Installation state determination device, installation state determination method, and installation state determination program

Abstract

To facilitate confirmation of an installation state of a vehicle detection device which detects a vehicle traveling in an observation object area scanned with survey waves.SOLUTION: A travel trajectory acquisition section acquires a travel trajectory of a vehicle detected by scanning an observation object area by a vehicle detection device with survey waves. The travel trajectory acquisition section acquires a detection travel direction of the vehicle at a determination point based on the acquired travel trajectory of the vehicle. A storage section stores a reference travel direction of the vehicle which travels the determination point detected by the vehicle detection device when a radiation direction of the survey waves radiated by the vehicle detection device in a set reference radiation direction is the same as a survey wave setting radiation direction set with respect to a real space including the observation object area. A determination section determines an installation state of the vehicle detection device by using the reference travel direction and the detection travel direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for managing the installation status of a vehicle detection device that scans an observation area with a probe wave and detects vehicles traveling in the observation area. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an observation area is repeatedly scanned with a probe wave to observe the vehicle traffic conditions in the observation area (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The observation area is, for example, a road (highway, general road) on which vehicles travel. The traffic conditions are, for example, traffic volume and the speed of each vehicle. The probe wave is, for example, a millimeter wave (radio wave) or laser light. A device that uses millimeter waves as the probe wave is called a radio wave radar, and a device that uses laser light as the probe wave is called a laser radar. Here, radio wave radar and laser radar are collectively referred to as radar devices.

[0003] There is also a device configured to calibrate the attitude of a stationary sensor based on the measurement results obtained by measuring the position of a pedestrian moving along a set reference straight line in time series (see Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6716956 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-139809 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the configuration of Patent Document 2 requires pedestrians to move along a set reference line in order to check the installation status of the fixed sensors, making the task of checking the installation status of the fixed sensors cumbersome.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a technology that allows easy confirmation of the installation status of a vehicle detection device that detects vehicles traveling in an observation area scanned with a search wave. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the installation state determining device of the present invention is configured as follows.

[0008] The travel trajectory acquisition unit acquires a travel trajectory of a vehicle detected by the vehicle detection device by scanning an observation area with a probe wave. The vehicle travel trajectory may be generated by the vehicle detection device or may be generated by the travel trajectory acquisition unit. The travel trajectory acquisition unit acquires, for example, detection data including the detected position and speed of the vehicle from the vehicle detection device, and generates and acquires the vehicle travel trajectory based on the detection data.

[0009] The memory unit stores the reference driving direction of a vehicle that travels through a determination point defined within an observation target area detected by the vehicle detection device when the irradiation direction (actual irradiation direction) of the probe wave irradiated by the vehicle detection device in the set reference irradiation direction is the set irradiation direction of the probe wave set for the real space including the observation target area. The reference irradiation direction here refers to the irradiation direction of the probe wave irradiated by the vehicle detection device at a predetermined specific scanning angle. Therefore, the actual irradiation direction in which the probe wave irradiated by the vehicle detection device in the reference irradiation direction is irradiated into real space changes depending on changes in the installation status of the vehicle detection device. Furthermore, the set irradiation direction is the direction in which the probe wave irradiated by the vehicle detection device in the reference irradiation direction is irradiated in real space when the installation status of the vehicle detection device is appropriate. In other words, the deviation between the actual irradiation direction of the probe wave irradiated by the vehicle detection device in the reference irradiation direction and the set irradiation direction becomes smaller the more appropriate the installation status of the vehicle detection device. The reference traveling direction is the traveling direction of a vehicle that passes through a determination point set within an observation area that is detected by the vehicle detection device when the installation state of the vehicle detection device is appropriate.

[0010] Note that since most vehicle drivers drive their vehicles along lanes defined on roads, the reference driving direction may be a direction along the lane at the determination point.

[0011] The detected driving direction acquisition unit acquires the detected driving direction of the vehicle at the determination point based on the driving trajectory of the vehicle acquired by the driving trajectory acquisition unit. The detected driving direction acquisition unit acquires the detected driving direction based on, for example, the driving trajectory of the vehicle in a tracking section including the determination point.

[0012] The determination unit determines the installation state of the vehicle detection device using the reference traveling direction and the detected traveling direction.

[0013] With this configuration, the installation status of the vehicle detection device can be determined by a simple process of acquiring the traveling direction (detected traveling direction) of the vehicle traveling at the determination point and comparing this detected traveling direction with the reference traveling direction of the vehicle at the determination point. In other words, with this configuration, the installation status of the vehicle detection device can be determined without having the vehicle travel on a reference straight line set within the observation target area.

[0014] The determination unit may be configured to determine whether the deviation of the actual irradiation direction of the probe wave irradiated by the vehicle detection device in the reference irradiation direction from the set irradiation direction is appropriate. In this case, for example, the angle between the reference traveling direction and the detected traveling direction may be calculated as the deviation of the actual irradiation direction of the probe wave irradiated by the vehicle detection device in the reference irradiation direction from the set irradiation direction.

[0015] Further, for example, a correction unit may be provided that corrects the vehicle travel trajectory acquired by the travel trajectory acquisition unit in accordance with the amount of deviation of the actual illumination direction from the set illumination direction.

[0016] With this configuration, even if the vehicle detection device is installed in a state slightly away from the proper state, the vehicle travel trajectory acquired by the travel trajectory acquisition unit can be corrected properly.

[0017] Also, for example, the determination result of the determination unit may be outputted from the output unit.

[0018] The detected driving direction acquisition unit may acquire the detected driving direction at the determination point by statistical processing of the detected driving direction of each vehicle acquired for each of the plurality of vehicles that have passed the determination point. For example, the detected driving direction acquisition unit may acquire, as the detected driving direction at the determination point, a mode, a median, an average value, or the like of the detected driving direction of each vehicle acquired for each of the plurality of vehicles that have passed the determination point.

[0019] Further, for example, a configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of judgment points are set, the memory unit stores the reference driving direction of the vehicle driving at each judgment point for each judgment point, the detected driving direction acquisition unit acquires the detected driving direction of the vehicle at each judgment point for each judgment point, and the calculation unit calculates the amount of deviation of the actual irradiation direction from the set irradiation direction for each judgment point using the reference driving direction and detected driving direction of the judgment point. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to this invention, it is possible to easily check the installation status of a vehicle detection device that detects vehicles traveling in an observation area scanned with a probe wave. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an observation area where a radio radar is installed to observe traffic volume and the like. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a main part of an installation state determination device of this example. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates vehicle tracking data. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are diagrams showing the deviation between the actual irradiation direction and the set irradiation direction. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a determination point set within an observation target area. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a tracking process. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a correction process. [Figure 8]10 is a flowchart showing an installation state determination process for determining whether the installation state of the radio wave radar is abnormal. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example in which a traveling locus acquisition unit, a detected traveling direction acquisition unit, and a tracking DB are provided on the radio wave radar side. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example in which a traveling locus acquisition unit, a correction unit, a detected traveling direction acquisition unit, a determination unit, and a tracking DB are provided on the radio wave radar side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0023] <1. Application Examples> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an observation area where a radio radar is installed to observe traffic volume and the like. The radio radar 5 emits millimeter waves as search waves and receives the reflected waves to detect the position and speed of the object (vehicle 110) that reflected the search waves. The radio radar 5 is installed at a height of several meters (4 to 6 meters) above the ground (road surface). For example, the radio radar 5 is installed on a pole (signal pole, utility pole, etc.) erected on the side of the road, an arm attached to this pole, a gantry constructed to straddle the road, etc. The radio radar 5 corresponds to the vehicle detection device referred to in this invention.

[0024] The radio radar 5 scans the observation area with search waves (millimeter waves). In other words, the observation area is the range in which the road surface is scanned with the search waves emitted by the radio radar 5. The radio radar 5 scans the observation area with the search waves by changing the irradiation direction of the search waves in the horizontal direction and the irradiation direction of the search waves in the vertical direction. In this example, the radio radar 5 sets the horizontal scanning angle of the search waves to 2α. Also, in this example, the irradiation direction of the search waves emitted by the radio radar 5 at the center of the scanning angle is the reference irradiation direction as referred to in this invention.

[0025] The reference irradiation direction in this invention may be the irradiation direction of the search wave emitted at an angle off the center of the scan angle by the radio radar 5. Although not specifically shown in Fig. 1, the radio radar 5 scans the search wave in the vertical direction so that the observation area is between a position several tens of meters (approximately 20 m) away from the installation position and a position several hundred meters (approximately 150 m) away from the installation position.

[0026] The installation state determination device 1 in this example determines whether the installation state of the radio radar 5 is appropriate. The installation state determination device 1 is connected to the radio radar 5. The installation state determination device 1 acquires the travel trajectory of the vehicle 110 detected by the radio radar 5. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the upper two lanes are exit roads from the intersection, and the lower three lanes are entrance roads to the intersection.

[0027] In this example, when a radio wave radar 5 with a proper installation condition irradiates a search wave in a reference irradiation direction, the irradiation direction of the search wave in the real space (observation target area) is called the set irradiation direction. In other words, a search wave irradiated in the reference irradiation direction by a radio wave radar 5 with a proper installation condition is irradiated in the set irradiation direction in the real space. In other words, a search wave irradiated in the reference irradiation direction by a radio wave radar 5 with an improper installation condition is not irradiated in the set irradiation direction in the real space.

[0028] Here, the reference irradiation direction and the set irradiation direction are horizontal directions in real space and do not have a vertical component.

[0029] The installation state determination device 1 stores, for each of one or more determination points defined within the observation area, the traveling direction of the vehicle 110 detected by the radio radar 5 with an appropriate installation state as a reference traveling direction. The installation state determination device 1 acquires, for each determination point, the traveling direction (detected traveling direction) of the vehicle 110 detected by the radio radar 5, and compares the acquired detected traveling direction with the reference traveling direction.

[0030] The radio wave radar 5 detects the position of the vehicle 110 by assuming that the search wave emitted in the reference irradiation direction is emitted in the set irradiation direction in real space. Therefore, if the installation state of the radio wave radar 5 changes, a shift occurs in the position of the vehicle 110, and therefore a shift also occurs in the detected traveling direction of the vehicle 110 at each determination point obtained from the detection result of the position of the vehicle 110 by the radio wave radar 5. As a result, a difference occurs between the detected traveling direction and the reference traveling direction.

[0031] If the magnitude of the difference (deviation) between the detected traveling direction at each determination point and the reference traveling direction exceeds a predetermined threshold, the installation state determination device 1 determines that the installation state of the radio radar 5 is abnormal. Furthermore, if the magnitude of the difference (deviation) between the detected traveling direction at each determination point and the reference traveling direction does not exceed a predetermined threshold, the installation state determination device 1 determines that the installation state of the radio radar 5 is not abnormal, and corrects the detection result of the vehicle 110 based on this deviation, thereby correcting the traveling direction of the vehicle 110.

[0032] In this way, the installation state determination device 1 of this example can determine whether the installation state of the radio radar 5 is abnormal, based on the detection result of the vehicle 110 that has traveled through the observation area of ​​the radio radar 5. In other words, the installation state determination device 1 of this example can easily confirm the installation state of the radio radar 5 that detects the vehicle 110 traveling through the observation area scanned with millimeter waves that are search waves.

[0033] <2.Configuration example> 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the installation state determination device 1 of this example. The installation state determination device 1 of this example includes a control unit 11, a detection data input unit 12, a tracking database 13 (tracking DB 13), and an input / output unit 14.

[0034] The control unit 11 controls the operation of each part of the main body of the installation state determination device 1. The control unit 11 also has a travel trajectory acquisition unit 11a, a correction unit 11b, a detected travel direction acquisition unit 11c, a determination unit 11d, and a reference travel direction storage unit 11e. The travel trajectory acquisition unit 11a, the correction unit 11b, the detected travel direction acquisition unit 11c, the determination unit 11d, and the reference travel direction storage unit 11e that the control unit 11 has will be described later.

[0035] The radio radar 5 is connected to the detection data input unit 12. Every time the radio radar 5 scans an observation area with a search wave, it outputs detection data for each vehicle 110 detected in the current scan, in which the position and speed of the vehicle 110 are associated with each other. The detection data output by the radio radar 5 is input to the detection data input unit 12.

[0036] The tracking DB 13 stores tracking data of the vehicle 110 detected by the radio radar 5. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the tracking data. In this example, the tracking data is stored for each vehicle 110. The tracking data is data in which an ID for identifying the vehicle 110 is associated with detection data at each detection time. The detection time may be, for example, the time when the radio radar 5 starts scanning the observation area using a search wave, the time when the radio radar 5 finishes scanning, a time between the start time and the end time, or the time when the detection data is input from the radio radar 5. The tracking DB 13 is configured with a storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or an SD memory card.

[0037] The detection data includes the speed and position of the detected vehicle 110. The position is the position in the direction of travel of the vehicle 110 in the observation area and the position in the width (total width) direction of the vehicle 110. The position in the direction of travel of the vehicle 110 corresponds to the distance from the installation position of the radio radar 5 to the vehicle 110. Furthermore, the position in the width direction of the vehicle 110 corresponds to the lane in which the vehicle 110 is traveling.

[0038] 3 is a position obtained by correcting the position of the vehicle 110 detected by the radio radar 5 in accordance with the installation state of the radio radar 5. The tracking data shown in FIG. 3 is generated by a traveling trajectory acquisition unit 11a and a correction unit 11b, which will be described later.

[0039] The input / output unit 14 inputs and outputs data to and from a higher-level device (for example, a server device) installed in, for example, a control center.

[0040] Although not shown, the installation state determining device 1 includes a timer or the like for measuring the current time.

[0041] Next, the travel locus acquisition unit 11a, the correction unit 11b, the detected travel direction acquisition unit 11c, the determination unit 11d, and the reference travel direction storage unit 11e included in the control unit 11 will be described.

[0042] The traveling trajectory acquisition unit 11a processes the detection data of the vehicle 110 input from the radio radar 5, generates tracking data, and stores it in the tracking DB 13. The tracking data that the traveling trajectory acquisition unit 11a stores in the tracking DB 13 does not have the corrected position shown in FIG. 3 registered. The traveling trajectory acquisition unit 11a performs an identification process to associate the vehicle 110 detected by the radio radar 5 in a scan of the observation area using a current search wave with the vehicle 110 detected in a scan of the observation area using a previous search wave. The traveling trajectory acquisition unit 11a sets the ID of the vehicle 110 detected by the radio radar 5 in a scan of the observation area using a current search wave to the associated ID of the vehicle 110 detected in the scan of the observation area using a previous search wave. In addition, if the vehicle 110 detected by the radio radar 5 during the current scan of the observation area using the search wave cannot be associated with the vehicle 110 detected during the previous scan of the observation area using the search wave, the travel trajectory acquisition unit 11a assigns a new ID to the vehicle 110 detected this time.

[0043] Through the above process, the travel locus acquisition unit 11a generates tracking data for each vehicle 110, which is a time series of the positions detected for that vehicle 110.

[0044] The correction unit 11b calculates a corrected position by correcting the detected position of the vehicle 110 detected by the radio radar 5 using a correction parameter. The correction parameter is a parameter that corrects the detected position depending on the installation state of the radio radar 5. In this example, the correction parameter is a parameter that depends on the angle between the actual irradiation direction of the search wave irradiated by the radio radar 5 in the reference irradiation direction and the set irradiation direction. The correction unit 11b adds the calculated corrected position to the tracking data.

[0045] Here, the correction parameter will be explained. FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing the deviation between the actual irradiation direction and the set irradiation direction. The radio wave radar 5 is installed so that the actual irradiation direction is approximately the same as the set irradiation direction. However, the installation state changes due to various external factors (strong wind, earthquake, impact to the pole on which the radar is mounted, etc.). For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the actual irradiation direction deviates from the set irradiation direction. FIG. 4A shows a state in which the actual irradiation direction deviates counterclockwise by θ from the set irradiation direction, and FIG. 4B shows a state in which the actual irradiation direction deviates clockwise by θ from the set irradiation direction. In this example, the counterclockwise deviation angle is positive, and the clockwise deviation angle is negative. The correction parameter is a parameter that corrects the position of the vehicle 110 detected by the radio wave radar 5 according to the deviation amount of the irradiation direction of the search wave (the deviation amount between the actual irradiation direction and the set irradiation direction). More specifically, it is a parameter that rotates the position of the vehicle 110 detected by the radio radar 5 around the installation position of the radio radar 5 as an axis according to the angle of deviation between the actual irradiation direction and the set irradiation direction.

[0046] The detected traveling direction acquisition unit 11c acquires the traveling direction of the vehicle 110 for each of one or more predetermined determination points within the observation target area. For example, as shown in Fig. 5, four determination points P1 to P4 are set in the observation target area. In Fig. 5, for ease of illustration, the radio radar 5 and the vehicle 110 shown in Fig. 1 are omitted.

[0047] The determination points P1 to P4 are set at points where the traveling direction of the traveling vehicle 110 is estimated to be relatively constant. For example, the determination points P1 to P4 are set at the midpoints of sections where the lane is straight for a certain length (40 to 60 m). The determination points P1 to P4 may be set, for example, using map data, aerial photographs of the observation area, or other methods to determine sections where the lane is straight for a certain length. Furthermore, while FIG. 5 illustrates an example in which the determination points P1 and P2 on the exit road side of the intersection are set at the same position in the traveling direction of the vehicle 110, the determination points P1 and P2 may be set at different positions in the traveling direction of the vehicle 110. Similarly, FIG. 5 illustrates an example in which the determination points P3 and P4 on the entrance road side of the intersection are set at the same position in the traveling direction of the vehicle 110, the determination points P3 and P4 may be set at different positions in the traveling direction of the vehicle 110.

[0048] In the example shown in FIG. 5, section X is a section (a section having an inflection point) where there is no linearity between the adjacent lanes before and after it, so no judgment points are set within this section X or in positions close to this section X.

[0049] The detected traveling direction acquisition unit 11c acquires the traveling direction of each vehicle 110 that has passed through each judgment point P1 to P4, for each judgment point P1 to P4, using the tracking data of each vehicle 110 stored in the tracking DB 13. The detected traveling direction acquisition unit 11c acquires the traveling direction of each vehicle 110 that has passed through the judgment points P1 to P4, using the detected position of the vehicle detected by the radio radar 5, rather than the position of the vehicle 110 corrected by the correction unit 11b.

[0050] The reference driving direction storage unit 11e stores the reference driving direction at each of the determination points P1 to P4. This reference driving direction is the driving direction of the vehicle 110 obtained when the irradiation direction of the search wave irradiated by the radio radar 5 in the reference irradiation direction is approximately the same as the set irradiation direction. The appropriate reference driving direction can be calculated using the installation position of the radio radar 5, the reference irradiation direction of the radio radar 5, and the shape of the road.

[0051] For each of the judgment points P1 to P4, the judgment unit 11d compares the reference traveling direction of the judgment point P1 to P4 with the traveling direction of the vehicle 110 acquired by the detected traveling direction acquisition unit 11c, and judges whether the installation state of the radio radar 5 is abnormal.

[0052] The control unit 11 of the installation state determination device 1 is composed of a hardware CPU, memory, and other electronic circuits. When the hardware CPU executes the installation state determination program according to the present invention, it operates as a travel locus acquisition unit 11a, a correction unit 11b, a detected travel direction acquisition unit 11c, and a determination unit 11d. The memory also has an area for expanding the installation state determination program according to the present invention and an area for temporarily storing data generated during execution of the installation state determination program. The memory also has a storage area used as a reference travel direction storage unit 11e and a storage area for storing correction parameters. The control unit 11 may be an LSI that integrates the hardware CPU, memory, and the like. The hardware CPU is also a computer that executes the traffic volume measurement method according to the present invention.

[0053] <3. Example of operation> The installation state determination device 1 of this example performs the following tracking process, corrected position registration process, and state determination process.

[0054] The tracking process is a process of processing the detection data of the vehicle 110 input from the radio radar 5, generating the tracking data shown in Fig. 3, and storing it in the tracking DB 13. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing this tracking process.

[0055] The installation state determination device 1 waits (s1) for the detection data output by the radio radar 5 to be input to the detection data input unit 12. In this example, the radio radar 5 scans the observation area with a search wave, and outputs detection data for each vehicle 110 detected during this scan, associating the position and speed of that vehicle 110. The radio radar 5 also scans the observation area with a search wave every 100 msec. Therefore, in this example, the detection data is input to the detection data input unit 12 every 100 msec.

[0056] The traveling locus acquisition unit 11a selects a target vehicle from among the vehicles 110 detected this time that have not undergone the processes of s3 to s7 described below (unprocessed vehicles 110) (s2). The traveling locus acquisition unit 11a determines whether the target vehicle selected in s2 is a vehicle 110 that was detected last time (s3). In s3, the position and speed of the target vehicle are used to determine whether the corresponding vehicle 110 was detected last time.

[0057] If the target vehicle is a vehicle 110 that was detected previously, the travel trajectory acquisition unit 11a matches the ID of this target vehicle to the ID assigned previously (s4), and adds the detection data of the current target vehicle to the tracking data of the vehicle 110 with this ID stored in the tracking DB 13 (s5).

[0058] If the target vehicle is a vehicle 110 that was not detected last time, the traveling trajectory acquisition unit 11a issues and assigns a new ID to this target vehicle (s6). The traveling trajectory acquisition unit 11a registers the tracking data of the target vehicle to which the newly issued ID has been assigned in the tracking DB 13 (s7). In s6, an ID that can be distinguished from other vehicles 110 is issued. The tracking data registered in the tracking DB 13 in s7 contains only the current detection data.

[0059] After performing the process of s5 or s7, the traveling locus acquisition unit 11a determines whether or not there is an unprocessed vehicle 110 that has been detected this time by the radio radar 5 and has not yet been subjected to the processes of s3 to s7 (s8). If there is an unprocessed vehicle 110, the traveling locus acquisition unit 11a returns to s2. If there is no unprocessed vehicle 110, the traveling locus acquisition unit 11a returns to s1.

[0060] By executing this tracking process, the installation state determination device 1 of this example generates tracking data indicating the travel path of the vehicle 110 detected by the radio radar 5 within the observation target area, and registers the data in the tracking DB 13.

[0061] As is clear from the above description, the traveling trajectory acquisition unit 11a registers the detected position of the vehicle 110 based on the detection result by the radio radar 5 in the tracking DB 13, but does not register the corrected position. The process of registering this corrected position in the tracking DB 13 is performed by the correction unit 11b.

[0062] 7 is a flowchart showing the correction process. When the traveling trajectory acquisition unit 11a registers the detected position of any vehicle 110 in the tracking DB 13, the correction unit 11b calculates a corrected position for the registered detected position using the correction parameters (s11, s12). The correction unit 11b registers the corrected position calculated in s12 in the tracking DB 13 (s13), and the process returns to s11. The corrected position is a position obtained by correcting the deviation of the detected position of the vehicle 110 detected by the radio radar 5 due to the installation state of the radio radar 5.

[0063] 8 is a flowchart showing an installation state determination process for determining whether the installation state of the radio radar 5 is abnormal. The installation state determination device 1 waits for the state determination timing to arrive at which to determine whether the installation state of the radio radar 5 is abnormal (s21). The state determination timing may be, for example, the timing when an instruction to determine the installation state of the radio radar 5 is given, or the timing when a set period (for example, one week, one month, etc.) has elapsed since the previous timing to determine the installation state. Examples of timings for giving an instruction to determine the installation state of the radio radar 5 include when checking the installation state after installing the radio radar 5, or when checking whether the installation state has changed due to the influence of external factors such as strong winds.

[0064] When the installation state determination device 1 determines that it is time to determine the state, the detected traveling direction acquisition unit 11c acquires, for each determination point, the traveling direction of the vehicle 110 at that determination point (s22).

[0065] In s22, for example, the detected traveling direction acquisition unit 11c detects the traveling direction of each of the determination points for each of the plurality of vehicles 110 that have passed through the determination point. The traveling direction of each of the vehicles 110 at the determination point is detected as a vector, for example, starting from the detected position of the vehicle 110 immediately before passing through the determination point and ending from the detected position of the vehicle 110 immediately after passing through the determination point. For example, when the determination point is a width direction line of a lane, the detected traveling direction acquisition unit 11c detects, as the traveling direction of the vehicle 110, the direction connecting the position of the vehicle 110 immediately before passing through this line and the position of the vehicle 110 immediately after passing through this line.

[0066] Furthermore, for example, in a tracking section in which a plurality of judgment points are set, the detected traveling direction acquisition unit 11c may detect, as the traveling direction of the vehicle 110, a straight line calculated by the least squares method or the like from a trajectory connecting the positions of the vehicle 110 detected at each judgment point. The tracking section may also be a section in which a plurality of judgment points are consecutive. In this case, the traveling direction of the vehicle 110 is a straight line calculated by the least squares method or the like from the traveling trajectory of the vehicle 110 in the tracking section. Furthermore, the tracking section may be a section in which a first section in which a plurality of judgment points are consecutive and a second section in which no judgment points are provided are alternately provided. In this case, for each first section, a straight line calculated by the least squares method or the like from the traveling trajectory of the vehicle 110 may be set as the traveling direction of the vehicle 110, and a straight line approximating the traveling direction of the vehicle 110 obtained for each first section may be detected as the traveling direction of the vehicle 110.

[0067] Furthermore, the detected traveling direction acquisition unit 11c statistically processes the traveling directions of the multiple vehicles 110 that have passed through each judgment point, and acquires the traveling direction of the vehicles 110 at each judgment point. For example, the detected traveling direction acquisition unit 11c acquires, for each judgment point, the most frequent traveling direction, the median traveling direction, the average traveling direction, or the like of the multiple vehicles 110 that have passed through each judgment point as the traveling direction of the vehicles 110 at each judgment point.

[0068] Furthermore, the number of vehicles 110 used to acquire the traveling direction of the vehicles 110 at the determination point by statistical processing may be determined according to the state determination timing. For example, if the state determination timing is when the radio radar 5 is installed (when the installation status of the radio radar 5 is being checked), the vehicles 110 that have passed the determination point after the state determination timing may be targeted, and several tens to several hundred vehicles 110 may be targeted. If the state determination timing is after the radio radar 5 has started operating (when the installation status of the radio radar 5 after operation is being checked), the vehicles 110 that have passed the determination point immediately before the state determination timing may be targeted, and several hundred vehicles 110 may be targeted.

[0069] The traveling direction of each vehicle 110 can be obtained based on the tracking data of the vehicle 110 obtained by the tracking process shown in FIG.

[0070] For each determination point, the determination unit 11d compares the traveling direction of the vehicle 110 acquired by the detected traveling direction acquisition unit 11c in s22 with the reference traveling direction stored in the reference traveling direction storage unit 11e, and calculates the angle formed by these traveling directions as the amount of deviation (s23). When the traveling direction of the vehicle 110 deviates counterclockwise from the reference traveling direction, the determination unit 11d calculates the angle as the amount of deviation as a positive value, and when the traveling direction of the vehicle 110 deviates clockwise from the reference traveling direction, the determination unit 11d calculates the angle as the amount of deviation as a negative value.

[0071] The determination unit 11d also calculates the angle of deviation between the actual irradiation direction of the search wave irradiated by the radio radar 5 in the reference irradiation direction and the set irradiation direction (s24). In s24, for example, the average value of the deviation amounts of the traveling direction of the vehicle 110 calculated for each determination point is calculated as the angle of deviation between the actual irradiation direction of the search wave and the set irradiation direction.

[0072] The determination unit 11d determines whether the installation state of the radio radar 5 is abnormal, for example, based on the amount of deviation in the traveling direction of the vehicle 110 calculated for each determination point in s23 (s25). For example, if the absolute value of the amount of deviation in the traveling direction of the vehicle 110 calculated for any determination point exceeds a predetermined threshold angle, the determination unit 11d determines that the installation state of the radio radar 5 is abnormal. In other words, if the absolute value of the amount of deviation calculated for all determination points does not exceed the predetermined threshold angle, the determination unit 11d determines that the installation state of the radio radar 5 is not abnormal.

[0073] In addition, the judgment unit 11d may be configured to judge that the installation state of the radio radar 5 is abnormal if the absolute value of the deviation between the actual irradiation direction calculated in s24 and the set irradiation direction exceeds a predetermined threshold angle.

[0074] When the determination unit 11d determines that the installation state of the radio radar 5 is abnormal, the installation state determination device 1 outputs a message to that effect (s26) and returns to s21. On the other hand, when the determination unit 11d determines that the installation state of the radio radar 5 is not abnormal, the installation state determination device 1 calculates and updates a correction parameter based on the deviation amount between the actual irradiation direction calculated in s24 and the set irradiation direction (s27), and returns to s21. In s27, for convenience, a correction amount is calculated to shift the reference irradiation direction of the radio radar 5 by the deviation amount between the actual irradiation direction calculated in s24 and the set irradiation direction. More specifically, this is a parameter for rotating the position of the vehicle 110 detected by the radio radar 5 by the deviation angle between the actual irradiation direction and the set irradiation direction (the deviation angle calculated in s24) around the installation position of the radio radar 5 as an axis.

[0075] Furthermore, the angle threshold used in s25 to determine whether the installation state of the radio radar 5 is abnormal may be different when checking the installation state of the radio radar 5 and when checking the installation state of the radio radar 5 after operation. Specifically, the angle threshold used when checking the installation state of the radio radar 5 may be smaller than the angle threshold used when checking the installation state of the radio radar 5 after operation. In this way, it is possible to set stricter installation standards when installing the radio radar 5, and to reduce the frequency at which the installation state of the radio radar 5 is determined to be abnormal immediately after operation.

[0076] In this way, the installation state determination device 1 of this example acquires the traveling direction of the vehicle 110 at the determination point set within the observation target area and determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the installation state of the radio radar 5. Therefore, the installation state of the radio radar 5 can be easily confirmed.

[0077] <4. Modifications> Variation 1 In the above example, the installation state determination device 1 generates and acquires tracking data for each vehicle 110 based on the detection data of the vehicle 110 input from the radio radar 5. However, the tracking process shown in Fig. 4 may be performed on the radio radar 5 side. In this case, the installation state determination device 1 acquires tracking data for the vehicle 110 (tracking data that does not include the corrected position) from the radio radar 5.

[0078] Furthermore, the installation state determining device 1 may be a device in which the radio wave radar 5 is integrated.

[0079] 9, the traveling locus acquisition unit 11a, the detected traveling direction acquisition unit 11c, and the tracking DB 13 may be provided on the radio radar 5 side, and the traveling locus acquisition unit 11a, the detected traveling direction acquisition unit 11c, and the tracking DB 13 may not be provided on the installation state determination device 1 side (the installation state determination device 1 may be provided with the correction unit 11b, the determination unit 11d, and the reference traveling direction storage unit 11e in the control unit 11). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, the traveling locus acquisition unit 11a, the correction unit 11b, the detected traveling direction acquisition unit 11c, the determination unit 11d, and the tracking DB 13 may be provided on the radio radar 5 side, and the traveling locus acquisition unit 11a, the correction unit 11b, the detected traveling direction acquisition unit 11c, the determination unit 11d, and the tracking DB 13 may not be provided on the installation state determination device 1 side (the installation state determination device 1 may be provided with the reference traveling direction storage unit 11e in the control unit 11).

[0080] 9 and 10, the installation state determination device 1 and the radio radar 5 cooperate to execute the above-described processing. Furthermore, with regard to the traveling trajectory acquisition unit 11a, the correction unit 11b, the detected traveling direction acquisition unit 11c, the determination unit 11d, the reference traveling direction storage unit 11e, and the tracking DB 13, the combination of the configurations provided in the installation state determination device 1 and the configurations provided in the radio radar 5 is not limited to the above examples, and any combination may be used.

[0081] Variation 2 In the above example, the deviation angle between the actual irradiation direction of the search wave irradiated by the radio radar 5 in the reference irradiation direction and the set irradiation direction is used as the basis, but the actual irradiation direction of the search wave confirmed when the radio radar 5 is installed may be set as the set irradiation direction and used to determine the installation status of the radio radar 5 after installation.

[0082] Furthermore, in the above example, the installation status determination device 1 has been described as a device that determines whether the installation status of the radio radar 5 is abnormal, but the installation status can also be determined in a similar manner for other types of vehicle detection devices such as laser radar (detection devices that scan the observation area with exploration waves other than millimeter waves to detect vehicles 110).

[0083] It should be noted that this invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and that the components can be modified and embodied in practice without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined. Furthermore, the order of each step in the flowcharts described in all the above examples is merely an example, and may be appropriately changed within the scope of the present invention.

[0084] Furthermore, the correspondence between the configuration according to the present invention and the configuration according to the above-described embodiment can be described as follows: <Additional Notes> a travel trajectory acquisition unit (11a) that acquires a travel trajectory of a vehicle (110) detected by a vehicle detection device (5) by scanning an observation target area with a probe wave; a memory unit (11e) for storing a reference traveling direction of a vehicle (110) that travels through a determination point (P1 to P4) set within the observation target area and is detected by the vehicle detection device (5) when the irradiation direction of the search wave irradiated in the set reference irradiation direction by the vehicle detection device (5) is the set irradiation direction of the search wave set for the real space including the observation target area; a detected traveling direction acquisition unit (11c) that acquires a detected traveling direction of the vehicle at the determination point based on the traveling trajectory of the vehicle (110) acquired by the traveling trajectory acquisition unit (11a); An installation state determination device (1) comprising a determination unit (11d) that determines the installation state of the vehicle detection device (5) using the reference running direction and the detected running direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1...Installation status determination device 5...Radio wave radar 11...Control unit 11a...Travel trajectory acquisition unit 11b...Correction section 11c...Detection running direction acquisition unit 11d...Judgment section 11e...Reference driving direction storage unit 12...Detection data input section 13...Tracking database (Tracking DB) 14…Input / output section 110...Vehicle

Claims

1. a travel trajectory acquisition unit that acquires travel trajectories of vehicles detected by the vehicle detection device by scanning an observation target area with a probe wave; a storage unit that stores a reference traveling direction of a vehicle that travels through a determination point set within the observation target area detected by the vehicle detection device when the actual irradiation direction of the search wave irradiated by the vehicle detection device in a set reference irradiation direction is the set irradiation direction of the search wave set for the real space including the observation target area; a detected travel direction acquisition unit that acquires a detected travel direction of the vehicle at the determination point based on the travel trajectory of the vehicle acquired by the travel trajectory acquisition unit; an installation state determination device including: a determination unit that determines an installation state of the vehicle detection device using the reference traveling direction and the detected traveling direction.

2. The installation state determining device according to claim 1 , wherein the determining unit determines whether a deviation amount of the actual irradiation direction from the set irradiation direction is appropriate.

3. The installation state determination device according to claim 2 , further comprising a correction unit that corrects the vehicle travel locus acquired by the travel locus acquisition unit in accordance with a deviation amount of the actual irradiation direction from the set irradiation direction.

4. 4. The installation state determining device according to claim 1, further comprising an output unit that outputs the determination result of the determination unit.

5. 5. The installation state determination device according to claim 1, wherein the detected traveling direction acquisition unit acquires the detected traveling direction based on a traveling trajectory of the vehicle in a tracking section including the determination point.

6. The installation state determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the detected driving direction acquisition unit acquires the detected driving direction at the determination point by statistical processing of the detected driving direction of each vehicle acquired for each vehicle for a plurality of vehicles that have passed the determination point.

7. A plurality of the judgment points are set, the storage unit stores, for each of the determination points, a reference traveling direction of a vehicle traveling at the determination point; the detected traveling direction acquisition unit acquires, for each of the determination points, a detected traveling direction of the vehicle at the determination point; The installation state determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the determination unit calculates, for each determination point, the amount of deviation of the actual irradiation direction from the set irradiation direction using the reference running direction and the detected running direction at that determination point.

8. 8. The installation state determination device according to claim 1, wherein the set irradiation direction is a direction determined according to an installation position of the vehicle detection device and a shape of the observation target area.

9. a travel trajectory acquisition step in which the vehicle detection device scans an observation target area with a probe wave and acquires a travel trajectory of the detected vehicle; a detected traveling direction acquisition step of acquiring a detected traveling direction of the vehicle at a determination point set within the observation target area based on the traveling trajectory of the vehicle acquired in the traveling trajectory acquisition step; An installation status determination method executed by a computer, comprising: a determination step of determining the installation status of the vehicle detection device using the reference driving direction of a vehicle that has traveled through the determination point detected by the vehicle detection device and the detected driving direction of the vehicle acquired in the detected driving direction acquisition step, when the actual irradiation direction of the probe wave emitted by the vehicle detection device in the set reference irradiation direction is the set irradiation direction of the probe wave set for the real space including the observation target area.

10. a travel trajectory acquisition step in which the vehicle detection device scans an observation target area with a probe wave and acquires a travel trajectory of the detected vehicle; a detected traveling direction acquisition step of acquiring a detected traveling direction of the vehicle at a determination point set within the observation target area based on the traveling trajectory of the vehicle acquired in the traveling trajectory acquisition step; an installation status determination program that causes a computer to execute a determination step of determining the installation status of the vehicle detection device using the reference traveling direction of a vehicle that traveled through the determination point detected by the vehicle detection device and the detected traveling direction of the vehicle acquired in the detected traveling direction acquisition step, when the actual irradiation direction of the probe wave irradiated in the set reference irradiation direction by the vehicle detection device is the set irradiation direction of the probe wave set for the real space including the observation target area.

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