Driving assistance system, driving assistance method, and recording medium

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to enrich information necessary for determining whether or not an obstacle in a course direction can be avoided.　This driving assistance system comprises: an extraction unit that extracts an image of a region to be measured of a vehicle from an image captured by a camera capable of capturing an image of the vehicle passing through a road; an estimation unit that estimates the vehicle width of the vehicle on the basis of the ratio of the size of the extracted image of the region to be measured of the vehicle and the size of the subject captured in the image set in advance; and a transmission unit that transmits, to a second vehicle positioned behind the vehicle, driving assistance information using the vehicle width of the vehicle and the position of the vehicle on the road.

Description

Driving assistance system, driving assistance method, and recording medium

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance system, a driving assistance method, and a recording medium.

[0002] When traveling on a road, one of the criteria used to determine whether to take action to avoid an obstacle ahead is whether the vehicle can avoid the obstacle without crossing the center line or lane markings.

[0003] Patent Literature 1 discloses an example of a driving assistance device that can optimize obstacle avoidance operations. The driving assistance device described in this document calculates the distance to the farthest point in the area occupied by the obstacle (obstacle width) using one of the left and right sides of the driving lane opposite the avoidance direction as a reference. The driving assistance device then determines whether to change lanes to overtake the obstacle or to avoid the obstacle without changing lanes.

[0004] JP 2018-89990 A

[0005] When a camera mounted on the vehicle is used as in Patent Document 1, the camera's installation position and angle of view are fixed, so the image can be analyzed to calculate obstacles and their widths, and the amount of protrusion can be determined with a certain degree of accuracy. However, a method using a camera mounted on the vehicle has the problem that it cannot capture obstacles outside the field of view, and therefore cannot provide information about obstacles outside the field of view.

[0006] The present disclosure aims to provide a driving assistance system, a driving assistance method, and a recording medium that can contribute to enriching information necessary for determining whether an obstacle in the path can be avoided.

[0007] According to a first aspect, there is provided a driving assistance system including: an extraction unit that extracts an image of a measured area of ​​a vehicle from an image captured by a camera capable of capturing images of a vehicle traveling on a road; an estimation unit that estimates the width of the vehicle based on the size ratio between the extracted image of the measured area of ​​the vehicle and a previously set subject that appears in the image; and a transmission unit that transmits driving assistance information using the width of the vehicle and the position of the vehicle on the road to a second vehicle located behind the vehicle.

[0008] According to a second aspect, there is provided a driving assistance method that extracts an image of a measured area of ​​a vehicle from an image captured by a camera capable of capturing an image of a vehicle traveling on a road, estimates the width of the vehicle based on the size ratio between the extracted image of the measured area of ​​the vehicle and a pre-set subject that appears in the image, and transmits driving assistance information using the width of the vehicle and the position of the vehicle on the road to a second vehicle located behind the vehicle.

[0009] According to a third aspect, there is provided a recording medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute the following processes: extracting an image of a measured area of ​​a vehicle from an image captured by a camera capable of capturing images of vehicles traveling on a road; estimating the width of the vehicle based on the size ratio between the extracted image of the measured area of ​​the vehicle and a previously set subject that appears in the image; and transmitting driving assistance information using the width of the vehicle and the position of the vehicle on the road to a second vehicle located behind the vehicle.

[0010] The present disclosure can contribute to enriching the information required to determine whether an obstacle in the path can be avoided.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the operation of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a passable width estimated by the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for measuring the position of a vehicle. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an installation position of a camera connected to a dimension estimation system of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is another diagram showing an example of an installation position of a camera connected to a dimension estimation system of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining guide lines for adjusting the angle of view superimposed on a camera of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the size of a license plate. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the operation of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a suitable positional relationship between a camera and a vehicle in the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is another diagram showing an example of a suitable positional relationship between a camera and a vehicle in the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is another diagram for explaining a passable width estimated by the present disclosure. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the configuration of a computer constituting an information processing device of the present disclosure.

[0012] First, an overview of one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In this disclosure, the drawings relate to one or more embodiments. The reference numerals in the drawings attached to this overview are attached to each element for convenience as an example to facilitate understanding, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure to the illustrated form. Furthermore, connecting lines between blocks in the drawings and the like referred to in the following description include both bidirectional and unidirectional lines. Unidirectional arrows are used to schematically indicate the flow of main signals (data) and do not exclude bidirectionality. A program is executed via a computer device, which includes, for example, a processor, a storage device, an input device, a communication interface, and, if necessary, a display device. Furthermore, this computer device is configured to be able to communicate with internal or external devices (including computers) via the communication interface, whether wired or wireless. Although ports or interfaces are present at the input / output connection points of each block in the drawings, they are not shown.

[0013] 1, the present disclosure can be realized in a driving assistance system 10 including an extraction unit 11, an estimation unit 12, and a transmission unit 13. More specifically, the extraction unit 11 extracts an image of a measurement area of ​​a vehicle V from an image captured by a camera C capable of capturing an image of the vehicle V traveling on a road.

[0014] The estimation unit 12 estimates the vehicle width based on the ratio of the size of the extracted image of the measurement area of ​​the vehicle V to the size of a subject that appears in the image that is set in advance.

[0015] The transmitter 13 transmits driving assistance information using the vehicle width and the position of the vehicle on the road to a second vehicle located behind the vehicle V. The driving assistance information can be transmitted to the second vehicle via a mobile communication network or road-to-vehicle communication.

[0016] The driving assistance system 10 configured as described above operates as follows: First, the driving assistance system 10 extracts an image of the measurement area of ​​the vehicle V from the image captured by the camera C (step S01 in FIG. 2).

[0017] Next, the driving assistance system 10 estimates the vehicle width of the vehicle V based on the ratio of the size of the extracted measurement area of ​​the vehicle V to the size of the object captured in the image, which has been set in advance (step S02 in FIG. 2). Here, the "measurement area" of the vehicle refers to the area selected for estimating the vehicle width. For example, a front fender or a humpback can be used as the measurement area. Furthermore, a license plate, a road lane, or the like can be selected as the object captured in the image. It is desirable that the "measurement area" and the "object captured in the image" are located at approximately the same distance from the camera C. This simplifies the calculation of the size ratio between the "measurement area" and the "object."

[0018] Finally, the driving assistance system 10 transmits driving assistance information using the width of the vehicle V and the position of the vehicle V on the road to a second vehicle located behind the vehicle V (step S03 in Figure 2).

[0019] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle width estimation method according to the present disclosure. FIG. 3 shows a vehicle photographed by camera C. The large dashed rectangle in FIG. 3 indicates the "measurement area." In the example of FIG. 3, a license plate is selected as the "subject of known size." The section indicated by w1 in FIG. 3 is the width of the license plate, which is known. The section indicated by w2 in FIG. 3 is the vehicle width. Dividing the number of pixels in the vehicle width w2 by the number of pixels in w1 gives the ratio of the size of the "measurement area" to the "subject." Multiplying the known license plate width by this ratio allows for accurate calculation of the vehicle width. For example, if the width of the measurement area on the image is six times the width of the license plate and the license plate width is 440 mm, the vehicle width is calculated as 6 x 440 mm = 2640 mm.

[0020] Furthermore, the position (x) of the vehicle V on the road in FIG. 3 may be estimated from the position of the left edge of the vehicle on the image (the right edge of the vehicle V in FIG. 3 ), but it can also be measured by a position measurement device S installed on a roadside or the like, as shown in FIG. 4 . This position measurement device S measures the distance to the vehicle V using near-infrared light, visible light, or ultraviolet light. Furthermore, if the driving assistance system 10 and the vehicle V are capable of communicating with each other, the driving assistance system 10 may identify the position (x) of the vehicle V on the road by acquiring GPS (Global Positioning System) position information from the vehicle V.

[0021] By using the vehicle width calculated in this manner, the position of vehicle V on the road, and the width of the road, it is possible to determine the width of the road lane blocked by vehicle V (w2 + w3) and the remaining passable width (w4). For example, if a value such as 2 m is obtained as the passable width, the driving assistance system 10 uses this 2 m as is, or processes this value to create driving assistance information and transmits it to a vehicle located behind vehicle V. The position of vehicle V on the road can be obtained from the position of vehicle V on an image or a server that manages the position of vehicle V. Furthermore, this passable width is typically the section between the side of the vehicle on the center line side and the center line.

[0022] By using the driving assistance system 10 that operates as described above, it becomes possible for a second vehicle heading in the direction of vehicle V to appropriately determine whether to overtake vehicle V that is out of its field of view, or to take measures such as slowing down or stopping without overtaking vehicle V. This is because a configuration is adopted in which the vehicle width and passable width are measured using a subject of known size.

[0023] [First embodiment] Next, a first embodiment in which driving assistance information is transmitted to a vehicle that is a service target will be described. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing one configuration of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 5, a configuration including a driving assistance system 100 and a camera C connected to this driving assistance system 100 is shown.

[0024] The driving assistance system 100 includes a vehicle extraction unit 101, a front end extraction unit 102, a license plate extraction unit 103, a passable width estimation unit 104, a transmission unit 105, and three inference models 111 to 113. The inference models 111 to 113 are also called learning models.

[0025] The vehicle extraction unit 101 uses a first inference model 111 to extract an image of a vehicle V from an image captured by a camera C. The first inference model 111 is generated by learning and tuning using training data prepared in advance so that it can detect objects (vehicles) in an image. In this embodiment, the vehicle extraction unit 101 selects parked vehicles from among vehicles traveling on a road.

[0026] The front end extraction unit 102 uses a second inference model 112 to extract the area (contour) of the front end of the vehicle V from the image captured by the camera C. The second inference model 112 is generated by learning and tuning using pre-prepared training data so that it can detect the front end of an object (vehicle) in an image. As described above, in this embodiment, a cab-over vehicle is the target, and therefore the front end is the part of the front face of the vehicle where the bumper, front mask, front lights, windshield, etc. are arranged on approximately the same plane. This front end extraction unit 102 corresponds to the extraction unit 11 described above.

[0027] The license plate extraction unit 103 uses a third inference model 113 to extract the area (contour) of the license plate portion of the vehicle V from the image captured by the camera C. The third inference model 113 is generated by learning and tuning using pre-prepared training data so that it can detect the license plate portion of an object (vehicle) in the image. Note that a license plate reading function may be added to this license plate extraction unit 103.

[0028] The passable width estimation unit 104 estimates the width of the cab-over vehicle and the passable width of the lane in which the vehicle V is located from the position of the vehicle V on the image, using the areas (outlines) extracted by the vehicle extraction unit 101, front end extraction unit 102, and license plate extraction unit 103. In this embodiment, the passable width estimation unit 104 also has the functions of the above-mentioned estimation units.

[0029] The transmitter 105 creates and transmits driving assistance information to a second vehicle traveling in the direction of the vehicle V, the driving assistance information being created using the passable width of the lane in which the vehicle V is located.

[0030] In this embodiment, a portable camera C equipped with a tripod is used as the camera C. The advantage of using such a portable camera C is that it can be freely carried to areas where driving assistance for a vehicle is desired or areas with many parked vehicles. On the other hand, changing the position of the camera C may affect the detection performance of the vehicle extraction unit 101, front end extraction unit 102, and license plate extraction unit 103. The desirable positional relationship between the camera C and the vehicle will be described below.

[0031] FIG. 6 shows the horizontal angle of view θ of a camera C when the camera is installed on the roadside. ０ (For example, θ ０ = 50°). The position (measurement point) where the vehicle V is photographed is determined in advance. The vehicle V approaches the camera C, and when it reaches the measurement point at a distance 1, the camera C photographs the vehicle V. At this time, the camera C is positioned at an angle θ １ By preparing training data captured under such conditions, the detection performance of the vehicle extraction unit 101, the front end extraction unit 102, and the license plate extraction unit 103 can be maintained.

[0032] FIG. 7 shows the vertical angle of view θ of the camera C installed at a height t. ２ When the vehicle V is photographed at the timing when the vehicle V arrives at the measurement point, the camera C is positioned at an angle θ ３ The vehicle V is captured by the above equation. More preferably, training data that also matches the height condition is prepared. This makes it possible to maintain the detection performance of the vehicle extraction unit 101, the front end extraction unit 102, and the license plate extraction unit 103.

[0033] The installation location of camera C is not limited to the roadside as shown in Figure 6. For example, it is also desirable to select a position on the road where vehicle V can be captured as directly in front as possible, using a pedestrian bridge or T-junction as shown in Figure 8, and prepare a corresponding inference model. This can further improve the detection performance of vehicle extraction unit 101, front end extraction unit 102, and license plate extraction unit 103.

[0034] FIG. 9 shows guide lines for adjusting the angle of view that are superimposed on the display for confirming the image captured by camera C. The dotted lines in FIG. 9 are guide lines GL for adjusting the angle of view. The upper diagram in FIG. 9 shows the state before the angle of view is adjusted, in which the size of the vehicle V is small relative to the guide lines GL for adjusting the angle of view. From this state, by increasing the magnification using the zoom function of camera C, an image suitable for recognizing an object (vehicle), as shown in the lower diagram in FIG. 9, can be obtained. In the example in FIG. 9, an example of enlarging the image of the vehicle using zoom has been described, but by using the guide lines GL in FIG. 9, the position (side view angle) and height (depression angle) of the camera can also be adjusted at the same time.

[0035] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the size of license plates (automobile registration plates). The symbol NPL in FIG. 10 indicates the size of large license plates (large plates) attached to standard freight vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 8 tons or more or a maximum load capacity of 5 tons or more, and standard passenger vehicles with a passenger capacity of 30 or more in Japan. The symbol NPM indicates the size of medium license plates (medium plates) attached to vehicles other than vehicles with large plates and small two-wheeled vehicles in Japan. As shown in FIG. 10 , there are essentially two license plate sizes for automobiles (excluding light vehicles) in Japan. Furthermore, if the vehicle characteristics are narrowed down to whether the vehicle requires a large plate or a medium plate, there is only one license plate size. In the present disclosure, this is used to estimate the vehicle width.

[0036] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the overall operation of one configuration. Referring to Fig. 11, first, the driving assistance system 100 extracts a vehicle from an image captured by the camera C (step S001).

[0037] Next, the driving assistance system 100 extracts the area of ​​the front end of the vehicle from the image (step S002). For example, the driving assistance system 100 extracts the area of ​​the front end of the vehicle, indicated by the dashed line, from the image shown in FIG.

[0038] Next, the driving assistance system 100 extracts the area of ​​the vehicle's license plate from the image (step S003). For example, the driving assistance system 100 extracts the area of ​​the vehicle's license plate, indicated by the dashed line, from the image shown in FIG.

[0039] Next, the driving assistance system 100 calculates the vehicle width using each of the extracted regions (step S004). For example, the driving assistance system 100 calculates the vehicle width by multiplying the value obtained by dividing the width (number of pixels) w2 of the region at the front end of the vehicle shown in Figure 3 by the width (number of pixels) w1 of the license plate by the known width of the license plate.

[0040] Next, the driving assistance system 100 estimates the position of the vehicle V from the image captured by the camera C (step S005). As described above, the position of the vehicle V can also be obtained from the position measurement device S (FIG. 4) or GPS information of the vehicle V.

[0041] Next, the driving assistance system 100 transmits driving assistance information using the width of the vehicle V and the position of the vehicle V on the road to a second vehicle located behind the vehicle V (step S006).

[0042] This driving assistance information may take various forms. For example, the width of the vehicle V and the position of the vehicle V on the road may be transmitted directly to the second vehicle. The second vehicle calculates the passable width of the lane from the width and position of the vehicle V. The second vehicle then compares the passable width of the lane with the width of its own vehicle, and is able to determine whether it can safely overtake the vehicle V.

[0043] In addition, if the width of the second vehicle is known, the driving assistance system 100 can also transmit to the second vehicle, as driving assistance information, the determination result as to whether or not the second vehicle can safely overtake vehicle V.

[0044] Furthermore, the driving assistance system 100 may transmit the driving assistance information directly to the second vehicle. However, if a server or the like that provides driving assistance information to the second vehicle exists, the driving assistance system 100 may transmit the driving assistance information to this server. This server may be a driving assistance server or an automated driving assistance server that grasps the road conditions around the vehicle V and the second vehicle and provides the information to the second vehicle. In this case, the server provides driving assistance for the second vehicle using the width and position of the vehicle V received from the driving assistance system 100 in addition to the road conditions around the vehicle V and the second vehicle. In this way, it becomes possible to provide driving assistance that takes into account not only the width and position of the vehicle V, but also the presence of pedestrians and the like around the vehicle V and the situation of oncoming vehicles.

[0045] Next, the preferred positional relationship between the arrangement of camera C and the second vehicle in the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the preferred positional relationship between the camera and the vehicle in the present disclosure. In the example of Fig. 12, camera C is installed at a position a predetermined distance away from the intersection so that it can capture images in the direction of the intersection. Here, for example, it is assumed that the driving assistance system 100 detects a parked vehicle V1.

[0046] In this case, the driving assistance system 100 estimates the vehicle width and position of the parked vehicle V1. From this vehicle width and position, the passable width w4 of the lane to the side of the parked vehicle V1 can be obtained. The driving assistance system 100 then transmits driving assistance information created using the passable width w4 to the second vehicle V2 waiting to turn right in the right-turn lane. In a case like that shown in FIG. 12 , the parked vehicle V1 is not within the field of view of the onboard camera of the second vehicle V2, or even if the parked vehicle V1 is within the field of view, it is difficult to measure the passable width of the lane to the side of the parked vehicle V1 due to its position. According to the present disclosure, even in such a case, the passable width of the lane to the side of the parked vehicle V1 can be accurately estimated and transmitted to the second vehicle V2. The second vehicle V2 can use the driving assistance information obtained from the driving assistance system 100 to perform safer operations, such as by changing the right-turn course toward the center line or by waiting to turn right.

[0047] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of a suitable positional relationship between a camera and a vehicle according to the present disclosure. The vehicle to which the driving assistance system 100 transmits driving assistance information may be a second vehicle V2 located behind a parked vehicle V1, as shown in FIG. 13 . In the example of FIG. 13 , a third vehicle V3 is present between the second vehicle V2 and the parked vehicle V1. Therefore, the parked vehicle V1 is difficult to see from the onboard camera of the second vehicle V2, making it difficult to measure the passable width of the lane to its side. According to the present disclosure, even in such a case, it is possible to accurately estimate the passable width w4 of the lane to the side of the parked vehicle V1 and communicate this to the second vehicle V2. Using the driving assistance information obtained from the driving assistance system 100, the second vehicle V2 can take safer actions, such as moving closer to the center line or slowing down.

[0048] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a vehicle (second vehicle) in the direction of travel of the parked vehicle V1 with the passable width of the lane to the side of the parked vehicle V1 in the form of driving assistance information.

[0049] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the driving assistance system 100 selects the parked vehicle V1, but the driving assistance system 100 may also select a vehicle that is moving slowly. For example, by selecting a road sweeper, an autonomous vehicle, or the like and providing a passable width for the lane on the side of the vehicle, it becomes possible to assist these vehicles in passing safely.

[0050] As can be understood from the above description, the target to which the driving assistance system 100 transmits driving assistance information can be an autonomous vehicle. In this case, the autonomous vehicle can determine whether to drive to avoid the obstacle based on the driving assistance information.

[0051] Second Embodiment In the first embodiment described above, the driving assistance system 100 is described as estimating the vehicle width of the vehicle V using a license plate. However, the subject used by the driving assistance system 100 when estimating the vehicle width of the vehicle V is not limited to this. For example, a configuration can be adopted in which the vehicle width w2 of the vehicle V is estimated based on the lane width w11 in FIG. 14 . From the vehicle width w2 obtained in this manner and the vehicle position (x), the passable widths w3 and w4 of the lanes on both sides of the vehicle can be estimated. The passable width w3 of the lane on the left side of the vehicle obtained in this manner can also be used to provide driving assistance to, for example, a bicycle traveling on the shoulder.

[0052] Furthermore, for example, the width w2 of the parked vehicle V1 can be estimated using a diamond-shaped figure on the road (a diamond mark, which in Japan is a sign indicating "a pedestrian crossing or bicycle crossing ahead") as shown in Fig. 15. Specifically, the width w2 of the parked vehicle V1 can be estimated using the number of pixels in the width of the parked vehicle V1 relative to the width w12 of the diamond-shaped figure of known size.

[0053] In addition to the center line and diamond markings described above, various other shapes painted on the road can be used. Suitable examples include crosswalks, zebra lines, speed signs, and signs such as "Stop." If these road shapes are standardized, the driving assistance system 100 estimates the vehicle width w2 using the standard dimensions. Some of these road shapes may not have standardized sizes. In this case, the driving assistance system 100 estimates the vehicle width w2 using the dimensions of the shapes obtained through a field survey or the like.

[0054] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and further modifications, substitutions, and adjustments can be made without departing from the basic technical concept of the present disclosure. For example, the network configurations, element configurations, and data representation formats shown in the drawings are examples intended to aid in understanding the present disclosure, and are not limited to the configurations shown in these drawings.

[0055] (Hardware Configuration) In each embodiment of the present disclosure, each component of each device represents a functional unit block. Some or all of the components of each device are realized by an arbitrary combination of an information processing device 900 and a program, for example, as shown in FIG. 16 . FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 900 that realizes each component of each device. The information processing device 900 includes, as an example, the following configuration: - CPU (Central Processing Unit) 901 - ROM (Read Only Memory) 902 - RAM (Random Access Memory) 903 - Program 904 loaded into RAM 903 - Storage device 905 that stores the program 904 - Drive device 907 that reads and writes to a recording medium 906 - Communication interface 908 that connects to a communication network 909 - Input / output interface 910 that inputs and outputs data - Bus 911 that connects each component

[0056] Each component of each device in each embodiment is realized by the CPU 901 acquiring and executing a program 904 that realizes the function. That is, the CPU 901 in FIG. 16 executes a vehicle extraction program and a vehicle width estimation program, and performs an update process for each calculation parameter stored in the RAM 903, the storage device 905, etc. The program 904 that realizes the function of each component of each device is stored in the storage device 905 or the ROM 902 in advance, for example, and is read out by the CPU 901 as needed. The program 904 may be supplied to the CPU 901 via the communication network 909, or may be stored in advance on the recording medium 906, and the drive device 907 may read out the program and supply it to the CPU 901.

[0057] There are various variations in the method of realizing each device. For example, each device may be realized by any combination of a separate information processing device 900 and a program for each component. Furthermore, multiple components included in each device may be realized by any combination of a single information processing device 900 and a program. That is, each unit (processing means, function) of the driving assistance system shown in the first and second embodiments can be realized by a computer program that causes a processor installed in the device to execute each of the above-mentioned processes using its hardware.

[0058] In addition, some or all of the components of each device may be realized by other general-purpose or dedicated circuits, processors, etc., or a combination of these. These may be configured by a single chip, or by multiple chips connected via a bus.

[0059] Some or all of the components of each device may be realized by a combination of the above-mentioned circuits and programs.

[0060] When some or all of the components of each device are realized by multiple information processing devices, circuits, etc., the multiple information processing devices, circuits, etc. may be centrally or decentralized. For example, the information processing devices, circuits, etc. may be realized as a client-server system, a cloud computing system, or the like, in a form in which each device is connected via a communication network.

[0061] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to only the above-described embodiments. In other words, those skilled in the art can modify or substitute the above-described embodiments to construct various modified forms without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0062] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0063] [Supplementary Note 1] A driving assistance system comprising: an extraction unit that extracts an image of a measured area of ​​a vehicle from an image captured by a camera capable of capturing images of the vehicle traveling on a road; an estimation unit that estimates the width of the vehicle based on the size ratio between the extracted image of the measured area of ​​the vehicle and a predetermined subject appearing in the image; and a transmission unit that transmits driving assistance information using the vehicle's width and its position on the road to a second vehicle located behind the vehicle. [Supplementary Note 2] The estimation unit of the driving assistance system described above may further estimate the passable width of the lane in which the vehicle is located using the vehicle's width and its position on the road, and the transmission unit may transmit the passable width of the lane as the driving assistance information. [Supplementary Note 3] The estimation unit of the driving assistance system described above may be configured to estimate the section between the side of the vehicle on the centerline side and the centerline using the lane width as the passable width of the lane. [Supplementary Note 4] The driving assistance system described above may be configured to select a parked vehicle or a vehicle moving slowly from an image captured by the camera as the vehicle. [Supplementary Note 5] The driving assistance system described above may be configured to use a license plate of a vehicle traveling on the road as the subject. [Supplementary Note 6] The driving assistance system described above may be configured to use a figure painted on the road as the subject. [Supplementary Note 7] The driving assistance system described above may be configured to transmit the driving assistance information to an autonomous vehicle that determines whether to overtake the vehicle based on the driving assistance information. [Supplementary Note 8] A driving assistance method comprising: extracting an image of a measured area of ​​the vehicle from an image captured by a camera capable of capturing an image of a vehicle traveling on a road; estimating the width of the vehicle based on the size ratio between the extracted image of the measured area of ​​the vehicle and a predetermined subject appearing in the image; and transmitting driving assistance information using the width of the vehicle and the position of the vehicle on the road to a second vehicle located behind the vehicle.[Supplementary Note 9] A recording medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute the following steps: extracting an image of a vehicle's measurement area from an image captured by a camera capable of capturing images of vehicles traveling on a road; estimating the vehicle's width based on the size ratio between the extracted image of the vehicle's measurement area and a predetermined subject appearing in the image; and transmitting driving assistance information using the vehicle's width and its position on the road to a second vehicle located behind the vehicle. Note that the embodiments described in each of the above Supplements can be combined with each other after making necessary modifications. For example, a configuration that combines the contents of Supplementary Note 4 and Supplementary Note 5 is also within the scope of this specification. Furthermore, the embodiments of Supplements 8 to 9 can be expanded into the embodiments of Supplements 2 to 7, similar to Supplementary Note 1.

[0064] The disclosures of the above-cited patent documents are incorporated herein by reference and may be used as the basis or part of this disclosure, as necessary. Modifications and adjustments of the embodiments and examples are possible within the scope of this disclosure (including the claims), and further based on its basic technical concept. Furthermore, various combinations and selections (including partial deletions) of various disclosed elements (including elements of each claim, each element of each embodiment or example, each element of each drawing, etc.) are possible within the scope of this disclosure. In other words, this disclosure naturally includes various modifications and alterations that would be possible by a person skilled in the art in accordance with the entire disclosure, including the claims, and the technical concept. In particular, with regard to the numerical ranges described herein, any numerical value or subrange within that range should be construed as specifically described, even if not otherwise specified. Furthermore, the disclosures of the above-cited documents, when used in part or in whole in combination with the disclosures herein as part of this disclosure, in accordance with the spirit of this disclosure, are also deemed to be included in the disclosures of this application.

[0065] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Driving assistance system 11 Extraction unit 12 Estimation unit 13 Transmission unit 100 Driving assistance system 101 Vehicle extraction unit 102 Front end extraction unit 103 License plate extraction unit 104 Passable width estimation unit 105 Transmission unit 111-113 Inference model 900 Information processing device 901 CPU (Central Processing Unit) 902 ROM (Read Only Memory) 903 RAM (Random Access Memory) 904 Program 905 Storage device 906 Recording medium 907 Drive device 908 Communication interface 909 Communication network 910 Input / output interface 911 Bus BB1, BB2 Bounding box C Camera GL Guide line NPL License plate (large plate) NPM License plate (medium plate) V, V2, V3 Vehicle V1 Parked vehicle w1 Width of license plate w2 Vehicle width w3 Passable width (open width on the left side of the vehicle) w4 Passable width of lane w11 Lane width w12 Width of figure on road θ ０ Horizontal angle of view of camera C θ １ , θ ３ Shooting angle θ ２ Vertical angle of view of camera C

Claims

1. An extraction unit that extracts an image of a measurement target area of the vehicle from an image captured by a camera capable of capturing a vehicle passing on a road; an estimation unit that estimates the vehicle width of the vehicle based on a ratio of the size of the image of the measurement target area of the extracted vehicle to the size of a subject set in advance and appearing in the image; and a transmission unit that transmits driving support information using the vehicle width of the vehicle and the position of the vehicle on the road to a second vehicle located behind the vehicle. A driving support system comprising the above components.

2. The estimation unit further estimates the passable width of the lane in which the vehicle is located using the vehicle width of the vehicle and the position of the vehicle on the road, and the transmission unit transmits the passable width of the lane as the driving support information. The driving support system according to claim 1.

3. The estimation unit estimates, as the passable width of the lane, a section between the side surface on the center line side of the vehicle and the center line using the lane width of the lane. The driving support system according to claim 2.

4. The driving support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a parked vehicle or a slowly moving vehicle is selected from an image captured by the camera of the vehicle.

5. The driving support system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a license plate of a vehicle traveling on the road is used as the subject.

6. The driving support system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a figure painted on the road with paint is used as the subject.

7. The second vehicle is an autonomous driving vehicle that determines whether to overtake the vehicle based on the driving support information. The driving support system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. An image of a measurement target area of a vehicle is extracted from an image captured by a camera capable of capturing a vehicle passing on a road; the vehicle width of the vehicle is estimated based on a ratio of the size of the image of the measurement target area of the extracted vehicle to the size of a subject set in advance and appearing in the image; and driving support information using the vehicle width of the vehicle and the position of the vehicle on the road is transmitted to a second vehicle located behind the vehicle. A driving support method.

9. A recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a process of extracting an image of a measurement target area of the vehicle from an image captured by a camera capable of capturing a vehicle passing on a road, a process of estimating a vehicle width of the vehicle based on a ratio of the size of the image of the measurement target area of the extracted vehicle to a subject to be photographed in the image set in advance, and a process of transmitting driving support information using the vehicle width of the vehicle and the position of the vehicle on the road to a second vehicle located behind the vehicle.

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