JP2019007892A - Information acquisition device, program, and information acquisition system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the accuracy of information acquisition by electromagnetic radiation. An information acquisition device 20 according to the present disclosure uses a radiation density determination unit 21 that determines a radiation density of an electromagnetic wave emitted by a radiation device 11 according to a situation of a radiation direction of the electromagnetic wave, and a determined radiation density. An emission control unit 22 that causes the radiator 11 to emit an electromagnetic wave, and an information acquisition unit that acquires information about a reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave emitted from the radiator 11 and acquires information at an irradiation position of the electromagnetic wave based on the acquired detection information. 23, and. [Selection diagram] Figure 1

Description

  The present disclosure relates to an information acquisition device, a program, and an information acquisition system.

  In Patent Document 1, laser light is emitted while scanning within a predetermined range, reflected light reflected by an object within the predetermined range is received, and the laser light is reflected based on the received reflected light. A laser radar that detects the distance to an object and the direction in which the object exists is disclosed.

JP 2009-103482 A

  When acquiring distance information to an object or the like by radiating an electromagnetic wave such as a laser beam while scanning and receiving reflected light of the electromagnetic wave, it is required to acquire necessary information with higher accuracy.

  An object of the present disclosure made in view of the above problems is to improve the accuracy of acquisition of information by radiation of electromagnetic waves.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the information acquisition device according to the first aspect is determined to be a radiation density determination unit that determines the radiation density of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the radiation unit according to the state of the radiation direction of the electromagnetic wave. A radiation control unit that radiates an electromagnetic wave to the radiation unit at the radiation density, and obtains detection information of a reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the radiation unit, and information on an irradiation position of the electromagnetic wave based on the obtained detection information And an information acquisition unit for acquiring.

  In addition, a program according to the second aspect allows a computer to determine a radiation density of an electromagnetic wave radiated from a radiation unit according to a situation in a radiation direction of the electromagnetic wave, and to the radiation unit with the determined radiation density. A process of radiating an electromagnetic wave and a process of acquiring detection information of a reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the radiating unit and acquiring information at an irradiation position of the electromagnetic wave based on the acquired detection information are executed.

  An information acquisition system according to a third aspect includes a radiation device that radiates electromagnetic waves, a detection device that detects a reflected wave of the electromagnetic waves radiated from the radiation device, and an information acquisition device, wherein the information acquisition device includes: A radiation density determining unit that determines a radiation density of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the radiation device according to a situation in a radiation direction of the electromagnetic wave; and a radiation control unit that causes the radiation device to emit an electromagnetic wave at the determined radiation density; An information acquisition unit that acquires detection information of a reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the radiation device from the detection device, and acquires information at an irradiation position of the electromagnetic wave based on the acquired detection information.

  According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the accuracy of information acquired by electromagnetic wave radiation.

It is a figure showing an example of composition of an information acquisition system concerning one embodiment of this indication. It is a figure which shows the radiation state of the electromagnetic waves from the optical system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the scene of the predetermined visual field range which radiates | emits electromagnetic waves from the optical system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of radiation | emission of the electromagnetic waves to the predetermined visual field range shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the radiation | emission of the electromagnetic wave to the predetermined visual field range by the information acquisition system shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of the electromagnetic wave radiation | emission of the information acquisition apparatus shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the same numerals indicate the same or equivalent components.

  In recent years, studies on automatic driving of vehicles such as automobiles are underway. In automatic driving of a vehicle, it is necessary to detect an object (another vehicle, a pedestrian, etc.) around the vehicle. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) research is being promoted for in-vehicle use and industrial use such as detection of objects around the vehicle. LiDAR emits light (electromagnetic waves) such as ultraviolet rays, visible rays, and near infrared rays while scanning within a predetermined visual field range, and detects reflected waves reflected by objects within the visual field range, thereby detecting the reflected waves. Get information. Based on this detection information, LiDAR can acquire information such as distance information to an object within the visual field range.

  In the acquisition of information by electromagnetic wave radiation as described above, for example, there is a problem that the accuracy of information (distance information, luminance information, etc.) acquired for an object at a long distance is lowered. In the present disclosure, by determining the radiation density of electromagnetic waves according to the state of the electromagnetic wave radiation direction, it is possible to improve the accuracy of information acquired by the radiation of electromagnetic waves.

  An information acquisition system 1 including an information acquisition device 20 according to the present embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a radiation device 11 (radiation unit), a scanner 12, a light receiving device 13 (detection device), and an information acquisition device 20. . In FIG. 1, white arrows connecting the functional blocks indicate a control signal or a flow of information to be communicated. Moreover, the solid line arrow which protrudes from each functional block shows a beam-like electromagnetic wave. Moreover, the dashed-dotted arrow which injects into each functional block or protrudes from each functional block shows the reflected wave from which electromagnetic waves were reflected by the object.

  The radiation device 11 radiates electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet rays, visible rays, and near infrared rays toward the scanner 12. The radiation device 11 includes an LED (Light Emitting Diode), an LD (Laser Diode), and the like. The radiating device 11 switches the number of radiating times of electromagnetic waves per unit time, the radiating time per unit time of electromagnetic waves, and the like according to control of the radiation control unit 22 of the information acquisition device 20 described later. Further, the radiation device 11 switches the pulse width, the frequency, the duty ratio, or the like when the electromagnetic wave to be radiated is pulsed according to the control of the radiation control unit 22.

  The scanner 12 reflects the electromagnetic wave radiated from the radiation device 11 while changing the direction in accordance with the control of the radiation control unit 22 described later. Thereby, the scanner 12 changes the irradiation position of the electromagnetic wave within a predetermined visual field range. That is, the scanner 12 scans within a predetermined visual field range by the electromagnetic waves radiated from the radiation device 11.

  The scanner 12 includes, for example, a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) mirror, a polygon mirror, a galvanometer mirror, and the like including a minute mirror that can swing around two axes. The scanner 12 scans the electromagnetic wave within a predetermined visual field range by reflecting the electromagnetic wave radiated from the radiation device 11 while swinging the mirror.

  The scanner 12 reflects the reflected wave, which is reflected by the object within the predetermined visual field range and returned to the same axis, toward the light receiving device 13.

  The light receiving device 13 receives the reflected wave reflected by the scanner 12 and outputs detection information indicating that the reflected wave has been received (an electric signal corresponding to the intensity of the received reflected wave) to the information acquisition device 20. The light receiving device 13 includes, for example, an APD (Avalanche PhotoDiode), a PD (PhotoDiode), and the like.

  The radiation device 11, the scanner 12, and the light receiving device 13 constitute an optical system 14 that performs radiation reception of an electromagnetic wave within a predetermined visual field range and reception of a reflected wave from which the electromagnetic wave is reflected.

  The information acquisition device 20 controls the emission of electromagnetic waves from the optical system 14 into a predetermined visual field range. In addition, the information acquisition device 20 acquires information at the irradiation position of the electromagnetic wave based on the detection information of the reflected wave reflected by the object within the predetermined visual field range.

  The information acquisition device 20 includes a radiation density determination unit 21, a radiation control unit 22, and an information acquisition unit 23.

  The radiation density determination unit 21 determines the radiation density of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the radiation device 11 according to the state of the electromagnetic wave radiation direction. For example, the radiation density determining unit 21 may calculate the electromagnetic wave radiation density, such as the number of times of electromagnetic wave radiation per unit area, the number of times of electromagnetic wave radiation per unit time, the time of electromagnetic wave radiation per unit area, and the time of electromagnetic wave radiation per unit time. , The changing speed of the radiation direction, the pulse width of the electromagnetic wave if the electromagnetic wave is pulsed, the frequency of the electromagnetic wave if the electromagnetic wave is pulsed, the duty ratio of the electromagnetic wave if the electromagnetic wave is pulsed Decide at least one.

  Further, the radiation density determination unit 21, for example, as the state of the electromagnetic wave radiation direction, the distance from the electromagnetic wave radiation position to the irradiation position, the size of the electromagnetic wave irradiation target when viewed from the electromagnetic wave radiation position, a predetermined field of view range Electromagnetic wave emission depending on the electromagnetic radiation emission position, the moving speed in the viewing direction (direction seen from the electromagnetic wave emission position) in the electromagnetic wave emission range, the relative speed with the object in the visual direction in the electromagnetic wave emission range, etc. Determine the density.

  The radiation control unit 22 controls the radiation device 11 and the scanner 12 to emit electromagnetic waves from the optical system 14 within a predetermined visual field range. Here, the radiation control unit 22 controls the radiation device 11 and the scanner 12 so that the electromagnetic wave is radiated from the optical system 14 at the radiation density determined by the radiation density determination unit 21. Specifically, the radiation control unit 22 outputs a trigger signal instructing radiation of electromagnetic waves to the radiation device 11 to radiate electromagnetic waves. The radiation control unit 22 controls the number of times the trigger signal is output, the output interval, and the like according to the radiation density determined by the radiation density determination unit 21. The radiation control unit 22 controls the mirror swing angle of the scanner 12, the speed at which the mirror is swung (drive speed), and the like according to the radiation density determined by the radiation density determination unit 21.

  That is, the radiation control unit 22 counts the number of radiations per unit area of the electromagnetic wave and the unit time of the electromagnetic wave so that the density of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the optical system 14 follows the radiation density of the electromagnetic wave determined by the radiation density determining unit 21. Controls at least one of the number of hits, the emission time per unit area of the electromagnetic wave, the emission time per unit time of the electromagnetic wave, the changing speed of the emission direction, the pulse width, frequency, and duty ratio when the electromagnetic wave is pulsed To do.

  The radiation control unit 22 determines the radiation density of electromagnetic waves as the number of radiations per unit area of electromagnetic waves, the number of radiations per unit time of electromagnetic waves, the radiation time per unit area of electromagnetic waves, the radiation time per unit time of electromagnetic waves, When controlling the pulse width in the case of a pulse shape, the frequency in the case where the electromagnetic wave is in a pulse shape, and the duty ratio in the case where the electromagnetic wave is in a pulse shape, the driving speed of the mirror of the scanner 12 remains constant, and the radiation device 11 Controls the number of times of radiation per unit time to radiate electromagnetic waves, the time of radiation per unit time, the duty ratio, etc. As described above, the radiation control unit 22 outputs a trigger signal to the radiation device 11 to emit electromagnetic waves. Accordingly, the radiation control unit 22 controls the number of trigger signal outputs, the output interval, and the like according to the radiation density determined by the radiation density determination unit 21. Further, the radiation control unit 22 controls the driving speed of the mirror of the scanner 12 when controlling the changing speed of the radiation direction of the electromagnetic wave as the radiation density of the electromagnetic wave.

  The information acquisition unit 23 acquires the detection information of the reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the radiation device 11 from the light receiving device 13, and acquires information on the irradiation position of the electromagnetic wave based on the acquired detection information.

  The information acquisition unit 23 acquires, for example, distance information from an electromagnetic wave radiation position to an irradiation position of the electromagnetic wave (distance information to an object that reflects the electromagnetic wave). And the information acquisition part 23 produces | generates the distance image containing the distance information to each irradiation position of the electromagnetic waves within a predetermined visual field range, displays it on a display part, and outputs it. The information acquisition unit 23 monitors the output of the trigger signal from the radiation control unit 22 to the radiation device 11, and stores the output time of the trigger signal (the radiation time of the electromagnetic wave). Further, when the detection information of the reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the optical system 14 is output from the light receiving device 13 according to the trigger signal, the information acquisition unit 23 outputs the detection information (the detection time of the reflected wave). Remember. Then, the information acquisition unit 23 calculates the time difference between the electromagnetic wave emission time and the reflected wave detection time. This time difference corresponds to the time until the electromagnetic wave radiated from the optical system 14 reaches the object and the reflected wave reflected by the object reaches the optical system 14. Therefore, the information acquisition unit 23 can acquire distance information from the electromagnetic wave emission position to the electromagnetic wave irradiation position by calculating the time difference between the electromagnetic wave emission time and the reflected wave detection time.

  Further, as described above, the light receiving device 13 outputs an electric signal corresponding to the intensity of the received reflected wave as detection information. Therefore, the information acquisition device 20 can also acquire the luminance information of the irradiation position of the electromagnetic wave from the intensity of the electric signal.

  FIG. 2 is a view of the radiation state of the electromagnetic wave from the optical system 14 as seen from the lateral direction (horizontal direction) with respect to the viewing direction (direction indicated by the arrow).

  As shown in FIG. 2, an electromagnetic wave is radiated from the optical system 14 in a fan shape (radial shape). That is, the optical system 4 scans the visual field range in a fan shape. Therefore, when comparing a position A that is a predetermined distance away from the electromagnetic wave radiation position of the optical system 14 and a position B that is farther from the electromagnetic wave radiation position of the optical system 14 than the position A, the position B is the position of the electromagnetic wave irradiation position. The interval becomes larger.

  Therefore, the irradiation density of the electromagnetic wave is high at a position close to the electromagnetic wave radiation position, and the information acquisition device 20 can acquire a distance image with high resolution. On the other hand, at a position far from the electromagnetic wave radiation position, the irradiation density of the electromagnetic wave is low, and the information acquisition device 20 acquires a distance image with low resolution. That is, the information acquisition apparatus 20 can obtain only a distance image with a lower resolution as the distance from the radiation position of the electromagnetic wave increases.

  Therefore, in the present disclosure, the information acquisition device 20 is in a state of the radiation direction of the electromagnetic wave, for example, the radiation direction of the electromagnetic wave is a direction toward a long-distance region far from the radiation position of the electromagnetic wave or close to the radiation position of the electromagnetic wave. The radiation density of the electromagnetic wave is determined depending on whether the direction is toward the short distance region. By doing so, the information acquisition device 20 can increase the resolution of the distance image in the long-distance region, and as a result, improve the accuracy of information acquired by radiation of electromagnetic waves.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a scene in a predetermined visual field range that radiates electromagnetic waves. In the following description, it is assumed that the number of electromagnetic waves radiated per unit area is controlled as the electromagnetic wave radiation density. Moreover, below, the information acquisition system 1 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated as what is used for vehicle-mounted use. In this case, the optical system 14 is installed in front of or behind the vehicle and radiates electromagnetic waves. The information acquisition device 20 is based on the detection information of the reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave, information within a predetermined visual field range in front of or behind the vehicle, for example, distance information to an object within the visual field range, and luminance information of the irradiation position of the electromagnetic wave. Get etc.

  Normally, in the case of in-vehicle use, as shown in FIG. 3, the predetermined field range in which the information acquisition device 20 acquires a distance image is such that the upper area 31 in the field area is empty and the lower area is a short distance area 32. In many cases, the center region is a long-distance region 33 (horizon line, etc.). In this case, the region 31 corresponding to the sky is not related to the traveling direction of the vehicle, and there is a low possibility that an object to be detected such as another vehicle or a pedestrian exists. Therefore, even if the area 31 is a distance image with a low resolution or excluded from the detection target area, there is little influence. Further, in the short distance region 32, a detection target object such as another vehicle appears large when viewed from the vehicle. For this reason, detection is relatively easy even if the number of times of emission of electromagnetic waves is reduced. On the other hand, in the long-distance area 33, the object to be detected looks small when viewed from the vehicle. Therefore, if the number of times of electromagnetic wave radiation is small, it is difficult to detect an object.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the radiation position of the electromagnetic wave within the predetermined visual field range shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, the irradiation position of the electromagnetic wave is indicated by the intersection of the vertical line and the horizontal line. Here, FIG. 4 shows an example in which electromagnetic waves are radiated uniformly within a predetermined visual field range.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when electromagnetic waves are uniformly radiated within a predetermined visual field range, as described with reference to FIG. 2, in an area far from the electromagnetic radiation position (vehicle), the electromagnetic wave irradiation position The distance between the two becomes larger and only a distance image with a small resolution can be obtained. For this reason, it is difficult for the information acquisition device 20 to detect a detection target object (such as another vehicle or a pedestrian) that looks small from the vehicle.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the radiation density determination unit 21 determines the radiation density of the electromagnetic wave for each radiation direction according to the situation of the radiation direction of the electromagnetic wave. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the radiation density determination unit 21 does not emit electromagnetic waves in the region 31 corresponding to the sky. Further, the radiation density determination unit 21 reduces the number of times of electromagnetic wave emission in the short distance region 32 (direction toward the short distance region 32) as compared with the case where the electromagnetic wave is radiated uniformly within a predetermined visual field range. Further, the radiation density determination unit 21 increases the number of times of electromagnetic wave emission in the long-distance region 33 (direction toward the long-distance region) compared to the case where the electromagnetic wave is uniformly emitted within a predetermined visual field range. By doing so, the information acquisition device 20 can improve the accuracy of information acquisition by electromagnetic wave emission even in the long distance region 33 without changing the overall frequency of electromagnetic wave emission.

  Note that the information acquisition device 20 can improve the accuracy of information to be acquired even in the long-distance region 33 by radiating electromagnetic waves with high density over the entire predetermined visual field range. However, the energy of electromagnetic waves that can be radiated per unit time is limited from the viewpoint of eye-safety. Therefore, the information acquisition device 20 cannot radiate electromagnetic waves with high density over the entire predetermined visual field range.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information acquisition system 1 according to this embodiment.

  First, the radiation density determination unit 21 acquires the swing angle information indicating the swing angle of the mirror of the scanner 12 from the radiation control unit 22. And the radiation density determination part 21 discriminate | determines the area where the electromagnetic waves in a predetermined visual field range are radiated | emitted based on the acquired deflection angle information (step S1). Specifically, the radiation density determination unit 21 determines whether an area where electromagnetic waves are radiated is a short-distance area or a long-distance area.

  Next, the radiation density determination unit 21 determines the number of times of electromagnetic wave radiation depending on whether the area from which the electromagnetic wave is radiated is a short-distance region or a long-distance region. And the radiation density determination part 21 controls the frequency | count of irradiation of electromagnetic waves via the radiation control part 22 according to the determined frequency | count of radiation | emission of electromagnetic waves (step S2).

  Specifically, when the radiation density determining unit 21 determines that the area from which the electromagnetic waves are radiated is a long-distance area, for example, the radiation density determining unit 21 may radiate the electromagnetic waves more than when radiating uniformly within a predetermined visual field range. The radiation control unit 22 is instructed to output a trigger signal so that the number of times of radiation increases. Further, when the radiation density determining unit 21 determines that the area from which the electromagnetic waves are radiated is a short distance, for example, the number of times the electromagnetic waves are radiated is reduced as compared with the case of radiating uniformly within a predetermined visual field range. Thus, the radiation control unit 22 is instructed to output a trigger signal.

  Note that the radiation density determination unit 21 holds, for example, a correspondence relationship between an area where an electromagnetic wave is radiated (whether it is a long-distance region or a short-distance region) and the radiation density of the electromagnetic wave in that area in advance. Based on this correspondence, the radiation density of the electromagnetic wave can be determined.

  3 to 6, the example of controlling the number of times of radiation per unit area of the electromagnetic wave has been described as the radiation density of the electromagnetic wave. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As described above, the information acquisition device 20 uses the electromagnetic wave radiation density as the electromagnetic wave radiation density, the number of times of electromagnetic wave radiation per unit time, the radiation time per unit area of the electromagnetic wave, the radiation time per unit time of the electromagnetic wave, the changing speed of the radiation direction, When the electromagnetic wave is pulsed, the pulse width, frequency, duty ratio, etc. may be controlled.

  3 to 6, the radiation density of the electromagnetic wave is controlled for each area in the electromagnetic wave irradiation range, such as whether the area where the electromagnetic wave is radiated is a long-distance region or a short-distance region. This was explained using an example. That is, in this example, the radiation density determination unit 21 determines the radiation density so that the radiation density is higher on the center side than on the end side in the vertical direction in the radiation range of electromagnetic waves (see FIG. 5). In this case, the radiation density determining unit 21 may determine the radiation density so that the radiation density is higher stepwise in the center direction than in the vertical direction in the electromagnetic wave radiation range.

  Further, the radiation density determination unit 21 may determine the radiation density according to the distance from the electromagnetic wave radiation position to the electromagnetic wave irradiation position. In this case, for example, the radiation density determination unit 21 radiates electromagnetic waves evenly within a predetermined visual field range, and detects an object existing within the visual field range from a distance image obtained by the radiation. And the radiation density determination part 21 may determine a radiation density so that a radiation density becomes high, so that the distance from the radiation position of electromagnetic waves to the detected object (distance to the irradiation position of electromagnetic waves) is long. . Specifically, the radiation density determination unit 21 determines the radiation density such that the greater the distance from the radiation position of the electromagnetic wave to the detected object, the higher the electromagnetic wave radiation density around the object. By doing so, the information acquisition device 20 increases the radiation density of electromagnetic waves as the object is farther away, and as a result, the accuracy of information to be acquired can be improved even for the distant object.

  Moreover, the radiation density determination part 21 may determine a radiation density according to the size of the electromagnetic wave radiation | emission object when it sees from the radiation position of electromagnetic waves. In this case, for example, the radiation density determination unit 21 radiates electromagnetic waves evenly within a predetermined visual field range, and detects an object existing within the visual field range from a distance image obtained by the radiation. And the radiation density determination part 21 may determine a radiation density so that a radiation density becomes high, so that the size (size of the irradiation object of an electromagnetic wave) of an object when it sees from the radiation position of electromagnetic waves is small. Specifically, the radiation density determination unit 21 determines the radiation density so that the smaller the size of the electromagnetic wave radiation target, the higher the electromagnetic wave radiation density around the radiation target. By doing so, the information acquisition apparatus 20 can increase the radiation density of the electromagnetic wave and improve the accuracy of the acquired information as the object is smaller in size when viewed from the radiation position of the electromagnetic wave.

  Further, when the information acquisition system 1 (the optical system 14 and the information acquisition device 20) is mounted on a vehicle, the radiation density determination unit 21 has a radiation density in the traveling region in which the vehicle travels compared to the region other than the traveling region. The radiation density may be determined to be higher. In this case, for example, an imaging device such as a camera is mounted on the vehicle. The imaging device captures a predetermined visual field range that includes an electromagnetic wave radiation range and also includes a traveling region of the vehicle. The radiation density determination unit 21 detects a travel region (roadway) of the vehicle through image recognition processing on imaging information of the imaging device. And the radiation density determination part 21 determines a radiation density so that a radiation density becomes higher in the driving | running | working area | region than the area | regions other than a driving | running | working area | region. In this way, the information acquisition device 20 can improve the accuracy of information acquired for an object (such as another vehicle) in the travel region that is to be detected.

  Further, the radiation density determination unit 21 may determine the radiation density so that the radiation density decreases stepwise from the traveling region toward the region other than the traveling region. In this way, the information acquisition device 20 can improve the accuracy of information acquired for an object to be detected that is present near the traveling area of the vehicle (for example, a pedestrian walking on a sidewalk adjacent to a roadway). In addition, it is possible to reduce the detection processing load on an object that is far from the vehicle and has a low necessity for detection.

  Further, the radiation density determination unit 21 may determine the radiation density so that the radiation density to the sky becomes zero. As described above, the sky is not related to the traveling direction of the vehicle, and there is a low possibility that other vehicles, pedestrians, and the like exist. Therefore, the information acquisition device 20 can increase the radiation density to other regions by setting the radiation density to the sky to 0, and can improve the accuracy of information acquired about the object to be detected.

  Further, the radiation density determination unit 21 may determine the radiation density so that the radiation density increases from the end side toward the center side in the horizontal direction in the radiation range of the electromagnetic wave. As shown in FIG. 3, normally, in a predetermined visual field range in which electromagnetic waves are radiated, a vehicle traveling region exists in a central region in the horizontal direction, and a region other than the traveling region such as a side wall exists on the end side. . For this reason, the information acquisition device 20 determines the radiation density as described above, thereby improving the accuracy of the information acquired for the detection target object (such as another vehicle) existing in the traveling region of the vehicle. Can do. In this case, the radiation density determination unit 21 may determine the radiation density so that the radiation density increases stepwise from the end side toward the center side in the horizontal direction in the electromagnetic wave radiation range.

  The radiation density determination unit 21 may determine the radiation density according to the moving speed in the viewing direction in the radiation range of the electromagnetic wave. In this case, the radiation density determination unit 21 determines the radiation density so that the radiation density increases as the moving speed in the viewing direction increases. When the moving speed of the vehicle is high, the speed at which another object (another vehicle) approaches increases, and it is necessary to acquire information more quickly and accurately. Thus, by determining the radiation density according to the moving speed in the viewing direction in the radiation range of the electromagnetic wave, the information acquisition device 20 can improve the accuracy of the acquired information even when the moving speed is high. Can do.

  Further, the radiation density determination unit 21 may determine the radiation density according to the relative speed with the object in the viewing direction in the radiation range of the electromagnetic wave. In this case, the radiation density determination unit 21 determines the radiation density so that the radiation density increases as the relative speed with the object (such as another vehicle) in the viewing direction increases. When the relative speed with another object is high, the speed at which the other object (another vehicle) approaches becomes faster, and it is necessary to acquire information more quickly and accurately. Therefore, by determining the radiation density according to the relative speed with the object in the radiation range of the electromagnetic wave, the information acquisition apparatus 20 can obtain the accuracy of the acquired information even when the relative speed with other objects is high. Can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the scanner 12 scans the electromagnetic wave and radiates it within a predetermined visual field range. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of sets of the radiation device 11 and the light receiving device 13 may be provided, and the radiation devices 11 may be installed so that the radiation directions of the electromagnetic waves are different. In this case, each of the plurality of radiation devices 11 emits an electromagnetic wave, and the light receiving device 13 corresponding to each radiation device 11 receives the reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the corresponding radiation device 11. By doing so, the information acquisition device 20 can radiate electromagnetic waves in different directions and acquire detection information of reflected waves of the electromagnetic waves radiated in the respective directions.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the information acquisition device 20 determines the radiation density of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the radiation device 11 (radiation unit) according to the radiation density determination unit 21 that determines the radiation density according to the situation of the radiation direction of the electromagnetic wave. The radiation control unit 22 that radiates the electromagnetic wave to the radiation device 11 with the radiation density thus obtained, and the detection information of the reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the radiation device 11 are acquired, and the information at the irradiation position of the electromagnetic wave is acquired based on the acquired detection information And an information acquisition unit 23 for acquiring.

  By determining the radiation density of the electromagnetic wave according to the situation of the radiation direction of the electromagnetic wave, the radiation density of the electromagnetic wave may be controlled even for the radiation direction of the electromagnetic wave, which may reduce the accuracy of the acquired information. Thus, the accuracy of the acquired information can be improved.

  In addition to the above embodiment, a program for causing a computer to execute each process performed by the information acquisition apparatus 20 may be provided. The program may be recorded on a computer readable medium. If the computer uses a computer-readable medium, the program can be installed. Here, the computer-readable medium on which the program is recorded may be a non-transitory recording medium. The non-transitory recording medium is not particularly limited, but may be a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM.

  Alternatively, a chip configured to include a memory that stores a program for executing each process performed by the information acquisition device 20 and a processor that executes the program stored in the memory, and is mounted on the image processing device 10 is provided. Also good.

  Although one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various variations and modifications based on the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be noted that these variations and modifications are included in the scope of the present disclosure.

1 Information acquisition system 11 Radiation equipment (radiation part)
12 Scanner 13 Light receiving device (detection device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 Optical system 20 Information acquisition apparatus 21 Radiation density determination part 22 Radiation control part 23 Information acquisition part

Claims (21)

A radiation density determining unit that determines a radiation density of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the radiation unit according to a situation in a radiation direction of the electromagnetic wave;
A radiation control unit that causes the radiation unit to emit electromagnetic waves at the determined radiation density;
An information acquisition device comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires detection information of a reflected wave of an electromagnetic wave radiated from the radiation unit, and acquires information at an irradiation position of the electromagnetic wave based on the acquired detection information. The radiating section radiates electromagnetic waves while changing the radiation direction of the electromagnetic waves,
The information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the radiation density determination unit determines the radiation density for each radiation direction according to the situation.   The radiation control unit includes the number of radiations per unit area of the electromagnetic wave, the number of radiations per unit time of the electromagnetic wave, the radiation time per unit area of the electromagnetic wave, the radiation time per unit time of the electromagnetic wave, the radiation direction The radiation density is controlled by controlling at least one of a change speed, a pulse width when the electromagnetic wave is pulsed, a frequency when the electromagnetic wave is pulsed, and a duty ratio when the electromagnetic wave is pulsed. The information acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the information acquisition device is controlled.   The information acquisition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the radiation density determination unit determines the radiation density according to a distance from a radiation position of an electromagnetic wave by the radiation unit to the irradiation position.   The information acquisition apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the radiation density determination unit determines the radiation density such that the radiation density increases as the distance increases.   The said radiation density determination part determines the said radiation density according to the size of the irradiation object of the said electromagnetic wave when it sees from the radiation position of the electromagnetic wave by the said radiation | emission part, It is any one of Claim 1 to 5 characterized by the above-mentioned. Information acquisition device.   The information acquisition apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the radiation density determination unit determines the radiation density so that the radiation density is higher as a size of the irradiation target is smaller.   The radiation density determination unit determines the radiation density so that the radiation density is higher on the center side than on the end side in the vertical direction in the radiation range of the electromagnetic wave by the radiation unit. The information acquisition device according to any one of the above.   The radiation density determination unit determines the radiation density so that the radiation density increases stepwise from an end side to a center side in a vertical direction in a radiation range of electromagnetic waves by the radiation unit. The information acquisition device according to any one of claims 8 to 9. The information acquisition device is mounted on a vehicle,
The radiating unit radiates electromagnetic waves in a predetermined range including a traveling area of the vehicle,
The information according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the radiation density determination unit determines the radiation density so that the radiation density is higher in the traveling region than in a region other than the traveling region. Acquisition device.   The information acquisition apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the radiation density determination unit determines the radiation density so that the radiation density decreases stepwise from the travel region toward a region other than the travel region. The radiation range of electromagnetic waves by the radiation part includes sky,
The information acquisition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the radiation density determination unit determines the radiation density so that the radiation density to the sky becomes zero.   The radiation density determination unit determines the radiation density so that the radiation density increases in a horizontal direction from an end side toward a center side in an electromagnetic wave radiation range by the radiation unit. The information acquisition device according to claim 1.   The radiation density determination unit determines the radiation density so that the radiation density increases stepwise from an end side toward a center side in a horizontal direction in a radiation range of electromagnetic waves by the radiation unit. 14. The information acquisition device according to any one of 13.   The information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the radiation density determination unit determines the radiation density according to a moving speed in a viewing direction in a radiation range of electromagnetic waves by the radiation unit.   The information acquisition apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the radiation density determination unit determines the radiation density so that the radiation density increases as the moving speed increases.   The information acquisition according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the radiation density determination unit determines the radiation density according to a relative speed with an object in a viewing direction in an electromagnetic wave radiation range by the radiation unit. apparatus.   The information acquisition apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the radiation density determination unit determines the radiation density so that the radiation density increases as the relative speed increases.   The information acquisition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the information includes at least one of distance information and luminance information. On the computer,
A process for determining the radiation density of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the radiating unit according to the state of the radiation direction of the electromagnetic wave;
A process of radiating electromagnetic waves to the radiating portion at the determined radiation density;
The program which acquires the detection information of the reflected wave of the electromagnetic waves radiated | emitted from the said radiation | emission part, and performs the process which acquires the information in the irradiation position of the said electromagnetic waves based on the acquired said detection information. A radiation device that radiates electromagnetic waves, a detection device that detects reflected waves of electromagnetic waves radiated from the radiation device, and an information acquisition device,
The information acquisition device includes a radiation density determining unit that determines a radiation density of an electromagnetic wave radiated from the radiation device according to a situation of a radiation direction of the electromagnetic wave,
A radiation control unit that causes the radiation device to emit an electromagnetic wave at the determined radiation density;
An information acquisition system comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires detection information of a reflected wave of an electromagnetic wave radiated from the radiation device from the detection device, and acquires information at an irradiation position of the electromagnetic wave based on the acquired detection information. .

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