Construction support device for road markings and construction support method for road markings

Abstract

A construction support device (100) for road markings includes a control device (120) configured to control construction support information displayed on a display unit (113). The control device (120) includes: a construction unit (122) configured to construct a virtual space corresponding to a real space on the basis of point cloud data; an arrangement setting unit (124) configured to arrange an object, corresponding to the road markings, in the virtual space; and a display control unit (125) configured to display the object, which is the construction support information, on the display unit (113). The display control unit (125) is further configured to estimate the current position and orientation of the display unit (113) in the real space on the basis of the point cloud data, and change the appearance of the object in the display unit (113) to be in accordance with the current position and orientation of the display unit (113) in the real space.

Description

Road marking construction support device and road marking construction support method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a road marking construction support device and a road marking construction support method.

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a method for applying road markings such as letters and symbols. The method includes a masking step of masking unpainted areas of the road surface where the road markings will not be painted using a masking sheet, and a coating step of applying paint to the masked road surface to form the road markings.

[0003] JP 2023-169850 A

[0004] The above-described road marking installation method still has room for improvement in terms of reducing the burden on workers when installing road markings.

[0005] A road marking installation assistance device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a distance sensor configured to detect point cloud data of an area including a road surface on which a road marking is to be installed, a display unit integrated with the distance sensor and configured to display installation assistance information for assisting in the installation of the road marking, and a control device configured to control the installation assistance information displayed on the display unit. The control device includes a construction unit configured to construct a virtual space corresponding to real space based on the point cloud data, a placement setting unit configured to place an object corresponding to the road marking in the virtual space, and a display control unit configured to cause the display unit to display the object, which is the installation assistance information. The display control unit is further configured to estimate a current position and orientation of the display unit in real space based on the point cloud data, and to change the appearance of the object on the display unit to an appearance that corresponds to the current position and orientation of the display unit in real space.

[0006] A road marking installation support method according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes a construction process for constructing a virtual space corresponding to real space based on point cloud data output from a distance sensor, the point cloud data being of an area including a road surface on which road markings are to be installed, a placement setting process for arranging objects corresponding to the road markings in the virtual space, and a display control process for displaying the objects, which are installation support information for supporting the installation of the road markings, on a display unit provided integrally with the distance sensor. The display control process includes estimating a current position and orientation of the display unit in real space based on the point cloud data, and changing the appearance of the objects on the display unit to an appearance that corresponds to the current position and orientation of the display unit in real space.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a side view of a road marking installation support device including a road marking installation device and a terminal. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the road marking installation support device of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a road marking selection screen displayed on the display unit of the terminal of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing road markings and areas that require masking when installing the road markings. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing road markings and an installation sequence when installing the road markings. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the display screen of the display unit when the terminal of FIG. 1 is directed toward the road surface from a first position. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the display screen of the display unit when the terminal of FIG. 1 is directed toward the road surface from a second position. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the control device of the terminal of FIG. 1 in a preparation step. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the control device of the terminal of FIG. 1 after the preparation step. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the display screen of the terminal of FIG. 1 in an application step. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing road markings and an installation sequence when installing the road markings.

[0008] The following describes a road marking installation support device and a road marking installation method. <Configuration of this embodiment> As shown in Fig. 1, the road marking installation system includes an installation device 10 and an installation support device 100. The installation device 10 includes a carriage 20, a storage unit 30, an application unit 40, and a guide pole 50. In the following description, the right side in Fig. 1 is the front side, and the left side in Fig. 1 is the rear side, and directions expressed by terms such as "front," "rear," "up," "down," "left," and "right" are defined relative to the carriage 20. The left-right direction may also be referred to as the width direction.

[0009] <Carriage 20> The carriage 20 has a base 21, two front wheels 22, a rear wheel 23, a handle 24, and a holder 25. The base 21 is a part that serves as the foundation of the carriage 20. A plurality of components of the construction device 10 are mounted on the base 21. The two front wheels 22 are located on both sides of the base 21 in the width direction. The rear wheel 23 is located in the center of the base 21 in the width direction. As an example, the two front wheels 22 are drive wheels, and the rear wheel 23 is a driven wheel. Furthermore, it is preferable that the two front wheels 22 are non-steerable, and it is preferable that the rear wheel 23 is steerable. The drive source of the two front wheels 22 may be an engine or an electric motor. The handle 24 is rod-shaped and extends in the width direction. The handle 24 is located above the base 21. The holder 25 is fixed to the handle 24. The holder 25 is a component for holding the terminal 101, which will be described later.

[0010] <Storage Unit 30> The storage unit 30 includes a tank 31, a guide 32, a first shutter 33, a first link mechanism 34, and a first lever 35. The tank 31 contains paint for road markings. The paint may be any paint specified in JIS K5665 of the Japanese Industrial Standards. The tank 31 has a supply port 31a opening on its side. The guide 32 extends from the lower end of the supply port 31a toward the application unit 40. The first shutter 33 is configured to open and close the supply port 31a of the tank 31. The first link mechanism 34 has multiple links. The first link mechanism 34 connects the tip of a first lever 35 to the first shutter 33. The base end of the first lever 35 extends to the vicinity of the handle 24 of the dolly 20. The operator opens and closes the first shutter 33 by operating the first lever 35. In this way, the operator switches the state of the storage unit 30 between a state in which paint is supplied from the tank 31 to the coating unit 40 and a state in which paint is not supplied.

[0011] <Application Unit 40> The application unit 40 has a hopper 41, a second shutter 42, a second link mechanism 43, and a second adjustment lever 44. The application unit 40 is located on the right side of the dolly 20. In other words, the application unit 40 is located to the right of the right front wheel 22. The top of the hopper 41 opens toward the guide 32 of the storage unit 30. The hopper 41 has a discharge port 41a that opens toward the road surface. The discharge port 41a has a slit shape that is long in the width direction of the dolly 20. The second shutter 42 is configured to be able to open and close the discharge port 41a of the hopper 41. The second link mechanism 43 has multiple links. The second link mechanism 43 connects the tip of the second adjustment lever 44 to the second shutter 42. The base end of the second adjustment lever 44 extends to near the handle 24 of the dolly 20. The worker opens and closes the second shutter 42 of the hopper 41 by operating the second adjustment lever 44. In this way, the worker switches the state of the application unit 40 between a state in which paint is applied to the road surface and a state in which paint is not applied.

[0012] Depending on the type of paint, it may be preferable for the tank 31 and hopper 41 to have a heat source to maintain the paint in a molten state. Such a heat source may be a combustion device that uses propane gas as fuel.

[0013] <Guide pole 50> The guide pole 50 is rod-shaped. The base end of the guide pole 50 is supported near the front end of the carriage 20. The guide pole 50 is preferably rotatable between a deployed position in which it extends forward from the carriage 20 and a stored position in which it is stored in the carriage 20. When the guide pole 50 is in the deployed position, the tip of the guide pole 50 is located forward from the left end of the discharge port 41a of the hopper 41.

[0014] <Pavement Marking Application Method> A brief description will now be given of a method for applying a road marking using the application device 10. The road marking application method includes a pre-treatment step, a masking step, and an application step.

[0015] The pretreatment step is a step of applying a primer to the road surface on which the road markings will be applied. The pretreatment step is carried out to improve the adhesion of the paint to the road surface. If the adhesion between the road surface and the paint can be ensured, the application method does not need to include the pretreatment step.

[0016] The masking process is a process that follows the pre-treatment process. In the masking process, areas of the road surface that should not be painted are masked with masking sheets or masking tape. The areas that are masked vary depending on the type of road marking. In other words, the areas that are masked are automatically determined once the type of road marking is decided.

[0017] The coating process is a process that follows the masking process. In the coating process, paint is applied to the road surface while the application device 10 is traveling. That is, in the coating process, the paint is applied linearly to the road surface. For this reason, when applying road markings that include characters with many strokes or symbols consisting of many lines, it is necessary to run the application device 10 multiple times in various directions.

[0018] In the method of applying road markings, if the road markings have complex characters or symbols, it may not be possible to complete the application of the road markings in one masking step and one application step. In this case, it becomes necessary to alternately perform multiple masking steps and multiple application steps.

[0019] <Construction support device 100> As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the construction support device 100 includes a plurality of terminals 101 that can be carried by a worker. The terminals 101 may be, for example, smartphones, tablet PCs, or laptop computers. The terminals 101 are generally plate-shaped. The terminals 101 can be used while being held by the worker's hand, or can be used while being mounted on the holder 25 of the construction device 10. As shown in Figure 2, the terminals 101 include a distance sensor 111, a camera 112, a display unit 113, a communication interface 114, and a control device 120.

[0020] The distance sensor 111 detects the distance to an object present in the direction in which the sensor is facing. In this embodiment, the distance sensor 111 is a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The distance sensor 111 outputs point cloud data including distance information to the detection target. The point cloud data is a collection of data including coordinate values ​​of points on the detection target that reflect laser light. In other embodiments, the distance sensor 111 may be an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter-wave radar, or a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor, as long as sufficient point cloud data can be acquired.

[0021] The camera 112 is provided on the terminal 101 so as to face the same direction as the distance sensor 111. The shooting range of the camera 112 is preferably included in the detection range of the distance sensor 111. The frame rate of the camera 112 may be different from or the same as the detection interval of the distance sensor 111.

[0022] The display unit 113 is a non-transparent monitor. The display unit 113 is capable of displaying images captured by the camera 112 and construction support information, which is information for supporting the construction of road markings. The display unit 113 is provided on the opposite side of the distance sensor 111 and the camera 112 in the thickness direction of the terminal 101. In other words, the display unit 113 is provided on the front side of the terminal 101, and the distance sensor 111 and the camera 112 are provided on the back side of the terminal 101. In this embodiment, the display unit 113 is a touch panel that can accept operations from the user. In this respect, the display unit 113 corresponds to the "operation unit." If the terminal 101 is equipped with input devices such as a mouse and a keyboard, the input devices correspond to the "operation unit."

[0023] The communication interface 114 is a circuit including an antenna and the like. The communication interface 114 transmits and receives information to and from other terminals 101 via wireless communication. <Control device 120> The control device 120 includes, for example, a processing circuit including a CPU and memory. The memory, i.e., a computer-readable medium, includes any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or dedicated computer. When the CPU executes a program stored in the memory, the processing circuit of the control device 120 functions as an acquisition unit 121, a construction unit 122, a selection unit 123, an arrangement setting unit 124, a display control unit 125, and a communication control unit 126.

[0024] <Acquisition Unit 121> The acquisition unit 121 acquires point cloud data detected by the distance sensor 111 and video captured by the camera 112. In the acquisition unit 121, it is preferable that the acquisition cycle of the point cloud data and the acquisition cycle of the video are the same.

[0025] <Construction Unit 122> The construction unit 122 constructs a virtual space corresponding to the real space based on the point cloud data and video acquired by the acquisition unit 121. The size of the virtual space is equivalent to the size of the real space, which is the actual space. The virtual space includes at least the area where the road markings are to be installed and the surrounding area. Therefore, for the construction unit 122 to construct the virtual space, point cloud data and video that can be acquired with the terminal 101 facing a specific direction are insufficient. In other words, for the construction unit 122 to construct the virtual space, point cloud data and video that can be acquired with the terminal 101 facing various directions are required. Note that point cloud data acquired by the acquisition unit 121 at one timing and point cloud data acquired at the next timing are associated using feature points. Here, the feature points may be feature points in the point cloud data, feature points in the video, or feature points in both. The construction unit 122 also sets the road surface in the virtual space. The construction unit 122 may set, as the road surface, a surface that is at an angle of close to 90° with respect to the vertical direction among the surfaces that make up the virtual space. Alternatively, the construction unit 122 may accept an operation by the operator and set a road surface selected by the operator from among the surfaces that make up the virtual space.

[0026] <Selection Unit 123> The selection unit 123 displays multiple road markings on the display unit 113. FIG. 3 shows an example of a list of road markings displayed on the display unit 113. The list of road markings can be scrolled by the operator using a swipe or other operation. The selection unit 123 may treat a road marking having multiple character strings as a single road marking or as multiple road markings. As an example, the selection unit 123 may treat a road marking consisting of three Japanese characters, "Stop," as a single road marking, or as three road markings consisting of the kanji character "Tome" and the hiragana characters "Ma" and "Re." The "Stop" road marking is a marking intended to inform vehicles traveling on a road surface on which the road marking is installed that they must stop. Road markings are defined by national laws and regulations, such as the "Ordinance on Road Signs, Marking Lines, and Pavement Markings." The selection unit 123 accepts an operation by the worker, and allows the worker to select a road marking to be installed. The selection unit 123 may also display on the display unit 113 the size of the road marking, the location where the road marking should be installed, and precautions for installing the road marking, along with the road marking.

[0027] <Layout setting unit 124> The layout setting unit 124 places the road marking selected by the worker on the road surface in the virtual space. In the following description, the road marking placed in the virtual space will be referred to as object X1 to distinguish it from the road marking in real space. The object X1 is a two-dimensional model of the same size as the road marking. The object X1 is configured using, for example, CAD data. Furthermore, the layout setting unit 124 changes the layout mode of the object X1 in the virtual space by accepting an operation by the worker. More specifically, the layout setting unit 124 adjusts the position and orientation of the object X1 in the virtual space. In this way, the position of the object X1 in the virtual space is determined. The object X1 corresponds to one piece of construction support information.

[0028] Because the application device 10 applies paint in a linear pattern during the application process, depending on the type of road marking to be applied, it may be necessary to mask portions of the road surface where paint should not be applied. FIG. 4 shows an area (hereinafter referred to as a "masking area X2") that requires masking when applying a road marking with the character "STOP" using the application device 10. Therefore, the placement setting unit 124 sets a masking area X2 corresponding to the road marking in the virtual space. The masking area X2 differs depending on the type of road marking. In other words, once the content and position of the road marking to be applied are determined, the masking area X2 is also determined. Therefore, the masking area X2 may be a two-dimensional model associated with the object X1. The masking area X2 corresponds to one piece of application support information.

[0029] If the road marking construction method includes multiple masking processes and multiple application processes, it is preferable that the layout setting unit 124 change the masking area X2 set in the virtual space depending on the progress of the processes. That is, it is preferable that the layout setting unit 124 sets a masking area X2 corresponding to the first masking process when the first masking process is in progress, and sets a masking area X2 corresponding to the second masking process when the second masking process is in progress. Here, the masking area X2 corresponding to the first masking process is the masking area X2 required for the first application process that is performed after the first masking process.

[0030] As described above, the road marking is constructed using the construction device 10 as shown in FIG. 1. Therefore, in order to efficiently construct the road marking, the construction order of the lines constituting the road marking (hereinafter referred to as "construction order X3") is important. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the construction order X3 of the lines when constructing the road marking of the character "stop". Specifically, the dashed-dotted arrow and the circled number in the figure indicate the construction order X3 of the four lines constituting the character "stop". The starting point of the dashed-dotted arrow indicates the position where the application of the paint starts, in other words, the starting position of the operation of the second adjustment lever 44. The end point of the dashed-dotted arrow indicates the position where the application of the paint ends, in other words, the end position of the operation of the second adjustment lever 44. As shown in FIG. 5, when constructing the character "stop", the construction order X3 and the construction direction of the lines constituting the character "stop" are different from the stroke order of the character "stop". The stroke order is the order in which the lines constituting the character are described and is determined according to the character. This is to prevent the front wheels 22 and the rear wheels 23 of the construction device 10 from passing over the lines constructed before the line being constructed. Thus, the arrangement setting unit 124 sets information indicating the construction order X3 of the lines constituting the road marking. The construction order X3 of the lines constituting the road marking corresponds to one of the construction support information.

[0031] In addition, after the construction device 10 constructs the lines constituting the road marking, it may be necessary to run the construction device 10 in the traveling direction during the construction of the line, or it may be necessary to run the construction device 10 in the reverse direction of the traveling direction during the construction of the line. For this reason, although not shown in FIG. 5, the arrangement setting unit 124 may set information indicating the traveling route of the construction device 10 after the construction of the lines constituting the road marking.

[0032] <Display control unit 125> The display control unit 125 controls the content to be displayed on the display unit 113. When the camera 112 is capturing an image, that is, when the acquisition unit 121 is acquiring an image, the display control unit 125 causes the display unit 113 to display the image in real time. In the terminal 101, the display unit 113 is integrated with the camera 112. Therefore, when the position and orientation of the terminal 101 in real space change, the image displayed on the display unit 113 changes due to the change in the position and orientation of the camera 112 in real space. In other words, when the position and orientation of the terminal 101 in real space change, the image displayed on the display unit 113 changes even if the display control unit 125 does not perform processing in accordance with the change in the position and orientation of the terminal 101.

[0033] When an object X1 is placed in the virtual space, the display control unit 125 causes the display unit 113 to display the object X1. When a masking area X2 is set in the virtual space, the display control unit 125 causes the display unit 113 to display the masking area X2. When a construction order X3 of lines constituting a road marking is set in the virtual space, the display control unit 125 causes the display unit 113 to display the construction order X3.

[0034] The display control unit 125 then changes the appearance of the object X1, the masking area X2, and the construction sequence X3 according to the position and orientation of the terminal 101 in real space. Specifically, the display control unit 125 acquires the position and orientation of the terminal 101 in real space based on the point cloud data and the video. Next, the display control unit 125 generates an image that can be captured by the camera 112 of the terminal 101 (hereinafter referred to as the "virtual terminal") when it is assumed that the terminal 101 exists in the virtual space at the same position and orientation as in real space.

[0035] For example, in the virtual space, when the camera 112 of the virtual terminal is facing the object X1, an image including the object X1 is generated on the display unit 113. Furthermore, even when the camera 112 of the virtual terminal is facing the object X1, if the angle with respect to the object X1 is different, the aspect ratio of the object X1 in the image displayed on the display unit 113 changes. In this way, when the position and orientation of the terminal 101 in the real space change, the display control unit 125 performs processing according to the change in the position and orientation of the terminal 101, thereby changing the appearance of the object X1, the masking area X2, and the construction sequence X3 displayed on the display unit 113.

[0036] 6 and 7 show the display contents of the display unit 113 when the camera 112 of the terminal 101 is pointed at the construction location of the road marking from different positions. FIGS. 6 and 7 show a state in which the road marking "Stop" character has not yet been installed at the construction location of the road marking. In other words, of the contents shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , all except for object X1 are images captured by the camera 112, and object X1 is not an image captured by the camera 112. When the camera 112 of the terminal 101 is pointed at the construction location of the road marking from a first position, object X1 is displayed as shown in FIG. 6. On the other hand, when the camera 112 of the terminal 101 is pointed at the construction location of the road marking from a second position different from the first position, object X1 is displayed as shown in FIG. 7. In this way, the appearance of object X1 changes depending on the position and orientation of the terminal 101. Although not shown, the same applies to masking area X2 and construction sequence X3.

[0037] Furthermore, when an object overlaps an area on the road surface where road markings are to be installed, the display control unit 125 does not display the parts of the installation support information, such as the object X1, the masking area X2, and the installation sequence X3, that overlap the object on the display unit 113. Here, the object refers to a part of the installation device 10, the foot of a worker, or the like.

[0038] <Communication control unit 126> The communication control unit 126 transmits and receives information by communicating with the communication control unit 126 of another terminal 101. Information transmitted and received between the multiple terminals 101 includes information about the virtual space constructed by the construction unit 122 of a certain terminal 101, and construction support information such as an object X1, a masking area X2, and a construction order X3. The multiple terminals 101 may be connected via a single server, or may be connected by P2P (Peer to Peer).

[0039] <Processing Contents of Control Device 120> The flow of processing that the control device 120 executes to display construction support information such as the object X1 on the display unit 113 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0040] 8 , the control device 120 starts acquiring point cloud data output from the distance sensor 111 and video output from the camera 112 (S11). After step S11, the control device 120 continuously acquires point cloud data and video at a predetermined cycle. The control device 120 then starts displaying the video (S12). After step S12, the video displayed on the display unit 113 changes in response to changes in the position and orientation of the terminal 101 in real space.

[0041] The control device 120 then begins constructing a virtual space corresponding to the real space based on the acquired information (S13). The control device 120 then determines whether construction of the virtual space is complete (S14). If construction of the virtual space is not complete enough to allow subsequent processing to continue (S14: NO), the control device 120 proceeds to step S13. In this case, the control device 120 continues construction of the virtual space. In this regard, the control device 120 may prompt the worker to use the distance sensor 111 for detection by voice or display, or may display the progress of construction of the virtual space on the display unit 113.

[0042] If the construction of the virtual space is complete enough to allow the subsequent processing to continue (S14: YES), the control device 120 displays road marking candidates as shown in FIG. 3 on the display unit 113 (S15). The control device 120 then accepts a selection operation by the operator (S16). The control device 120 then temporarily places an object X1 corresponding to the selected road marking in the virtual space (S17). Next, the control device 120 begins displaying the object X1 according to the current position and orientation of the terminal 101 in real space (S18). In other words, from step S18 onward, the appearance of the object X1 displayed on the display unit 113 changes according to changes in the position and orientation of the terminal 101 in real space.

[0043] Thereafter, the control device 120 accepts an operation by the worker to adjust the position of the object X1 (S19). Subsequently, the control device 120 adjusts the placement of the object X1 according to the operation content (S20). As a result, the position of the object X1 in the virtual space is aligned with the desired position in the real space where the road marking is to be installed. In this embodiment, once the position of the object X1 is determined, the positions of the masking area X2 and the installation sequence X3 corresponding to the object X1 are also determined. Thereafter, the control device 120 ends this process.

[0044] In the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, steps S13 and S14 correspond to the "construction process", steps S15 to S20 correspond to the "layout setting process", and step S12 corresponds to the "display control process".

[0045] Referring to FIG. 9 , the flow of processing performed by the control device 120 to display construction support information such as the masking area X2 and the construction sequence X3 on the display unit 113 will be described. As shown in FIG. 9 , the control device 120 determines whether the masking process is in progress (S31). The control device 120 may passively determine whether the masking process is in progress based on the user's operation, or may actively determine whether the masking process is in progress based on video or the like. If the masking process is in progress (S31: YES), the control device 120 displays the masking area X2 on the display unit 113 in association with the object X1 (S32). On the other hand, if the masking process is not in progress (S31: NO), the control device 120 determines whether the coating process is in progress (S33). The control device 120 may passively determine whether the coating process is in progress based on the user's operation, or may actively determine whether the coating process is in progress based on video or the like. If the application process is in progress (S33: YES), the control device 120 causes the display unit 113 to display the construction sequence X3 of the lines that make up the road marking. On the other hand, if the application process is not in progress (S33: NO), the control device 120 ends this process. Note that the masking process and the application process are not performed simultaneously. In this regard, the masking area X2 and the construction sequence X3 are not displayed simultaneously on the display unit 113.

[0046] <Operation of the Present Embodiment> The operation of the present embodiment when applying road markings will be described. <Preparation Process> The road marking application method of the present embodiment includes a preparation process in addition to the pre-processing process, masking process, and application process described above. The preparation process is a process before the masking process. In the pre-processing process, the worker directs the distance sensor 111 and camera 112 of the terminal 101 toward the road surface on which the road marking is to be applied and the surrounding area of ​​the road surface, causing the terminal 101 to construct a virtual space. Next, the worker selects the road marking to be applied and adjusts the position of the road marking to be applied via the terminal 101. Thus, in the preparation process, the terminal 101 places an object X1 corresponding to the road marking to be applied in the virtual space associated with the real space. When the preparation process is completed, the object X1 is displayed superimposed on the image on the display unit 113 of the terminal 101. Furthermore, when the worker changes the position and orientation of the terminal 101 in the real space, the appearance of the object X1 on the display unit 113 changes accordingly.

[0047] <Masking Process> In the masking process, the worker displays the masking area X2 on the display unit 113 of the terminal 101. Then, the worker masks the displayed masking area X2. More specifically, the worker attaches masking tape or the like to the road surface so that it overlaps the masking area X2. In this embodiment, the multiple terminals 101 can transmit and receive information to each other. Therefore, it is possible for a worker holding one terminal 101 and a worker holding another terminal 101 to share the masking work. In the masking process, the worker may hold the terminal 101 in one hand, or may fasten the terminal 101 to a neck holder or the like.

[0048] <Application Process> In the application process, the worker holds the terminal 101 in the holder 25 of the application device 10. Furthermore, the worker displays the application sequence X3 of the lines that make up the road marking on the display unit 113 of the terminal 101. The worker then applies the lines in accordance with the application sequence X3 displayed on the display unit 113. At this time, the worker runs the application device 10 with the tip of the guide pole 50 of the application device 10 aligned with the arrow indicating the application direction, as shown in FIG.

[0049] Fig. 10 shows the display content of the display unit 113 during the painting process. In Fig. 10, the hatched areas of the object X1 indicate that paint has been applied, and the areas of the object X1 that are not hatched indicate that paint has not been applied. In other words, Fig. 10 illustrates that the worker is painting the third of the four lines that make up the "STOP" road marking.

[0050] In this way, the worker can install the road markings without getting lost. Also, in Fig. 10, a part of the construction device 10, which is an object, overlaps with the object X1 and the construction sequence X3. Therefore, the parts of the object X1 and the construction sequence X3 that overlap with the construction device 10 are not displayed on the display unit 113. Note that the construction device 10 in Fig. 10 is shown with hatching in the area where the construction device 10 is displayed to indicate that it is a simplified illustration.

[0051] <Effects of the Present Embodiment> (1) The construction support device 100 changes the appearance of the object X1 on the display unit 113 to an appearance that corresponds to the current position and orientation of the terminal 101 in real space. Therefore, the worker can grasp, via the construction support device 100, the position and direction of the road surface where the road marking should be placed. Therefore, the worker can place the road marking without performing the marking work that has traditionally been performed as preparatory work for placing the road marking. In this way, the construction support device 100 can reduce the burden on the worker when placing the road marking. Furthermore, the construction support device 100 digitizes the craftsmanship, including the methods and ideas used by experienced workers when placing road markings. Therefore, the construction support device 100 allows an inexperienced worker to place road markings in the same way as an experienced worker.

[0052] (2) The worker can check the image captured by the camera 112 and the object X1 on a single screen. In other words, the construction support device 100 does not need to have a transmissive display as the display unit 113. For example, the terminal 101 can be configured as a general-purpose smartphone equipped with a display, a distance sensor 111, and a camera 112.

[0053] (3) The construction support device 100 can place the object X1 at a position and orientation desired by the worker. In other words, the worker can adjust the position and orientation of the object X1. This improves the usability of the construction support device 100.

[0054] (4) In the masking process, the terminal 101 can display a masking area X2, which is one piece of construction support information, on the display unit 113. This allows the worker to mask the road surface based on the information displayed on the display unit 113. In other words, the construction support device 100 can clearly communicate to the worker the areas that require masking.

[0055] (5) In the application process, the terminal 101 can display the construction order X3 of the lines that make up the road marking, which is one piece of construction support information, on the display unit 113. This allows the worker to efficiently construct the road marking in accordance with the information indicating the construction order X3.

[0056] (6) When constructing road markings using the construction device 10, an object such as the construction device 10 may be present between the display unit 113, the area where the road markings are to be constructed, and the camera 112. In this case, if the entire object X1 is displayed on the display unit 113, there is a risk that the object X1 will be displayed overlapping the object such as the construction device 10. As a result, there is a risk of the worker becoming confused. In this regard, when an object is present overlapping the area where the road markings are to be constructed on the road surface, the construction support device 100 does not display the portion of the object X1 that overlaps the object on the display unit 113. This reduces the risk of the worker becoming confused while constructing the road markings with the construction device 10.

[0057] <Modifications> This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0058] When efficiently applying a road marking consisting of multiple characters and symbols, it is necessary to determine the application order X3 of the lines that make up the road marking, taking into account the drying speed of the paint and the travel route of the application device 10. As an example, FIG. 11 shows the application order X3 of the lines that make up the road marking when applying a road marking for the character "Stop." As shown in FIG. 11, the application order X3 is in the order of part of the character "ma," part of the character "re," the entire character "to," the remainder of the character "ma," and the entire remainder of the character "re." Thus, in order to efficiently apply road markings, it is preferable not to apply road markings consisting of multiple characters and symbols one character at a time. In other words, in order to efficiently apply road markings, the application order X3 of the lines that make up the road marking becomes complicated. In this regard, the application support device 100 displays the application order X3 of the lines that make up the road marking on the display unit 113, so that the worker can easily understand the application order X3 of the lines that make up the road marking.

[0059] The display unit 113 may be an optically transmissive monitor. In this case, the display unit 113 is preferably a head-mounted display that can be worn by the worker. If the display unit 113 is an optically transmissive monitor, the terminal 101 does not need to include the camera 112. In other words, the control device 120 does not need to display the image captured by the camera 112 on the display unit 113.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the distance sensor 111 and the camera 112 may be separated from the terminal 101 having the display unit 113. In this case, it is preferable that the road marking installation support system includes a terminal for sensing that includes the distance sensor 111 and the camera 112.

[0061] The control device 120 of the terminal 101 may determine the position and orientation of the road marking in space based on its positional relationship with other road markings that have already been installed. This eliminates the need for an operator to adjust the position and orientation of the road marking in space.

[0062] The placement setting unit 124 may set areas that do not require masking when installing the selected road marking. In this case, the areas that do not require masking correspond to information that indicates areas that require masking.

[0063] The construction support device 100 only needs to have at least one of a function for displaying the masking area X2 in the masking process and a function for displaying the construction order X3 of the road markings in the application process. In other words, the worker can use the construction support device 100 only in the masking process, or can use the construction support device 100 only in the application process.

[0064] The construction support device 100 may only have a function to display the object X1. When an object overlaps an area on the road surface where road markings are to be installed, the display control unit 125 may display the portion of the object X1 that overlaps the object on the display unit 113. In this case, the display of the object X1 may be non-transparent or may be appropriately transparent.

[0065] Road markings are not limited to those consisting of a combination of letters and symbols. Road markings may be simple lines such as shoulder strips and stop lines. Road markings consisting of letters such as "Stop" and "Crosswalk or bicycle crossing ahead" may have different shapes depending on regulations established by each prefecture. Therefore, the selection unit 123 may acquire the current location of the terminal 101 based on detection results from a GPS or the like. Next, the selection unit 123 may display road marking candidates suitable for the current location of the terminal 101 on the display unit 113. This allows the construction support device 100 to prevent road markings that should be constructed in one prefecture from being constructed on roads in other prefectures.

[0066] If there is variation in the travel speed of the construction device 10, the thickness of the paint applied to the road surface may become uneven. Furthermore, if the traveling direction of the construction device 10 deviates from the original traveling direction, the road markings may not be applied correctly. Therefore, the construction support device 100 may display information related to the traveling speed and traveling direction of the construction device 10 on the display unit 113 as construction support information. In particular, the construction support device 100 may display on the display unit 113 that there is variation in the traveling speed of the construction device 10, or may display on the display unit 113 a message urging the user to change the traveling speed of the construction device 10 to eliminate the variation. The construction support device 100 according to this modified example allows the user to correctly apply road markings.

[0067] The construction device 10 may be operable by an operator from a remote location. In this case, it is preferable that a terminal equipped with the display unit 113 and an operation unit for operating the construction device 10 is provided at the remote location. This reduces the number of personnel required at the site where the road markings are to be constructed.

[0068] The application device 10 may be a vehicle including the storage unit 30 and the application unit 40. In this case, the application support device 100 is preferably installed in the driver's seat of the vehicle or in a work space.

[0069] The control device 120 of the terminal 101 is not limited to a processing circuit that includes a CPU and memory such as ROM and executes software processing. For example, the control device 120 may include a dedicated hardware circuit that executes at least some of the various processes executed in the above-described embodiment. An example of a dedicated hardware circuit is an ASIC. ASIC is an abbreviation for "Application Specific Integrated Circuit." In other words, the control device 120 may have any of the following configurations (a) to (c):

[0070] (a) A processing circuit comprising a processing device that executes all of the above processes according to a program and a program storage device such as a ROM that stores the program. (b) A processing circuit comprising a processing device and program storage device that executes part of the above processes according to a program, and a dedicated hardware circuit that executes the remaining processes.

[0071] (c) A processing circuit comprising dedicated hardware circuits for executing all of the above processes, wherein the software execution device comprising a processing device and a program storage device, and the dedicated hardware circuits may be plural.

Claims

1. A road marking construction assistance device comprising: a distance sensor configured to detect point cloud data of an area including a road surface on which road markings are to be constructed; a display unit provided integrally with the distance sensor and configured to display construction assistance information to assist in the construction of the road markings; and a control device configured to control the construction assistance information displayed on the display unit, wherein the control device has: a construction unit configured to construct a virtual space corresponding to real space based on the point cloud data; a placement setting unit configured to place objects corresponding to the road markings in the virtual space; and a display control unit configured to cause the display unit to display the objects, which are the construction assistance information, and the display control unit is further configured to estimate the current position and orientation of the display unit in real space based on the point cloud data, and change the appearance of the objects on the display unit to an appearance that corresponds to the current position and orientation of the display unit in real space.

2. A road marking construction support device as described in claim 1, further comprising a camera that is integral with the display unit and faces in the same direction as the distance sensor, and that photographs an area including the road surface, wherein the display unit is further configured to display the image photographed by the camera, and the display control unit is further configured to display the object on the display unit superimposed on the image photographed by the camera.

3. A road marking construction support device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising an operation unit that can be operated by a worker, wherein the placement setting unit is further configured to adjust at least one of the position and orientation of the object placed in the virtual space based on the worker's operation of the operation unit.

4. A road marking construction support device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the road markings are constructed using a construction device comprising an application unit that applies paint to the road surface and a cart that supports the application unit, and the display control unit is further configured to cause the display unit to display information that indicates areas that need to be masked when constructing the road markings, and that constitutes the construction support information.

5. A road marking construction support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the road markings are constructed using a construction device comprising an application unit that applies paint to the road surface and a cart that supports the application unit, and the display control unit is further configured to cause the display unit to display information that indicates the construction order of the lines that make up the road markings, and that constitutes the construction support information.

6. The road marking construction assistance device according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the display control unit is further configured to, when an object overlaps the area of ​​the road surface where the road marking is to be constructed, not display on the display unit any part of the object that overlaps the object.

7. A method for supporting construction of road markings, comprising: a construction process for constructing a virtual space corresponding to real space based on point cloud data output from a distance sensor, the point cloud data being of an area including a road surface on which road markings are to be constructed; a placement setting process for arranging objects corresponding to the road markings in the virtual space; and a display control process for displaying the objects, which are construction support information for supporting the construction of the road markings, on a display unit provided integrally with the distance sensor, wherein the display control process includes estimating the current position and orientation of the display unit in real space based on the point cloud data, and changing the appearance of the objects on the display unit to an appearance that corresponds to the current position and orientation of the display unit in real space.

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