JP-2026075376-A - Vehicle identification device
Abstract
[Problem] To suppress unnecessary warnings when a vehicle is about to pass a traffic light. [Solution] The ECU 150's processor 152 includes a traffic light determination unit 152b that determines the display state of the traffic lights at the intersection the vehicle is about to enter based on an image representing the area in front of the vehicle; a gaze determination unit 152a that determines whether or not the driver is looking at the traffic lights; and a warning unit 152c that suppresses a warning to the driver if it is determined that the driver is looking at the traffic lights, that the traffic lights are displaying a red light and a green arrow signal, and that the green arrow signal does not indicate that a right turn is permitted or a left turn is permitted. [Selection Diagram] Figure 3
Inventors
- 神保 大輔
Assignees
- トヨタ自動車株式会社
Dates
- Publication Date
- 20260508
- Application Date
- 20241022
Claims (1)
- A signal determination unit determines the display state of the traffic lights at the intersection the vehicle is about to enter, based on an image representing the area in front of the vehicle. A gaze determination unit that determines whether or not the driver is looking at the traffic light, A warning unit that suppresses a warning to the driver if it is determined that the driver is looking at a traffic light, that the traffic light is displaying a red light and a green arrow signal, and that the green arrow signal does not indicate that a right turn is permitted or a left turn is permitted. A vehicle determination device equipped with the following features.
Description
This invention relates to a vehicle identification device. Conventionally, it is known that, based on an image taken in front of the vehicle, if it is determined that a traffic light is an arrow-type traffic light, the first direction indicated by the arrow light of the arrow-type traffic light is compared with the second direction the vehicle is intending to travel, and if it is determined that the first and second directions do not match, a predetermined driving assistance system is provided to the driver of the vehicle (see Patent Document 1). Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-016000 This is a schematic diagram of a vehicle driving assistance system according to one embodiment.This diagram shows a vehicle attempting to enter an intersection with traffic lights.This is a schematic diagram showing the functional blocks of the ECU processor.This is a flowchart showing the processes performed by the ECU processor. Several embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, these descriptions are intended merely as examples of preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention to such specific embodiments. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle driving support system 1000 according to one embodiment. The driving support system 1000 is mounted on a vehicle, such as an automobile, and includes a front camera 110, a driver monitor camera 120, a warning device 130, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 150. The front camera 110, driver monitor camera 120, warning device 130, and ECU 150 are each connected to communicate via an in-vehicle network compliant with standards such as the Controller Area Network (CAN). The front camera 110 and the driver monitor camera 120 each have a two-dimensional detector composed of an array of photoelectric conversion elements sensitive to visible light, such as a CCD or C-MOS, and an imaging optical system that forms an image of the area to be photographed on the two-dimensional detector. The front camera 110 is installed inside the vehicle, such as on the dashboard or near the windshield, and photographs the area around the vehicle (for example, in front of the vehicle) and generates an image representing the environment around the vehicle. Similarly, the driver monitor camera 120 is installed inside the vehicle, such as on the dashboard, steering column, or near the windshield, facing the assumed position of the driver, and photographs the driver's face and generates an image of the driver's face (face image). The front camera 110 and the driver monitor camera 120 take photographs at predetermined shooting intervals (for example, 1/30 second to 1/10 second). The front camera 110 may be composed of a stereo camera and may be configured to acquire the distance to each structure on the image from the parallax of the left and right images. The front camera 110 and the driver monitor camera 120 output the generated image to the ECU 150 via the in-vehicle network each time they generate an image. The ECU 150 is one embodiment of the vehicle determination device according to this disclosure. The ECU 150 includes a processor 152, a memory 154, and a communication interface 156. The processor 152 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 152 may further have other arithmetic circuits such as a logic unit, a numerical unit, or a graphics processing unit. The memory 154 includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory, and stores data related to the processing according to this embodiment. The communication interface 156 has an interface circuit for connecting the ECU 150 to an in-vehicle network. The warning device 130 includes a display device and a speaker. The display device is, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) and is installed near the meter panel or dashboard. It displays and outputs warnings in response to instructions from the ECU 150. The speaker outputs warnings audibly in response to instructions from the ECU 150. The driving assistance system 1000 is equipped with an RSA (Road Sign Assist) function, which recognizes specific road signs and signals using image recognition and warns the driver via a display or buzzer. Based on the image from the front camera 110, the driving assistance system 1000 uses the RSA function to issue a warning when the vehicle is about to pass through an intersection with a red light, assisting in alerting the driver. This prevents the driver from mistakenly entering an intersection with a red light. Figure 2 shows a vehicle 10 attempting to enter an intersection equipped with a traffic light 20. For example, as shown in Figure 2, there exists a traffic light 20 that displays a red light 22 simultaneously with a blue arrow signal 24 below the red light 22 indicating straight, left/right, and diagonal directions. In such a traffic light 20, e