Electronic device and method for identifying the ground using a time-series point cloud in three-dimensional space

Abstract

The electronic device of the present invention includes a communication circuit communicatively connected with a sensing device, an input device, one or more processors, and one or more memories, wherein the one or more memories are configured to store instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to acquire a time-varying point cloud for a three-dimensional space from the sensing device, generate a grid covering the three-dimensional space and including a plurality of cells, select at least one cell from the plurality of cells using the input device that includes a ground surface, determine a height value for each of the at least one cell based on the point cloud, determine a height value for each of the remaining cells of the plurality of cells except for the at least one cell based on the height value of the at least one cell, and identify the ground surface based on the height values ​​of each of the plurality of cells.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for identifying the ground using a time-series point cloud for a three-dimensional space.

Background Art

[0002] Recently, techniques for sensing a three-dimensional space using a 3D sensor and generating data for the three-dimensional space based on this have been used in various industrial technical fields. A lidar (Light Detection And Ranging) sensor, which is one type of 3D sensor, is a sensor that obtains information on a three-dimensional space by emitting light to an object in the three-dimensional space and then receiving the reflected light. For example, a lidar sensor can sense the distance and various physical properties from an object on the three-dimensional space and can be used for autonomous driving technology.

[0003] Since there is a physical limit to the sensing area that one sensing device can sense, a plurality of sensing devices must be appropriately arranged for a wide space. Information on a wide space can be obtained based on the data received from a plurality of sensing devices.

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] According to the present invention, it is an object to identify an area corresponding to the ground in a point cloud. Specifically, it is an object to identify an area corresponding to the ground in a point cloud using a method of generating grid-based ground information.

[0005] According to the present invention, it is an object to identify the ground corresponding to a static object area and exclude the static point cloud corresponding to the ground from the calculation to reduce errors and improve calculation efficiency.

[0006] According to the present invention, the objective is to accurately identify the ground using a 3D point cloud without the need for a pre-mapping process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The electronic device according to the present invention includes a communication circuit connected to a sensing device, an input device, one or more processors, and one or more memories, wherein the one or more memories store instructions configured to allow the one or more processors to obtain a time-series point cloud for a three-dimensional space from the sensing device at runtime, generate a grid covering the three-dimensional space and including a plurality of cells, have the input device select at least one cell from the plurality of cells including the ground, determine the height value of each of the at least one cell based on the point cloud, determine the height value of each of the remaining cells from the plurality of cells excluding the at least one cell based on the height value of each of the at least one cell, and identify the ground based on the height value of each of the plurality of cells.

[0008] Each of the aforementioned plurality of cells is a hexahedron cell having a horizontal and vertical value of a predetermined length and a height value determined based on the point cloud or user input.

[0009] The instruction is configured such that one or more processors, for a first cell among the at least one cell, identify the point with the largest height value among a plurality of points contained in the first cell, and determine the height value of the identified point as the height value of the first cell.

[0010] The instructions are configured such that one or more processors receive user input from the input device to a second cell among the at least one cell, for selecting at least one point, including the ground, from among a plurality of points included in the second cell, and in response to receiving the user input, identify the point with the largest height value among the at least one point, and determine the height value of the identified point as the height value of the second cell.

[0011] The instructions are configured such that one or more processors receive user input from the input device for inputting the height value of the third cell among the at least one cell, and determine the height value of the third cell in response to receiving the user input.

[0012] The instruction is configured such that one or more processors determine the height values ​​of the remaining cells by interpolation based on the height values ​​of each of the at least one cell.

[0013] The instruction is configured such that one or more processors determine the area of ​​the point cloud identified as the ground as a static object area, and exclude the static point cloud corresponding to the static object area from the calculation.

[0014] The system further includes a display, the instruction being configured such that, in response to one or more processors selecting the at least one cell, the display shows the at least one cell in a specific color.

[0015] The communication circuit is connected to a plurality of sensing devices, and the instructions are configured such that one or more processors each acquire a plurality of time-series point clouds for the three-dimensional space from the plurality of sensing devices, and the input device selects one point cloud from the plurality of point clouds to identify the ground.

[0016] A method for identifying the ground in a time-series point cloud in a three-dimensional space using an electronic device according to the present invention, comprising: an operation to acquire a time-series point cloud in a three-dimensional space from a sensing device; an operation to generate a grid that covers the three-dimensional space and includes a plurality of cells; an operation to select at least one cell including the ground from the plurality of cells using an input device; an operation to determine the height value of each of the at least one cell based on the point cloud; an operation to determine the height value of each of the remaining cells from the plurality of cells, excluding the at least one cell, based on the height value of each of the at least one cell; and an operation to identify the ground based on the height values ​​of each of the plurality of cells.

[0017] Each of the aforementioned plurality of cells is a hexahedron cell having a horizontal and vertical value of a predetermined length and a height value determined based on the point cloud or user input.

[0018] The operation of determining the height value of each of the at least one cell includes, for the first cell among the at least one cell, the operation of identifying the point with the largest height value among a plurality of points contained in the first cell, and the operation of determining the height value of the identified point as the height value of the first cell.

[0019] The operation of determining the height value of each of the at least one cell includes, for the second cell among the at least one cell, the operation of receiving user input from the input device to select at least one point, including the ground, from among a plurality of points included in the second cell; the operation of confirming the point with the largest height value among the at least one point in response to receiving the user input; and the operation of determining the height value of the confirmed point as the height value of the second cell.

[0020] The operation of determining the height value of each of the at least one cell includes, for a third cell among the at least one cell, the operation of receiving user input from the input device for inputting the height value of the third cell, and the operation of determining the height value of the third cell in response to receiving the user input.

[0021] The operation of determining the height value of each of the remaining cells, excluding at least one of the aforementioned plurality of cells, includes the operation of determining the height value of each of the remaining cells by interpolation based on the height value of each of the at least one cell.

[0022] The operation further includes determining the area of ​​the point cloud identified as the ground as a static object area, and excluding the static point cloud corresponding to the static object area from the calculation.

[0023] The further step includes, in response to selecting the at least one cell, displaying the at least one cell in a specific color on the display.

[0024] The operation further includes acquiring multiple time-series point clouds for the three-dimensional space from multiple sensing devices, and selecting one point cloud from the multiple point clouds to identify the ground. [Effects of the Invention]

[0025] According to the present invention, it is an object to identify an area corresponding to the ground in a point cloud. Specifically, an area corresponding to the ground in a point cloud can be identified by using a method of generating grid-based ground information.

[0026] According to the present invention, by identifying the ground corresponding to the static object area and excluding the static point cloud corresponding to the ground from the calculation, errors can be reduced and the calculation efficiency can be improved.

[0027] According to the present invention, the ground can be accurately identified in a three-dimensional point cloud even without a pre-mapping process.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0028] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device and a sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method of sensing a three-dimensional space using a plurality of sensing devices according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIGS. 5a to 5f are a screen of a program for providing various information on a three-dimensional space according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an operation flowchart of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0029] The embodiments of the present invention are provided as examples for the purpose of illustrating the technical idea of ​​the present invention. The scope of rights according to the present invention is as presented below, but is not limited to the specific description relating to these embodiments.

[0030] All technical and scientific terms used in this invention have meanings that would be generally understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains, unless otherwise defined. All terms used in this invention have been selected for the purpose of more clearly describing this invention and not to limit the scope of rights under this invention.

[0031] Expressions such as "includes," "equipped with," and "possess" used in this invention should be understood as open-ended terms that may include other embodiments, unless otherwise referred to in the phrase or sentence containing the expression.

[0032] The singular expressions described in this invention may also have plural meanings unless otherwise specified, and this applies equally to the singular expressions described in the claims. Expressions such as "first," "second," etc., used in this invention are used to distinguish between multiple components and are not intended to limit the order or importance of the components.

[0033] As used in this invention, the term "part" refers to software or hardware components such as FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays) and ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits). However, "part" is not limited to hardware and software. A "part" may be configured to reside in an addressable storage medium, or to regenerate one or more processors. For example, a "part" may include components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, as well as processors, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. Components and the functionality provided within a "part" may be combined with a smaller number of components and "parts," or further separated into additional components and "parts."

[0034] As used in this invention, the expression "based on" is used to describe one or more factors that influence the act or action of a decision, judgment, or action described in the phrase or sentence containing the expression, and this expression does not exclude additional factors that influence the act or action of a decision, judgment, or action.

[0035] In the present invention, when it is said that one component is “connected” or “linked” to another component, it should be understood that the first component can be directly connected or linked to the other component, or can be connected or linked through a new other component.

[0036] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. In the attached drawings, identical or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, in the following description of embodiments, the description of identical or corresponding components may be omitted. However, the omission of a description of a component does not mean that such a component is not included in the embodiment.

[0037] Figure 1 shows a system 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The system 10 includes an electronic device 110 and a plurality of sensing devices 120. The electronic device 110 is connected to the plurality of sensing devices 120 in a communication manner and can send and receive various data. In this figure, it is assumed that there are three plurality of sensing devices 120 (e.g., a first sensing device 120a, a second sensing device 120b, and a third sensing device 120c), but the number of plurality of sensing devices 120 is not limited to this.

[0038] One embodiment of the sensing device 120 is a device that acquires a point cloud as spatial information for three-dimensional space. The sensing device 120 can acquire a point cloud for three-dimensional space by emitting light into three-dimensional space and receiving light reflected by objects. The sensing device 120 includes at least one sensor. A point cloud refers to a set of many points spread out in three-dimensional space. A point cloud is also called, for example, a collection of points, a point cloud, or point cloud data. Unlike a two-dimensional image, a point cloud contains depth (z-axis) information, and is therefore data that can be used for three-dimensional modeling.

[0039] A sensing device 120 according to one embodiment can acquire a time-series point cloud in three-dimensional space. The sensing device 120 acquires a point cloud in three-dimensional space on a time-by-time basis or at predetermined time intervals (e.g., 0.1s), thereby enabling the acquisition of a time-series point cloud.

[0040] One embodiment of the sensing device 120 is installed indoors or outdoors at a location where it can sense a three-dimensional space. To monitor a wide three-dimensional space, multiple sensing devices 120 are installed, considering the sensing area determined by the range that the sensors included in the sensing device can sense. For example, the multiple sensing devices 120 are installed at a certain distance from each other. For example, each of the multiple sensing devices 120 can be distributed and positioned so that it can sense the three-dimensional space in different directions from each other. For example, each of the multiple sensing devices 120 can be distributed and positioned so that it can sense a region of the three-dimensional space.

[0041] The sensing device 120 includes a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor as a 3D sensor for sensing three-dimensional space. The sensing device including the LiDAR sensor can acquire a volumetric point cloud in three-dimensional space. The LiDAR sensor can sense the shape, size, and position of objects contained in three-dimensional space. A multi-channel LiDAR sensor that can collect information on three-dimensional space is suitable for fields where the shape, size, and volume of objects can be utilized.

[0042] The sensing device 120 may further include various types of sensors, such as radar sensors, infrared sensors, and cameras (image sensors). The sensing device 120 may also include multiple sensors of the same type, or it may use a combination of different types of sensors. The types of sensors are illustrative and not limited thereto.

[0043] One embodiment of the electronic device 110 is a server device that operates a service providing 3D information for a 3D space. The electronic device 110 can also be implemented using cloud computing technology. The electronic device 110 is connected to a plurality of sensing devices 120 and can acquire point clouds for the 3D space from the plurality of sensing devices 120. The electronic device 110 uses the point clouds acquired from the plurality of sensing devices 120 to provide 3D information for the 3D space to the customer. The customer can use the service using their terminal device (not shown). For example, the customer can install a plurality of sensing devices 120 at locations where they can sense the 3D space they wish to monitor. The plurality of sensing devices 120 transfer point clouds for the 3D space to the electronic device 110. The electronic device 110 uses the point clouds acquired from the plurality of sensing devices 120 to model 3D information for the 3D space. The electronic device 110 transfers 3D information for the 3D space to the customer's terminal device. Customers can receive various services provided by the electronic device 110 through their terminal devices.

[0044] While there are no problems when a 3D space consists of flat ground, if a 3D space with uneven ground is assumed to be flat ground, objects located in that 3D space may be mistakenly perceived as either existing below ground or floating above ground. Therefore, accurately identifying the ground using point clouds is crucial.

[0045] To accurately identify the ground using point clouds, it is generally possible to map the point clouds onto 3D map information based on 3D map information. For example, by acquiring HD map information for 3D space (e.g., satellite information for 3D space) in advance and mapping each point cloud to that map information, it is possible to accurately identify areas corresponding to the ground. In this case, since 3D map information must be used to identify the ground, a lot of computational resources are required for the mapping process. Also, when using 3D map information, the time required to process many calculations increases.

[0046] This invention relates to a technology for identifying the ground using a three-dimensional point cloud without a pre-mapping process. The specific identification method will be described later.

[0047] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device 110 and a sensing device 120 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] As shown in Figure 2, an electronic device 110 according to one embodiment includes one or more processors 111, one or more memories 113, a communication circuit 115, an input device 117, and a display 119. Some components of the electronic device 110 are omitted or substituted. Some components may be implemented as an integrated system, or as one or more individual units, either additionally or schematically. The expression "processor 111" means a collection of one or more processors 111 unless otherwise specified in the context. The expression "memory 113" means a collection of one or more memories 113 unless otherwise specified in the context. At least some components within the electronic device 110 can be connected to each other via a bus, GPIO (general purpose input / output), SPI (serial peripheral interface), or MIPI (mobile industry processor interface), etc., to exchange data and / or signals.

[0049] A processor 111 of an electronic device 110 according to one embodiment can perform calculations and data processing related to the control and / or communication of each component of the electronic device 110. The processor 111 can be operationally coupled to, for example, the components of the electronic device 110. The processor 111 can store instructions or data received from other components of the electronic device 110 in the memory 113 of the electronic device 110, load and process the instructions or data stored in the memory 113, and store the resulting data back in the memory 113. The memory 113 can store instructions for the operation of the processor 111.

[0050] The memory 113 of the electronic device 110 according to one embodiment can store various types of information. The memory 113 can store basic information about multiple sensing devices 120. The memory 113 can store multiple point clouds acquired from multiple sensing devices 120.

[0051] In one embodiment, the communication circuit 115 of the electronic device 110 establishes a wired or wireless communication channel with an external device (e.g., multiple sensing devices 120) and transmits and receives various data with the external device. According to one embodiment, the communication circuit 115 includes at least one port for connecting to an external device with a wired cable in order to communicate with the external device via a wired connection. The communication circuit 115 communicates with the wired external device via at least one port. According to one embodiment, the communication circuit 115 includes a cellular communication module and can be configured to connect to a cellular network (e.g., 3G, LTE, 5G, Wibro, or WiMAX). According to one embodiment, the communication circuit 115 includes a short-range communication module and can transmit and receive data with an external device using short-range communication (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), UWB).

[0052] An input device 117 of an electronic device 110 according to one embodiment can receive instructions or data used by the components of the electronic device 110 (e.g., a processor 111) from outside the electronic device 110 (e.g., a user). The input device 117 includes, for example, a mouse, a microphone, or a keyboard.

[0053] In one embodiment, the display 119 of the electronic device 110 can display various screens based on the control of the processor 111. The display 119 is, for example, a monitor. The display 119 can be implemented in various ways, such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display 119, an AM-OLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode), and a PDP (Plasma Display Panel). According to one embodiment, the display 119 can be implemented in the form of a touch sensor panel (TSP) that can recognize contact or proximity (e.g., hovering) of various external objects.

[0054] A sensing device 120 according to one embodiment includes a controller 121, a memory 123, a communication circuit 125, and at least one sensor 127. Some components of the sensing device 120 are omittable or replaceable. Some components may be implemented as an integrated system, or as one or more individual components. The expression "sensor 127" means a collection of one or more sensors 127 unless otherwise specified in the context.

[0055] In one embodiment, the controller 121 of the sensing device 120 can perform calculations and data processing related to the control and / or communication of each component of the sensing device 120. The controller 121 is, for example, operationally coupled to the components of the sensing device 120. The controller 121 stores instructions or data received from other components of the sensing device 120 in the memory 123 of the sensing device 120, loads and processes the instructions or data stored in the memory 123, and stores the resulting data back in the memory 123. The memory 123 stores instructions for the operation of the sensing device 120. The controller 121 of the sensing device 120 executes the program installed in the sensing device 120. The controller 121 controls a processing module that executes a program for sensing three-dimensional space.

[0056] One embodiment of the sensing device 120 includes a sensor 127 for sensing three-dimensional space. The sensor 127 includes a light-emitting unit that emits light into three-dimensional space and a light-receiving unit that receives light reflected from an object, and may further include a dedicated controller 121 that acquires a point cloud for three-dimensional space based on the intensity of the light received by the light-receiving unit. The sensor 127 can acquire a time-series (or over time) point cloud for three-dimensional space in order to track an object located in three-dimensional space within the sensing area. The sensor 127 is a lidar sensor, and including a three-dimensional lidar sensor, it can acquire data for a specific range of space. Depending on the environment, the sensor 127 may further include various types of sensors such as radar sensors, infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and cameras.

[0057] In one embodiment, the communication circuit 125 of the sensing device 120 can establish a wired or wireless communication channel with an external device (e.g., an electronic device 110) and send and receive various data with the external device. According to one embodiment, the communication circuit 125 includes at least one port for connecting to an external device with a wired cable in order to communicate with the external device via a wired connection. The communication circuit 125 can communicate with an external device connected via a wired connection through at least one port. According to one embodiment, the communication circuit 125 may include a cellular communication module and be configured to connect to a cellular network (e.g., 3G, LTE, 5G, Wibro, or WiMAX). According to one embodiment, the communication circuit 125 may include a short-range communication module and may send and receive data with an external device using short-range communication (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), UWB).

[0058] In one embodiment, the sensor 127 of the sensing device 120 may further include a position sensor (e.g., a GPS sensor) in addition to the LiDAR sensor described above. The sensing device 120 may also further include a configuration to improve sensing performance depending on the installation environment of the sensing device 120. The controller 121 of the sensing device 120 in one embodiment can operate the sensor 127 to acquire a point cloud in three-dimensional space by performing one or more instructions stored in the memory 123, and can transfer the point cloud in three-dimensional space to the electronic device 110 via the communication circuit 125. The sensing device 120 can transfer information that identifies the sensing device 120 (e.g., ID information) along with the point cloud in three-dimensional space.

[0059] In one embodiment, the processor 111 of the electronic device 110 can model the structure of a three-dimensional space in three dimensions based on point clouds received from a plurality of sensing devices 120, and generate three-dimensional information for the three-dimensional space. Based on the point clouds for the three-dimensional space, the processor 111 can perform a series of operations to detect objects in the three-dimensional space and monitor the three-dimensional space. The electronic device 110 receives point clouds for the three-dimensional space from the sensing devices 120 and can accurately identify the ground using the point clouds.

[0060] Figure 3 illustrates a method for sensing three-dimensional space using multiple sensing devices 120 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0061] As shown in Figure 3, a plurality of sensing devices 120 according to one embodiment can be arranged at a certain distance apart in order to sense three-dimensional space. In this drawing, it is assumed that there are two plurality of sensing devices 120, but the number of plurality of sensing devices 120 is not limited thereto. The first sensing device 120a can acquire a first point cloud for three-dimensional space within the first sensing area 310a, and the second sensing device 120b can acquire a second point cloud for three-dimensional space within the second sensing area 310b. The first sensing device 120a transfers the acquired first point cloud to the electronic device 110, and the second sensing device 120b transfers the acquired second point cloud to the electronic device 110. Depending on the type of sensor, the sensing device 120 has a predetermined field of view angle and sensing limit distance, which determines the sensing area for detecting objects in three-dimensional space.

[0062] Figure 4 is an operation flowchart of the electronic device 110 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0063] Referring to the operation flowchart 400, in one embodiment, the processor 111 of the electronic device 110 acquires a time-series point cloud for three-dimensional space from the sensing device 120 in operation 410. The processor 111 receives the time-series point cloud for three-dimensional space from the sensing device 120 via the communication circuit 115. The sensing device 120 acquires a time-series (time-dependent) point cloud for three-dimensional space by continuously sensing the three-dimensional space using a sensor. The sensing device 120 transfers the time-series point cloud for three-dimensional space to the electronic device 110, and the electronic device 110 can acquire the time-series point cloud for three-dimensional space from the sensing device 120. Figure 5a is a screen 500 of a program that provides various information for three-dimensional space 510. Three-dimensional space 510 is the space set as the region of interest. The screen 500 displays a time-series point cloud 520 for three-dimensional space 510.

[0064] According to one embodiment, the processor 111 can also acquire multiple time-series point clouds in three-dimensional space from multiple sensing devices 120. In this case, the processor can use the input device 117 to select one point cloud from among the multiple clouds to identify the ground.

[0065] In one embodiment, the processor 111 generates a grid containing multiple cells that covers a three-dimensional space during operation 420. The processor 111 can divide the three-dimensional space, set as the region of interest, into a grid containing multiple cells. Figure 5b is a screen 500 of a program that provides various information about the three-dimensional space 510. Specifically, Figure 5b shows a screen in which a grid containing multiple cells 530 covering the three-dimensional space 510 has been generated. As shown in Figure 5b, a grid containing multiple cells 530 covering the three-dimensional space 510 has been generated. Each of the multiple cells is a hexahedron having a predetermined horizontal value (e.g., x-axis length) and vertical value (e.g., y-axis length), and a height value (e.g., z-axis length) determined based on a point cloud or user input. That is, in each of the multiple cells, the horizontal and vertical values ​​have predetermined lengths, and the height value is determined by a point cloud or user input. Each of the multiple cells is represented by the height value it possesses. The aforementioned height values ​​will later be used as information to identify the ground.

[0066] In one embodiment, the processor 111, in operation 430, can select at least one cell corresponding to the ground from among the plurality of cells using the input device 117. For example, the user can select at least one cell corresponding to the ground from among the plurality of cells by clicking or dragging using a mouse. That is, the user can select at least one cell that they believe corresponds to the ground. Figure 5c shows a screen 500 of a program that provides various information about the three-dimensional space 510. Specifically, Figure 5c shows a screen in which at least one cell 535 has been selected from among the plurality of cells 530. The user can select at least one cell 535 corresponding to the ground from among the plurality of cells 530 using the input device 117. According to one embodiment, in response to the selection of at least one cell 535, the processor can display the selected at least one cell 535 in a specific color using the display 119. That is, the processor 111 can display the selected at least one cell in a specific color so that it is distinguished from the other cells.

[0067] In one embodiment, the processor 111 can determine the height value of each of the at least one cell 535 based on the point cloud during operation 440. For example, the processor 111 can identify the point with the largest height value among the multiple points contained in the first cell among the at least one cell 535, and determine the height value of the identified point as the height value of the first cell. For example, the processor 111 can receive user input from the input device 117 to select at least one point corresponding to the ground from among the multiple points contained in the second cell among the at least one cell 535, and in response to receiving the user input, identify the point with the largest height value among the at least one point, and determine the height value of the identified point as the height value of the second cell. For example, the processor 111 can receive user input from the input device 117 to input the height value of the third cell among the at least one cell 535, and in response to receiving the user input, determine the height value of the third cell.

[0068] Figure 5d shows a screen 500 of a program that provides various information about the three-dimensional space 510, specifically showing a state in which the height value of each of the selected at least one cell 535 has been determined. The processor 111 can determine the height value of each of the at least one cell 535 by one of the methods described above.

[0069] Returning to Figure 4, in one embodiment, the processor 111 can, in operation 450, determine the height values ​​of each of the remaining cells among the plurality of cells, excluding the at least one cell, based on the height value of each of the at least one cell. The processor 111 can determine the height values ​​of each of the remaining cells by interpolation based on the height value of each of the at least one cell. That is, the processor 111 can estimate any height value of a cell adjacent to the at least one cell whose height value has been determined using interpolation. The processor 111 can determine (estimate) the height values ​​of the remaining cells whose height values ​​have not been determined so that the contour of the ground is gently generated. Figure 5e is a screen 500 of a program that provides various information for the three-dimensional space 510, and specifically shows a state in which the height values ​​of not only the selected at least one cell 535 but also the remaining unselected cells 536 have been determined. The processor 111 can determine the height values ​​of all of the plurality of cells by estimating any height value of a cell adjacent to the at least one cell 535 whose height value has been determined using interpolation.

[0070] In one embodiment, the processor 111 can identify the ground based on the height values ​​of each of several cells during operation 460. The processor 111 can identify the height value of each cell as the height of the ground. Figure 5f is a screen 500 of a program that provides various information about the three-dimensional space 510, and specifically shows a point cloud 550 that is included in the area identified as the ground. Based on the height values ​​of each of several cells, the processor 111 can accurately identify the ground. Thereafter, the processor 111 determines the area identified as the ground in the point cloud as a static object area. The processor 111 can exclude the static point cloud corresponding to the static object area from calculations. This allows the processor 111 to clearly distinguish between static object areas such as the ground and dynamic object areas such as humans, and to monitor dynamic object areas more efficiently.

[0071] Figure 6 is an operation flowchart of the electronic device 110 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, Figure 6 is a diagram showing a specific method related to operation 440 in Figure 4.

[0072] Referring to the operation flowchart 600, in operation 610, the processor 111 of the electronic device 110 according to one embodiment checks whether a first cell corresponding to the ground is selectable from at least one cell. The processor 111 can check whether a ground information reference cell corresponding to the ground is selectable from at least one cell including the ground. For example, if the user determines that a first cell corresponding to the ground (ground information reference cell) exists, they click (select) the icon for selecting the first cell. In this case, the processor 111 can recognize that the first cell corresponding to the ground is selectable. If the icon for selecting the first cell is not selected, the processor 111 can recognize that the first cell is not selectable.

[0073] If the first cell is selectable, the process branches to operation 603 (operation 601-Yes), and the processor 111 can select the first cell from at least one cell. The processor 111 can select the first cell based on user input to select the first cell. In one embodiment, the processor 111 can, in operation 605, identify the point with the largest height value among a plurality of points contained in the first cell. The processor 111 can identify the point with the largest height value among a plurality of points contained in the first cell. In one embodiment, the processor 111, in operation 607, determines the height value of the identified point as the height value of the first cell. That is, the processor 111 can determine the height value of the point with the largest height value among a plurality of points contained in the first cell as the height value of the first cell.

[0074] If the first cell cannot be selected, the process branches to operation 609 (operation 601-No), and the processor 111 can check whether at least one point corresponding to the ground is selectable. The processor 111 can check whether at least one point corresponding to the ground is selectable among the points included in the point cloud. For example, if the user determines that at least one point corresponding to the ground exists, they click (select) the icon for selecting the said at least one point. In this case, the processor 111 can recognize that at least one point corresponding to the ground is selectable. If the icon for selecting at least one point is not selected, the processor 111 can recognize that at least one point is not selectable.

[0075] If at least one point corresponding to the ground can be selected, the process branches to operation 611 (operation 609-Yes), and the processor 111 can select the at least one point included in the second cell. In one embodiment, the processor 111 can identify the point with the largest height value among the at least one point in operation 613. In one embodiment, the processor 111 can determine the height value of the identified point in operation 615 as the height value of the second cell. That is, the processor 111 can determine the height value of the point with the largest height value among the at least one point selected by the user from among the multiple points included in the second cell as the height value of the second cell.

[0076] If at least one point corresponding to the ground cannot be selected, the process branches to operation 617 (operation 609-No), in which the processor 111 can receive user input to select a third cell. For example, the user selects a third cell from among several cells to directly input the height value of the third cell using an input device. In one embodiment, the processor 111 can receive user input for inputting the height value of the third cell in operation 619. In one embodiment, the processor 111 can determine the height value of the third cell in operation 621. The processor 111 determines the height value entered by the user as the height value of the third cell.

[0077] Using the method described above, a height value can be determined for at least one cell. Furthermore, the processor 111 can accurately identify the ground in the point cloud. Moreover, since the ground can be identified in the point cloud without a free mapping process, computational resources and computation time can be reduced.

[0078] In the flowchart described above, process stages, method stages, algorithms, etc., were explained sequentially, but such processes, methods, and algorithms can be configured to operate in any suitable order. In other words, the stages of the processes, methods, and algorithms described in one embodiment of the present invention do not have to be performed in the order described herein. Furthermore, even if some stages are described as being performed non-simultaneously, in other embodiments, such some stages may be performed simultaneously. Moreover, the examples of processes shown in the drawings do not mean that the illustrated processes are exempt from other changes and modifications, that any of the illustrated processes or stages thereof are essential for one or more of the embodiments of the present invention, or that the illustrated processes are desirable.

[0079] Although the technical features of the present invention have been described above with reference to some embodiments and examples shown in the accompanying drawings, it will be understood that various substitutions, modifications, and alterations can be made without departing from the technical scope of the invention as understandable to a person with ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Furthermore, such substitutions, modifications, and alterations should be considered to fall within the scope of the appended claims. Although the methods described above have been explained by specific embodiments, the methods can also be implemented as computer-readable code on a computer-readable recording medium. A computer-readable recording medium includes all types of recording devices on which data readable by a computer system is stored. Computer-readable recording media can include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage devices, etc. Furthermore, computer-readable code can be stored and implemented in a distributed manner on computer systems connected by a network. Furthermore, functional programs, code, and code segments for implementing the embodiments can be easily inferred by programmers in the art to which the present invention belongs.

Claims

1. A communication circuit that is connected to a sensing device, Input device and One or more processors, Includes one or more memory locations, The one or more memory units are used by the one or more processors during execution. From the aforementioned sensing device, a time-series point cloud in three-dimensional space is acquired. A grid is generated that covers the aforementioned three-dimensional space and includes multiple cells, Based on user input via the input device, select at least one cell containing the ground from among the plurality of cells, Based on the point cloud, determine the height value of each of the at least one cell. Based on the height value of each of the at least one of the aforementioned cells, the height values ​​of each of the remaining cells among the plurality of cells, excluding the at least one aforementioned cell, are determined. An electronic device that stores instructions configured to identify the ground based on the height values ​​of each of the aforementioned multiple cells.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of cells is a hexahedron cell having a horizontal and vertical value of a predetermined length and a height value determined based on the point cloud or user input.

3. The instruction is performed by one or more processors, Of the at least one of the aforementioned cells, for the first cell, identify the point with the largest height value among the multiple points contained in the first cell. The electronic device according to claim 2, configured to determine the height value of the confirmed point as the height value of the first cell.

4. The instruction is performed by one or more processors, Of the at least one cell, the input device receives user input for the second cell to select at least one point, including the ground, from among the multiple points included in the second cell. In response to receiving the user input, the system identifies the point with the largest height value among the at least one point. The electronic device according to claim 2, configured to determine the height value of the confirmed point as the height value of the second cell.

5. The instruction is performed by one or more processors, Of the at least one of the aforementioned cells, the input device receives user input for inputting the height value of the third cell. The electronic device according to claim 2, configured to determine the height value of the third cell in response to receiving the user input.

6. The instruction is performed by one or more processors, The electronic device according to claim 1, configured to determine the height values ​​of the remaining cells by interpolation based on the height values ​​of each of the at least one of the cells.

7. The instruction is performed by one or more processors, Of the aforementioned point cloud, the region identified as the ground is defined as the static object region. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the static point cloud corresponding to the static object region is configured to be excluded from calculations.

8. Including the display, The instruction is performed by one or more processors, The electronic device according to claim 1, configured to display the at least one cell in a specific color on the display in response to the selection of the at least one cell.

9. The aforementioned communication circuit is connected to multiple sensing devices, The instruction is performed by one or more processors, Multiple time-series point clouds in the three-dimensional space are acquired from the aforementioned multiple sensing devices. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the input device is configured to select one point cloud from among the plurality of point clouds for identifying the ground.

10. A method for identifying the ground using a time-series point cloud in the three-dimensional space of an electronic device, The operation involves acquiring a time-series point cloud in three-dimensional space from a sensing device, The operation of generating a grid that covers the aforementioned three-dimensional space and includes multiple cells, Based on user input via an input device, the operation of selecting at least one cell, including the ground, from among the plurality of cells, Based on the point cloud, the operation of determining the height value of each of the at least one cell, An operation to determine the height value of each of the remaining cells among the plurality of cells, excluding the at least one cell, based on the height value of each of the at least one cell; A method for identifying the ground, which includes the operation of identifying the ground based on the height values ​​of each of the aforementioned plurality of cells.

11. A method for identifying the ground according to claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of cells is a hexahedron cell having a horizontal value and a vertical value of a predetermined length and a height value determined based on the point cloud or user input.

12. The operation of determining the height value of each of the at least one cell is as follows: For the first cell among the at least one of the aforementioned cells, the operation of checking the point having the largest height value among the multiple points contained in the first cell, A method for identifying the ground according to claim 11, comprising the operation of determining the height value of the confirmed point as the height value of the first cell.

13. The operation of determining the height value of each of the at least one cell is as follows: Of the at least one cell, the second cell receives user input from the input device to select at least one point, including the ground, from among a plurality of points included in the second cell. In response to receiving the user input, the operation of identifying the point with the largest height value among the at least one point, A method for identifying the ground according to claim 11, comprising the operation of determining the height value of the confirmed point as the height value of the second cell.

14. The operation of determining the height value of each of the at least one cell is as follows: For the third cell among the at least one of the aforementioned cells, the input device performs the operation of receiving user input for inputting the height value of the third cell, A method for identifying the ground according to claim 11, comprising the action of determining the height value of the third cell in response to receiving the user input.

15. The operation of determining the height value of each of the remaining cells, excluding at least one of the aforementioned multiple cells, is as follows: A method for identifying the ground according to claim 10, comprising the operation of determining the height values ​​of the remaining cells by interpolation based on the height values ​​of each of the at least one of the cells.

16. The operation of determining the area of ​​the point cloud identified as the ground as a static object area, A method for identifying the ground according to claim 10, further comprising the operation of excluding the static point cloud corresponding to the static object region from calculation.

17. A method for identifying ground according to claim 10, further comprising the action of displaying the at least one cell in a specific color on a display in response to the selection of the at least one cell.

18. The operation involves acquiring multiple time-series point clouds in the three-dimensional space from multiple sensing devices, A method for identifying the ground according to claim 10, further comprising the action of selecting one point cloud from among the plurality of point clouds for identifying the ground.

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