect of the present invention may further include a road surface marking detection unit that detects road surface marks other than stop lines on the vehicle's travel lane between the vehicle and a first crosswalk based on an image captured by the forward camera, and the stop line search area setting unit may set a stop line search area between the first crosswalk and the road surface marks. With this stop line detection device, if a road marking other than a stop line is detected, there is a high possibility that a stop line exists between the first crosswalk and the road marking, so by setting up a stop line search area between the first crosswalk and the road marking, it is possible to properly detect the stop line. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to avoid erroneously detecting a white line or the like located far from a crosswalk as a stop line. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a stop line detection device according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image captured by a front camera including an intersection. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the intersection of FIG. 2 as seen from above. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating an example of an intersection area. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating an example of a stop line search area. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a plan view for explaining a case where a road marking is detected. [Figure 7]FIG. 10 is a plan view for explaining another example of the stop line search area. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a stop line detection process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] The stop line detection device 100 shown in Fig. 1 is mounted on a vehicle such as a passenger car (hereinafter referred to as the host vehicle) and is a device that estimates the distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle. The stop line detection device 100 recognizes the boundary lines of the road and lane on which the host vehicle is traveling from an image captured by a forward-facing camera mounted on the host vehicle, and detects stop lines at intersections ahead of the host vehicle. Various well-known image processing methods can be used for boundary line recognition.

[0015] The stop line detection device 100 performs stop line detection at an intersection, for example, when the host vehicle approaches the intersection. Whether the host vehicle has approached the intersection can be determined, for example, using the host vehicle's position information acquired from a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver mounted on the host vehicle and map information including the intersection's position information. The stop line detection device 100 determines that the host vehicle has approached the intersection when the distance between the host vehicle and the intersection ahead of the host vehicle becomes less than a certain distance. The host vehicle's position information does not necessarily have to be acquired from the GNSS, but may be estimated by detecting landmarks associated with the map information (detection by a forward camera or radar sensor) or by dead reckoning. Whether the host vehicle has approached the intersection may also be determined using other well-known methods.

[0016] Here, Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an image captured by a forward camera that includes an intersection. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the intersection in Fig. 2 as seen from above. Figs. 2 and 3 show a captured image G, an intersection T, a center C of the intersection T, traffic lights Sg1 and Sg2, crosswalks P1 and P2, a stop line SL, and a bus stop area dividing line B. Fig. 3 also shows the host vehicle M, a travel lane Ln in which the host vehicle M is traveling, and a travel road Rd on which the host vehicle M is traveling.

[0017] Traffic light Sg1 is the traffic light on the near side (the side of vehicle M) at intersection T. Traffic light Sg2 is the traffic light on the far side (opposite vehicle M) at intersection T. Crosswalk P1 is the crosswalk on the near side at intersection T. Crosswalk P2 is the traffic light on the far side at intersection T. Stop line SL is the stop line on the near side of intersection T. Bus stop area division line B is located on the near side of intersection T and is a line formed on the road to divide the stop area for route buses.

[0018] 2 and 3, conventional stop line detection devices may mistakenly detect lines other than stop lines, such as bus stop area dividing line B, as stop lines. Note that bus stop area dividing line B differs significantly from stop lines in that it is spaced apart from the center line. However, stop line detection from captured images is designed to detect even stop lines that are worn due to damage, so bus stop area dividing line B may be mistakenly detected as a stop line. In contrast, the stop line detection device 100 according to this embodiment reduces the mistaken detection of stop lines by appropriately setting a stop line search area.

[0019] [Configuration of stop line detection device] The configuration of a stop line detection device 100 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the stop line detection device 100 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10 that manages the device in an integrated manner. The ECU 10 is an electronic control unit that includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory). The ECU 10 realizes various functions by, for example, executing programs stored in the storage unit in the CPU. The ECU 10 may be configured with multiple electronic units. The ECU 10 is connected to a forward camera 1.

[0020] The front camera 1 is an imaging device that captures images of the situation ahead of the vehicle. The front camera 1 is provided, for example, behind the windshield of the vehicle. The front camera 1 is, for example, a monocular camera. The front camera 1 may also be a stereo camera.

[0021] The following describes the functional configuration of the ECU 10. As shown in Fig. 1, the ECU 10 has a nearby traffic light detection unit 11, an intersection area detection unit 12, a crosswalk detection unit 13, a crosswalk determination unit 14, a road marking detection unit 15, a stop line search area setting unit 16, and a stop line detection unit 17.

[0022] The nearby traffic light detection unit 11 detects nearby traffic lights of the host vehicle M based on the image captured by the forward camera 1. A nearby traffic light is a traffic light that is closest to the host vehicle M at an intersection. The nearby traffic light may be limited to a traffic light corresponding to the lane Ln of the host vehicle M. The nearby traffic light detection unit 11 detects nearby traffic lights, for example, when the host vehicle approaches an intersection.

[0023] The nearby traffic light detection unit 11 detects traffic lights in the captured image by pattern matching using pre-prepared traffic light image patterns. The nearby traffic light detection unit 11 may also perform traffic light detection by deep learning. The nearby traffic light detection unit 11 detects the traffic light closest to the vehicle in the captured image as the nearby traffic light.

[0024] Specifically, the nearby traffic light detection unit 11 detects traffic lights Sg1 and Sg2 by, for example, performing pattern matching on the captured image G shown in Figure 2, and detects traffic light Sg1 located near the vehicle as a nearby traffic light based on distance measurements using the size of traffic lights Sg1 and Sg2 in the captured image G or the change in the captured image over time.

[0025] Alternatively, the nearby traffic light detection unit 11 may detect the center C of the intersection T and identify nearby traffic lights based on their relationship with the center C of the intersection T. The center C of the intersection T may be, for example, the position of the midpoint between the ends of opposing center lines across the intersection T. The center C of the intersection T may be obtained from map information, and the method of obtaining the center C is not particularly limited.

[0026] The intersection area detection unit 12 sets an intersection area based on an image captured by the front camera. The intersection area is an area that corresponds to an intersection on the road on which the vehicle is traveling. Fig. 4 is a plan view for explaining an example of an intersection area. Fig. 4 shows an intersection area At.

[0027] The intersection area detection unit 12 sets the intersection area At using, for example, the nearby traffic light Sg1 detected by the nearby traffic light detection unit 11 based on the image captured by the front camera 1. As shown in Fig. 4, the intersection area detection unit 12 sets the area within a certain distance D from the nearby traffic light Sg1 in the extension direction of the travel road Rd as the intersection area At.

[0028] The fixed distance D may be set to a different value depending on the country or region. The intersection area detection unit 12 may set different values ​​for the fixed distance D on the near side and the fixed distance D on the far side in the extension direction of the traveled road Rd. For example, the fixed distance D on the far side may be set to a shorter distance than the fixed distance D on the near side. The width of the intersection area At may be the width of the traveled road Rd, for example. The width of the intersection area At may also be a fixed value.

[0029] The crosswalk detection unit 13 detects crosswalks within the intersection area At based on the image captured by the front camera 1. The crosswalk detection unit 13 detects crosswalks by image processing such as pattern matching and deep learning. The method of detecting crosswalks may also be the method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-066003. The crosswalk detection unit 13 detects crosswalks P1 and P2 from the captured image G in FIG. 2.

[0030] The crosswalk determination unit 14 determines whether or not a first crosswalk, which is a crosswalk located on the near side of the intersection (on the side of the vehicle M), has been detected. The crosswalk determination unit 14 determines whether or not the first crosswalk has been detected based on, for example, the positional relationship between a nearby traffic light detected by the nearby traffic light detection unit 11 and the crosswalk detected by the crosswalk detection unit 13. The crosswalk determination unit 14 may also determine whether or not the first crosswalk has been detected based on the positional relationship between the center C of the intersection T and the crosswalk.

[0031] If the crosswalk determination unit 14 does not determine that the first crosswalk has been detected, it determines whether or not it has detected a second crosswalk, which is a crosswalk located on the far side of the intersection. The crosswalk determination unit 14 determines whether or not it has detected the second crosswalk in the same manner as in the case of the first crosswalk.

[0032] The road surface marking detection unit 15 detects road surface marks other than stop lines on the driving lane Ln of the vehicle M between the vehicle M and the first crosswalk P1 based on the image captured by the forward camera 1. Road surface marks other than stop lines include arrows indicating the direction of travel in the driving lane Ln, numbers indicating the maximum speed, diamond marks indicating the presence of a crosswalk, etc. The road surface marking detection unit 15 detects road surface marks using image processing such as pattern matching and deep learning.

[0033] The stop line search area setting unit 16 sets a stop line search area extending from the crosswalk to the near side (toward the vehicle M) within the travel lane in which the vehicle M is traveling. The stop line search area is an area in which a stop line search is performed to detect a stop line within the captured image.

[0034] First, we will explain how to set a stop line search area when it is determined that a first crosswalk located on the near side of the intersection has been detected by the crosswalk determination unit 14. When the first crosswalk is detected, the stop line search area setting unit 16 sets the stop line search area based on the first crosswalk.

[0035] Fig. 5 is a plan view illustrating an example of a stop line search area. Fig. 5 shows the near end Ep1 of the first crosswalk P1 (the end on the vehicle M's side in the direction in which the driving lane Ln extends) and the stop line search area As. It also shows the depth Dp1 of the first crosswalk P1 (the length in the direction in which the driving lane Ln extends) and the depth Das of the stop line search area As.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 5, the stop line search area setting unit 16 sets a stop line search area As that extends from the first crosswalk P1 to the near side. The width of the stop line search area As can be the width of the driving lane Ln, for example. The width of the stop line search area As may also be a fixed value. The stop line search area As is set so as to extend from the near end Ep1 of the first crosswalk P1 toward the host vehicle M, using the end Ep1 as a reference point so as not to include the first crosswalk P1.

[0037] The stop line search area setting unit 16 sets the depth Das of the stop line search area As in the direction of extension of the travel lane so that it is less than twice the depth Dp1 of the first crosswalk P1 (2 × Dp1 > Das). The depth Das of the stop line search area As may have a predetermined minimum value. Based on Japanese road regulations, it is expected that the stop line SL will be located within a range that is less than twice the depth Dp1 of the first crosswalk P1.

[0038] If the road marking detection unit 15 detects a road marking other than a stop line on the travel lane Ln of the host vehicle M between the host vehicle and the first crosswalk P1, the stop line search area setting unit 16 may set a stop line search area As between the first crosswalk P1 and the road marking.

[0039] Fig. 6 is a plan view illustrating a case where a road marking has been detected. Fig. 6 shows a road marking (diamond mark) Rm. When a road marking Rm is detected, the stop line search area setting unit 16 sets a stop line search area As between the first crosswalk P1 and the road marking Rm in the extension direction of the driving lane Ln. In other words, the stop line search area setting unit 16 sets the depth Das of the stop line search area As to be smaller than the distance Drm from the first crosswalk P1 to the road marking Rm.

[0040] Next, we will explain how to set a stop line search area when the crosswalk determination unit 14 does not determine that a first crosswalk has been detected, but determines that a second crosswalk on the far side of the intersection has been detected. In this case, the stop line search area setting unit 16 sets the stop line search area based on the second crosswalk.

[0041] FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating another example of a stop line search area. In FIG. 7, there is no first crosswalk P1 on the near side of the intersection T, and only a second crosswalk P2 on the far side of the intersection T. FIG. 7 shows the projected crosswalk Pr2 and the near end Epr2 of the projected crosswalk Pr2. It also shows the depth Dpr2 of the projected crosswalk Pr2. The projected crosswalk Pr2 is a virtual crosswalk projected by rotating the second crosswalk P2, using the center C of the intersection T as the reference point, to a position closer to the center C of the intersection T on the lane Ln of the host vehicle M. In the situation shown in FIG. 7, the projected crosswalk Pr2 is set by rotating the second crosswalk P2 180 degrees using the center C of the intersection T as the reference point.

[0042] In the situation shown in Fig. 7, the stop line search area setting unit 16 sets (assumes) a projected crosswalk Pr2 at a position in front of the host vehicle M on the near side of the intersection T, based on the second crosswalk P2, the center C of the intersection T, and the travel lane Ln. The stop line search area setting unit 16 sets a stop line search area As that extends forward from the projected crosswalk Pr2. The stop line search area setting unit 16 sets the stop line search area As so as to extend from the near end Epr2 of the projected crosswalk Pr2 toward the host vehicle M, using the end Epr2 on the near side of the projected crosswalk Pr2 as a reference, so as not to include the projected crosswalk Pr2.

[0043] The stop line search area setting unit 16 sets the depth Das of the stop line search area As in the direction in which the travel lane extends so that it is less than twice the depth Dpr2 of the projected crosswalk Pr2 (2 × Dpr2 > Das). Note that the depth Dpr2 of the projected crosswalk Pr2 is equal to the depth of the second crosswalk P2.

[0044] The stop line detection unit 17 detects stop lines within the stop line search area As. In the situations shown in Figures 5 to 7, the stop line detection unit 17 detects stop lines SL within the stop line search area As by image processing such as pattern matching or deep learning (detection of stop lines SL is performed with priority given to the stop line search area As). Note that if the stop line detection unit 17 is unable to detect a stop line SL within the stop line search area As, it may expand the stop line search area As towards the near side.

[0045] [Stop line detection device processing] Next, the processing of the stop line detection device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the stop line detection processing. The stop line detection processing is executed, for example, when the host vehicle M approaches an intersection T.

[0046] 8, in step S10, the ECU 10 of the stop line detection device 100 detects a nearby traffic light Sg1 using the nearby traffic light detection unit 11. The nearby traffic light detection unit 11 detects the nearby traffic light Sg1 of the host vehicle M based on an image captured by the front camera 1.

[0047] In S11, the ECU 10 sets an intersection area At using the intersection area detection unit 12. The intersection area detection unit 12 sets, for example, an area within a certain distance D on the travel road Rd using a nearby traffic light Sg1 as a reference as the intersection area At.

[0048] At S12, ECU 10 detects crosswalks in the captured image using crosswalk detection unit 13, and detects road surface markings using road surface marking detection unit 15. Crosswalk detection unit 13 detects crosswalks P1 and P2 in the intersection area At based on the image captured by front camera 1. Road surface marking detection unit 15 detects road surface markings Rm other than stop lines on the travel lane Ln of vehicle M between vehicle M and first crosswalk P1 based on the image captured by front camera 1. Note that detection of road surface markings is not essential.

[0049] In S13, the ECU 10 determines whether the crosswalk determination unit 14 has detected a first crosswalk P1, which is a crosswalk located on the near side of the intersection T. The crosswalk determination unit 14 determines whether the first crosswalk P1 has been detected, for example, based on the positional relationship between the nearby traffic light Sg1 detected by the nearby traffic light detection unit 11 and the crosswalks P1 and P2 detected by the crosswalk detection unit 13. If the ECU 10 determines that the first crosswalk P1 has been detected (S13: YES), the ECU 10 proceeds to S14. If the ECU 10 does not determine that the first crosswalk P1 has been detected (S13: NO), the ECU 10 proceeds to S15.

[0050] In S14, ECU 10 causes stop line search area setting unit 16 to set a stop line search area As based on first crosswalk P1. Stop line search area setting unit 16 sets the stop line search area As extending forward from first crosswalk P1. As shown in FIG. 5, stop line search area setting unit 16 sets the depth Das of the stop line search area As in the extension direction of the driving lane Ln to be less than twice the depth Dp1 of first crosswalk P1. ECU 10 then proceeds to S18.

[0051] In S15, the ECU 10 determines whether the crosswalk determination unit 14 has detected a second crosswalk P2, which is a crosswalk located on the far side of the intersection T. The crosswalk determination unit 14 determines whether the second crosswalk P2 has been detected, for example, based on the positional relationship between the nearby traffic light Sg1 detected by the nearby traffic light detection unit 11 and the crosswalks P1 and P2 detected by the crosswalk detection unit 13. If the ECU 10 determines that the second crosswalk P2 has been detected (S14: YES), the ECU 10 proceeds to S16. If the ECU 10 does not determine that the second crosswalk P2 has been detected (S14: NO), the ECU 10 ends this stop line detection process.

[0052] In S16, ECU 10 sets a projected crosswalk Pr2 using stop line search area setting unit 16. The stop line search area setting unit 16 sets the projected crosswalk Pr2 at a position in front of the host vehicle M on the near side of the intersection T based on the second crosswalk P2, the center C of the intersection T, and the driving lane Ln.

[0053] In S17, ECU 10 causes stop line search area setting unit 16 to set a stop line search area As based on the projected crosswalk Pr2. The stop line search area setting unit 16 sets the stop line search area As extending forward from the projected crosswalk Pr2. As shown in FIG. 7, the stop line search area setting unit 16 sets the depth Das of the stop line search area As in the extension direction of the driving lane Ln to be less than twice the depth Dpr2 of the projected crosswalk Pr2. ECU 10 then proceeds to S18.

[0054] In S18, the ECU 10 causes the stop line detection unit 17 to detect stop lines within the stop line search area As. The stop line detection unit 17 detects stop lines within the stop line search area As by image processing such as pattern matching or deep learning. After that, the ECU 10 ends the current stop line detection process.

[0055] According to the stop line detection device 100 of this embodiment described above, a stop line search area As is set in the driving lane Ln in which the vehicle M is traveling, extending forward from the crosswalks P1, P2, and the depth Das of the stop line search area As in the extension direction of the driving lane Ln is set to be less than twice the depth of the crosswalk, thereby making it possible to avoid erroneously detecting a white line located away from the crosswalk as a stop line.

[0056] Furthermore, because the stop line detection device 100 sets the intersection area At based on the position of the nearby traffic light Sg1, it is possible to set the intersection area At even if information about the intersection area At is not set in map information, etc. Furthermore, when the stop line detection device 100 detects a first crosswalk P1, which is a crosswalk located on the near side of the intersection T, it can set the stop line search area As so that it extends from the near end Ep1 of the first crosswalk P1 toward the host vehicle M.

[0057] Furthermore, even if the stop line detection device 100 does not determine that it has detected the first crosswalk P1, when it detects a second crosswalk P2, which is a crosswalk located at the back of the intersection T, it can set the stop line search area As so that it extends from the near end Epr2 of the projected crosswalk Pr2, which is projected by rotating the second crosswalk P2 based on the center C of the intersection T to a position closer to the center C of the intersection T on the lane Ln of the vehicle M, toward the vehicle M.

[0058] Furthermore, when the stop line detection device 100 detects a road marking Rm other than a stop line, it is highly likely that a stop line exists between the first crosswalk P1 and the road marking Rm, and therefore the stop line can be properly detected by setting a stop line search area As between the first crosswalk P1 and the road marking Rm.

[0059] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The present invention can be embodied in various forms, including the above-described embodiments, with various modifications and improvements made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0060] The stop line detection device 100 does not necessarily need to determine that the host vehicle is approaching an intersection. The stop line detection device 100 may start detecting stop lines at intersections based on other conditions, or may constantly repeat detecting stop lines at intersections.

[0061] The intersection area detection unit 12 does not necessarily need to set the intersection area based on nearby traffic lights. The intersection area may be set in advance on a map for each intersection. The intersection area may also be set as an area within a certain distance from the center of the intersection. In this case, the ECU 10 does not need to have the nearby traffic light detection unit 11.

[0062] The ECU 10 of the stop line detection device 100 does not necessarily have to include the crosswalk determination unit 14. When multiple crosswalks are detected, the ECU 10 may set the stop line search area assuming that the nearest crosswalk is the first crosswalk. In this case, SL13 and S15 to S17 in the flowchart of FIG. 8 are unnecessary.

[0063] The ECU 10 of the stop line detection device 100 does not necessarily have to include the road surface marking detection unit 15. The stop line search area setting unit 16 may set the stop line search area without considering road surface markings other than stop lines on the travel lane of the host vehicle M between the host vehicle M and the first pedestrian crossing. In this case, it is not necessary to detect road surface markings in S12 of the flowchart in FIG. 8. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1...forward camera, 10...ECU, 11...nearby traffic light detection unit, 12...intersection area detection unit, 13...crosswalk detection unit, 14...crosswalk determination unit, 15...road surface marking detection unit, 16...stop line search area setting unit, 17...stop line detection unit, 100...stop line detection device

Claims

1. A stop line detection device that recognizes boundaries of a road and a lane on which a vehicle is traveling and detects a stop line at an intersection ahead of the vehicle, based on an image captured by a front camera of the vehicle, a nearby traffic light detection unit that detects a nearby traffic light that is the closest to the vehicle at the intersection based on the image captured by the front camera; an intersection area detection unit that sets an intersection area corresponding to the intersection within a road on which the host vehicle is traveling based on an image captured by the front camera; a crosswalk detection unit that detects a crosswalk within the intersection area based on an image captured by the front camera; a stop line search area setting unit that sets a stop line search area extending from the crosswalk to a near side within a travel lane in which the host vehicle is traveling; a stop line detection unit that detects a stop line within the stop line search area; Equipped with the intersection area detection unit sets the intersection area based on the position of the nearby traffic light; The depth of the stop line search area in the direction in which the driving lane extends is less than twice the depth of the crosswalk. Stop line detection device.

2. a crosswalk determination unit that determines whether a first crosswalk, which is the crosswalk located on the near side of the intersection, has been detected; 2. The stop line detection device according to claim 1, wherein, when the crosswalk determination unit determines that the first crosswalk has been detected, the stop line search area setting unit sets the stop line search area to extend from a near end of the first crosswalk toward the host vehicle.

3. the crosswalk determination unit, when it is determined that the first crosswalk has not been detected, determines whether or not a second crosswalk, which is the crosswalk located on the far side of the intersection, has been detected; 3. The stop line detection device according to claim 2, wherein, when the crosswalk determination unit determines that the second crosswalk has been detected, the stop line search area setting unit sets the stop line search area so that the stop line search area extends from a near end of a projected crosswalk obtained by rotating the second crosswalk based on the center of the intersection to a position closer to the center of the intersection on the travel lane of the vehicle and projecting the second crosswalk.

4. a road surface marking detection unit that detects road surface marks other than the stop line on the travel lane of the vehicle between the vehicle and the first pedestrian crossing based on an image captured by the front camera; The stop line detection device according to claim 2 , wherein the stop line search area setting unit sets the stop line search area between the first crosswalk and the road marking.

Images