JP3744352B2 - Obstacle position measuring method and obstacle position measuring device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a distance measuring device that measures a distance to an object existing around a vehicle, and in particular, an obstacle position measuring method and an obstacle position capable of determining whether an object is hidden behind an object in front. It relates to a measuring device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a conventional obstacle position measuring method, for example, a method described in JP-A-11-316275 has been reported.
In this method, a scanning laser radar is mounted on the vehicle, the observation vector of the object being followed is obtained, the trajectories of multiple target objects are estimated, and the distance to the object is measured while following the object. To do.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in such a method, although a plurality of objects are detected, a state in which the plurality of objects are hidden from each other is not considered. There was a problem that the size of the object could not be obtained.
In addition, since the size of the object to be measured changes when a part of the object is hidden behind another object, there is a problem in that it is wrong to follow the object. Furthermore, since the center position of the object changes when a part of the object is hidden, the locus vector of the object cannot be obtained correctly.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide an obstacle position measuring method and an obstacle position measuring apparatus that can determine whether an object is hidden behind an object in front. There is.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention according to claim 1 scans a transmission wave around the vehicle at a predetermined detection angle.Receiving the reflected wave of the transmitted waveIn the obstacle position measurement method that measures the distance and direction to the front object,ArticleA measurement procedure for measuring the distance and orientation to the body and the size of the object, a hiding judgment procedure for judging whether a part of the measured object is hidden behind the object in front,The same object determination procedure for determining whether or not the object being measured is the same as the object measured at the previous time, and a motion vector measurement procedure for measuring a motion vector representing a continuous motion of an object located at the same distance; When the object being measured moves laterally from the front, and another object is measured behind the object after moving, a flag indicating that a part of the object behind is hidden is displayed in the measurement result. After adding the flag addition procedure to the position where the object in front and the object in front do not hide the object behind, if the size of the object that has appeared is still hidden, there is a narrow object And a narrow object judging procedure for judging to do.
[0008]
  Claim2In order to solve the above-described problem, the described invention exists in a predetermined range around a vehicle, a transmission unit that transmits a transmission wave, a reception unit that receives a reflected wave of the transmission wave, and the predetermined range Measuring means for measuring the distance and direction to the object and the size of the object;Hidden determination means for determining whether a part of the measured object is hidden behind the object in front, and the same object determination means for determining whether the object being measured is the same object as the object measured at the previous time And a motion vector measuring means for measuring a motion vector representing a continuous motion of an object located at the same distance, and when the object being measured moves laterally from the front, another object is moved behind When an object is measured, it appears after flag addition means for adding a flag indicating that a part of the object behind is hidden to the measurement result and a position where the object in the front does not hide the object behind. The gist of the invention is that it has narrow object judging means for judging that a narrow object exists when the size of the object is hidden.
[0011]
【The invention's effect】
  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the distance to the object existing in the detection area, the direction and the size of the object are measured, and a part of the measured object is hidden behind the object in front. To determine whetherJudge whether the object being measured is the same as the object measured at the previous time, measure the motion vector representing the continuous movement of the object located at the same distance, and the object being measured is lateral from the front If another object is measured behind the object after moving the object, a flag indicating that a part of the object is hidden is added, and the object in the foreground moves to a position where the object behind it is not hidden. After that, if the size of the object that has appeared is still hidden, it is determined that there is a narrow object, and this object may prevent the vehicle from running. It can be determined that it is not a thing.
[0014]
  Claim2According to the described invention, the transmission wave is transmitted within a predetermined range around the vehicle, the reflected wave of the transmission wave is received, and then the distance and direction to the object existing within the predetermined range and the object Measure the size of the object, determine if part of the measured object is hidden behind the object in front,Judge whether the object being measured is the same as the object measured at the previous time, measure the motion vector representing the continuous movement of the object located at the same distance, and the object being measured is lateral from the front If another object is measured behind the object after moving the object, a flag indicating that a part of the object is hidden is added, and the object in the foreground moves to a position where the object behind it is not hidden. After that, if the size of the object that has appeared is still hidden, it is determined that there is a narrow object, and this object may prevent the vehicle from running. It can be determined that it is not a thing.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an obstacle position measuring apparatus 11 to which an obstacle position measuring method and an obstacle position measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied.
The scanning laser radar 13 emits a laser radar (transmitted wave) as a pulse signal while scanning a one-dimensional direction perpendicular to the traveling direction ahead of the vehicle and parallel to the road surface at a predetermined detection angle. A reflected wave reflected by an object existing in front of the vehicle is received and a received signal is output.
[0018]
The distance / position / size measuring unit 15 is based on the pulse signal emitted by the scanning laser radar 13 and the received signal, and the propagation delay time from the emission of the laser radar to the incidence of the reflected wave from the object existing in front of the vehicle Is detected, the distance to all objects existing within the detection angle is measured, and the direction is further measured. Furthermore, the angle of the host vehicle with respect to the preceding vehicle is calculated based on the measured distance and direction, and further, the distance to the preceding vehicle, the position, and the size of the object are calculated based on the angle. In addition, the distance / position / size measurement unit 15 performs a grouping process on portions that are determined to be the same object.
[0019]
The tracking determination unit 17 is a motion vector measured by the motion measurement unit 19 when the position of the grouping process executed by the distance / position / size measurement unit 15 moves only a small distance in time. Is determined to follow the object when the is continuous over time.
The motion measurement unit 19 obtains the coordinates of the left and right end points of the detected object, and obtains the trajectory of the object that is continuously measured in time by connecting the temporal motions of the left and right end points as motion vectors.
The object positional relationship determination unit 21 determines whether a part of another object is hidden behind the object based on the position of the scanning laser radar and the positional relationship between two other objects, and a part of the object is hidden. The hidden flag, the distance, position, size, and motion vector of the object are output as the measurement result of the object.
[0020]
Note that the above-described distance / position / size measuring unit 15, follow-up determining unit 17, motion measuring unit 19, and object position relationship determining unit 21 may be functional modules executed by a control program. Is executed in accordance with a control program stored in
The action device 25 is connected to a brake, a throttle valve, or the like provided in the vehicle based on the distance, position, size, motion vector, and hidden flag of the object output from the object position relationship determination unit 21. The vehicle is controlled by controlling the actuator.
[0021]
2A and 2B are views showing the position of the scanning laser radar 13 mounted on the vehicle and the respective reference coordinate systems.
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the scanning center axis (Z) of the scanning laser radar 13 mounted on the host vehicle 29 goes straight to the center position in the width direction (X) of the host vehicle 29, respectively. It is attached in a direction parallel to the direction (Z), and the origin of each reference coordinate system is attached to the road surface at the same position in the vertical direction (Y).
[0022]
The position of the detected object with respect to the host vehicle 29 is that the origin is the center point of the scanning laser radar 13, the Z axis (representing the distance to the object) is the central axis direction of the scanning laser radar 13, and the X axis (the lateral position of the object). ) Is a direction parallel to the scanning plane and the Y-axis is a direction perpendicular to the scanning plane.
Hereinafter, for the sake of explanation, description will be made using a reference coordinate system with the center of the exit surface of the scanning laser radar 13 as the origin. However, in the present invention, even when the central axis is not in the straight traveling direction or when the mounting position is deviated from the central axis of the host vehicle 29, the angle and the position are considered in the geometric calculation, and all are described below. It holds.
[0023]
Next, the basic operation of the obstacle position measuring device 11 will be described with reference to the situation in front of the host vehicle shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows a situation in which the vehicle 31 is traveling in front of the host vehicle 29 and there is another vehicle 33 in front of the left side behind the vehicle. It is the figure which showed the mode of the measurement result in the radar.
The beam of the scanning laser radar 13 measures the distance to the reflection surface that is closest to the laser radar at each detection angle, and even if there is a reflection surface in front of it, the surface and the laser radar If there is an object that can prevent the beam from reaching, the distance to the reflecting surface cannot be measured.
[0024]
In the case of the situation shown in FIG. 3, the distance between the left and right reflecting surfaces present on the front vehicle 31 and the left reflecting surface of the vehicle 33 diagonally left front can be measured, but the right reflecting surface of the vehicle 33 is measured. Since it is in a position hidden behind the vehicle 31, the distance cannot be measured. As a result, the only part that can be measured only by the scanning laser radar 13 is the position indicated by a circle shown in FIG.
Therefore, when it is assumed that the vehicle 33 measured behind the vehicle 31 is a vehicle having a vehicle width A (m), it is determined whether or not a part of the vehicle 33 is in a position hidden by the vehicle 31 in front. Can be calculated geometrically by the object positional relationship determination unit 21 based on the position of the scanning laser radar 13 mounted on the host vehicle 29 and the positional relationship between the two vehicles 31 and 33. In particular, as shown in FIG. 3, when it is determined that a part of the object is hidden behind the vehicle 31, the object positional relationship determination unit 21 may hide a part of the object (vehicle 33). The hidden flag indicating the presence of the object and the distance, position, size, and motion vector of the object are used as the measurement result of the object.
[0025]
Therefore, based on the output result from the object positional relationship determination unit 21, it is possible to cause the action device 25 to perform vehicle control taking into account that the object behind the vehicle 31 (the vehicle 33) is a large obstacle. become able to. For example, in the judgment of the driver in normal driving, if the front obstacle is a small object, the vehicle travels only by a minute course change by the steering wheel operation without changing the speed, and there is a large obstacle such as a stopped vehicle ahead. In such a case, the operation device 25 performs vehicle control such as stopping. Also, if there is an obstacle ahead but you do not know what it is, you will often make preparations so that you can approach the object while slowing down until it gets closer to the object, and can handle sudden braking. Even in such a case, it can be given as a hidden flag that there is an object that can be an obstacle, although it does not know what it is, so that it can cope with braking until the type of object is known The action device 25 can perform vehicle control equivalent to vehicle operation by the driver, such as reducing the speed in advance.
[0026]
Next, the operation of the obstacle position measuring apparatus 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
First, in step S10, the scanning laser radar 13 performs distance measurement, and the distance / position / size measurement unit 15 performs grouping processing on a portion that is determined to be the same object, thereby existing ahead of the host vehicle 29. Find an object in the measurement area and determine the distance, position, and size to that object. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, this grouping process can be performed by determining that objects located at the same distance and moving in the same direction continuously in time are the same object.
[0027]
Here, the grouping process by the distance / position / size measuring unit 15 will be described with reference to the locus of the leaving vehicle shown in FIG. In FIG. 5A, there is a vehicle 43 that is stopped slightly to the left from the front ahead of the preceding vehicle (leaving vehicle 41), and there is a preceding vehicle (leaving vehicle 41) that is running in front of the host vehicle 29. The locus | trajectory of the result measured by the scanning laser radar 13 mounted in the own vehicle 29 in the case of leaving | separating is shown. Since the preceding vehicle leaves the right front and becomes the leaving vehicle 41, the trajectory is observed to gradually move diagonally forward to the right.
[0028]
Next, in step S20, when the result of the grouping process described above moves only a small distance in time, and when the motion vectors measured by the motion measuring unit 19 during the grouping process are continuous in time. The follow-up determination unit 17 determines to follow the object.
Next, in step S30, an object having a narrow width is selected from the detected objects, and it is determined whether or not the object may be partially hidden by an object in front of the object.
[0029]
For example, as shown in FIG. 7, this determination process is such that the distance to the object 51 near the host vehicle 29 is z1, the distance to the object 53 farther from the object 51 is z2, and the coordinates of the left and right ends of the object 51 are ( x11, z11) and (xr1, zr1). At this time, since the detection position of the object 53 is behind the object 51, it is determined that the detection point of the object 53 is the left end point of the object 53, and the coordinates thereof are (x12, z12).
[0030]
Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the portion that may be hidden is the right end point of the object 53. Therefore, the object width of the object 53 is assumed to be A, and the right end point of the object 53 is set to (x12 + A, z12). To do. However, these coordinates are all points on the reference coordinate system shown in FIG.
[0031]
Here, the hidden determination process is executed using the points thus obtained.
First, an equation of a straight line connecting the right end point (x12 + A, z12) of the hidden object 53 and the center point of the scanning laser radar 13 is obtained. Since the center point of the scanning laser radar 13 is the origin of the reference coordinate system, the equation of the straight line connecting the right end point of the object 53 and the center point of the laser radar is Equation (1).
[0032]
[Expression 1]
x = ((x12 + A) / z12 * z) * 2 (1)
In order to determine whether or not the right end point of the object 53 is in a position hidden by another object, it is only necessary to check that it exists between the objects detected in front of it. That is, in FIG. 6, this corresponds to checking that the line segment connecting the coordinates (x11, z11) and (xr1, zr1) of the left and right ends of the object 51 intersects with the equation (1).
[Expression 2]
x11 ≦ ((x12 + A) / z12) × z11
And
((X12 + A) / z12) × z11 ≦ xr1 (2)
If equation (2) holds, it can be determined that the right end of the object 53 is hidden by 51, and thus the process proceeds to step S40. On the other hand, if equation (2) does not hold, the process returns to step S10 and the above-described processing is repeated.
[0033]
In step S40, all the distances, positions, sizes, etc. of the detected objects are output as the final result output. When outputting this result, if it is determined by the above-mentioned determination that a part of the object may be hidden by the narrow object and the object in front, a part of the object may be hidden. A hidden flag indicating that is added.
[0034]
Furthermore, in step S50, the object position relationship determination unit 21 outputs the distance, lateral position, movement, size, and hidden flag of the detected object.
[0035]
Next, a description will be given of a process for determining the possibility of hiding an object ahead when a preceding vehicle in front is leaving.
The position of the front object can be detected by the grouping process described with reference to FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the trajectory of the object continuously measured in time is obtained by obtaining the coordinates of the left and right end points of the detected object, and the temporal movements of the left and right end points are shown in FIGS. It can obtain | require by connecting with a motion vector using the method as shown in these.
[0036]
In this way, when it is found that the preceding vehicle for which the trajectory has been obtained leaves, and there is an object ahead of the preceding vehicle, the object ahead is as shown in FIG. 5 (a). Only the edge of is observed, and as the preceding vehicle leaves, the entire object gradually becomes visible.
In other words, at the start of departure, a part of the detected object is hidden behind it, so that it is observed as a narrow object. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, at the start of departure, a part of the object detected behind the departure vehicle is observed as a narrow object (vehicle).
[0037]
However, as shown in FIG. 5A, since a part of the vehicle is hidden behind the leaving vehicle 41, the actual size of the vehicle is not known at this time. For this reason, when an object (vehicle 43) is detected behind the leaving vehicle 41, at the start of detection of the object, first, the distance of the object that has left the hidden flag indicating that a part of the object is hidden. Append to position result and output. At this time, it can be determined by using the method shown in FIG. 6 described above that a part of the detected narrow object (vehicle) is hidden by the front object (leaving vehicle).
[0038]
Next, a case where a small object exists ahead after the preceding vehicle has left will be described.
[0039]
As described above, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), when the leaving vehicle 41 starts to leave, only a part of the object (vehicle 43) behind the leaving vehicle 41 can be detected. Is detected as a narrow object. However, after the leaving vehicle 41 leaves, the entire object behind (the vehicle 43) can be seen. For this reason, for example, as shown in FIG. 6B, even when the right end of the object behind the disengaged vehicle provided is visible, nothing is detected from the position where the right end is detected. It can be determined that the object behind the leaving vehicle is the thin object 47. This determination process can be determined from the positional relationship in which equation (2) is not satisfied.
[0040]
Next, an example in which the vehicle width is used as a reference value when determining a position hidden behind the preceding vehicle is described.
This can be done by setting the object width A (m) temporarily provided as described above to the normal average vehicle width. Also, depending on the road being traveled, for example, when traveling in a large-priority lane, the applied value may be made variable by taking the object width A (m) as the vehicle width of a large vehicle.
[0041]
If it is determined that a part of the object is hidden behind the leaving vehicle by the equations (1) and (2) before the preceding vehicle leaves, the provisioned object width is provided. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 7, the movement of the expected point (x12 + A, z12) may be the movement of the right end point of the object 53. In this way, while it is determined that the object 53 is hidden behind the object 51, the expected right end point (x12 + A, z12) of the object is obtained continuously in time.
[0042]
In this way, when the trajectory of the preceding vehicle is obtained, the preceding vehicle becomes a leaving vehicle in the middle of leaving, and if it is detected that there is an object behind the part of the leaving vehicle, The trajectory of the object detected in front of the leaving vehicle can be obtained by the same principle as the calculation of the trajectory of the following vehicle.
[0043]
Since this object is behind the leaving vehicle and part of it is in a hidden position, the trajectory cannot be obtained from the position of the left and right ends, but the movement can be obtained only by obtaining the locus of the detected part. I can.
For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the vehicle diagonally left front is a stopped vehicle, a trajectory vector approaching with the same length as the speed vector of the host vehicle 29 is obtained from this left end portion continuously detected. Therefore, it can be determined that the vehicle is stopped. As a result, it is possible to detect in advance that there is a stop obstacle prior to the departure of the preceding vehicle, and in order to avoid a collision with the stop obstacle, it can also be used for vehicle control by the action device 25.
Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to a system that displays the detection information on a blind spot in front of the vehicle or a display for visual assistance for monitoring an external environment that is difficult to see from the driver's seat.
[0044]
Hereinafter, effects of the present embodiment will be described.
Measure the distance and direction to the object in the detection area, the size of the object, determine whether a part of the measured object is hidden behind the object in front, When it is determined that the part is hidden behind the object in front, a hidden flag indicating that a part of the object is hidden is added to the measurement result. It is possible to determine whether an object is hidden behind the object.
[0045]
In addition, it is determined whether the object being measured is the same object as the object measured at the previous time, and a motion vector representing the continuous movement of the object located at the same distance is measured. When moving in the horizontal direction, if another object is measured behind the object after moving, a hidden flag indicating that part of the object is hidden is added, and measurement is performed based on the presence or absence of this hidden flag. It is possible to determine whether or not a new object has appeared in the front even immediately after the object has moved laterally from the front.
[0046]
Furthermore, if the size of the object that has appeared is still hidden after the front object has moved to a position that does not hide the object behind it, it is determined that a narrow object exists. Thus, it can be determined that this object is not an obstacle that prevents the vehicle from traveling.
[0047]
Hereinafter, the effect in this Embodiment is demonstrated concretely.
As shown in FIG. 5A, the obstacle (vehicle 43) being measured located in the left front is observed as a narrow object when the preceding vehicle is located in front of the host vehicle 29. However, after the leaving vehicle 41 leaves, the entire vehicle 43 on the left front side is in a positional relationship where it can be seen from the host vehicle 29, so that the entire position of the vehicle 43 can be measured, and the vehicle 43 When the vehicle is stopped, the distance to the vehicle 43 is observed so as to approach gradually. The movement trajectory of the preceding vehicle (leaving vehicle 41) is a grouping process of points at the same position in the object whose distance is being measured, and as a result, an object that moves constantly in the same direction is measured. The direction of the vehicle (the arrow shown in FIG. 5) can be used to measure the movement of the preceding vehicle (leaving vehicle 41).
[0048]
If a narrow object is detected behind the vehicle to be separated by this method, the trajectory of the preceding vehicle is obtained, and as described above, there is a possibility that a part is hidden by the preceding vehicle to be separated. It is assumed that the hidden flag indicating that there is a measurement result is added to the position and distance of the object behind the preceding vehicle.
[0049]
Further, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the movement of the preceding vehicle detected in front of the host vehicle 29 is obtained and the preceding vehicle leaves the course of the host vehicle 29, FIG. As shown, when an object behind is detected in the process of leaving the preceding vehicle, a part of the obstacle is displayed to notify that there is an object that may be an obstacle in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 29. Since a hidden flag indicating that there is a possibility of being hidden by the leaving vehicle is added to the distance, position, size, etc., it is output so that the host vehicle responds to the inter-vehicle distance according to the change in the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle. Even when controlling the vehicle, avoiding dangerous speed control that increases the speed of the host vehicle even though there is an obstacle ahead of the host vehicle because the path ahead is free due to the departure of the preceding vehicle Will be able to.
[0050]
Furthermore, in the case of a driving operation based on the judgment of a normal driver, when the preceding vehicle being followed leaves, the speed is not increased immediately. First, there is an obstacle or a slow vehicle behind the leaving vehicle. When the existence is suspected and it is determined that there is nothing to prevent the vehicle from traveling, the speed is increased. On the other hand, if any obstacle is found, after determining what the obstacle is, an operation of requesting control of the host vehicle 29 is performed.
[0051]
According to the present embodiment, when the presence of an object is detected behind the leaving vehicle, first of all, since the part of the object is hidden by the leaving vehicle, the size and type of the object are not known. Since a hidden flag indicating that the vehicle is present is output, it becomes possible to perform driving control close to that of a normal driver.
[0052]
Further, by measuring the movement trajectory of the detected object behind the leaving vehicle, for example, if the object behind the leaving vehicle is a stop object, preparation for a brake operation can be performed. When the speed of the object is low, preparation for deceleration by a brake operation can be made. Furthermore, when the relative speed of the newly detected object with the host vehicle 29 is close to 0, it is possible to make a quick speed adjustment determination such as maintaining the speed of the host vehicle.
[0053]
In addition, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the detected object is detected as the narrow object 47 even after the preceding vehicle has left, the hidden flag added to the object is displayed. Since it has been removed, it is possible to instantly determine that the object behind the leaving vehicle is small and does not interfere with travel, and therefore smooth speed control is possible. For example, when it is determined that the object is a narrow stop object, the brake preparation is started. However, when it is determined that the stop object does not interfere with the traveling of the host vehicle 29 such as a sign, In the meantime, preparation for brake control can be stopped and normal driving can be resumed. In this way, the action device 25 performs smooth vehicle control that reduces unnecessary acceleration and deceleration while taking measures for safe driving.
[0054]
In addition, when determining that there is a possibility that the detected object is hidden behind other objects, the standard of this width is set to the normal vehicle width. Since it becomes possible to determine the most frequently used vehicle among them, the number of scenes that can be used increases. Further, depending on the travel lane, for example, in a large dedicated lane or a bus priority lane, the vehicle width of the large vehicle can be set to be suitable for practical use.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an obstacle position measuring apparatus 11 to which an obstacle position measuring method and an obstacle position measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied.
FIG. 2 is a side perspective view (a) and a top perspective view (b) showing a position of a scanning laser radar 13 mounted on a vehicle and respective reference coordinate systems.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a scanning laser radar detection result when another object is present at a position where a front object and a part of the object are hidden.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the obstacle position measuring apparatus 11;
FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a grouping process for a preceding vehicle at the start of departure, and FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a vehicle appearing after the preceding vehicle has left.
FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a grouping process for a preceding vehicle at the start of departure, and FIG. 6B is a diagram showing an object appearing after the preceding vehicle leaves.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a method for calculating an object position.
[Explanation of symbols]
11 Obstacle position measuring device
13 Scanning laser radar
15 Distance / position / size measurement unit
17 Tracking determination unit
19 Motion measurement unit
21 Object position relation determination unit
23 CPU
25 Action device

Claims (2)

In the obstacle position measuring method of measuring the distance and direction to the front object by receiving the reflected wave of the transmission wave while scanning the transmission wave around the vehicle at a predetermined detection angle,
A measurement procedure for measuring the distance and direction to the object and the size of the object;
A hiding judgment procedure for judging whether a part of the measured object is hiding behind the object in front,
The same object determination procedure for determining whether or not the object being measured is the same as the object measured at the previous time;
A motion vector measurement procedure for measuring a motion vector representing a continuous motion of an object located at the same distance;
When the object being measured moves laterally from the front, if another object is measured behind the object after it is moved, a flag indicating that a part of the object behind is hidden is added to the measurement result. Flagging procedure to
After moving to a position where the near object does not hide the object behind, if the size of the object that has appeared remains at the time of hiding, it is determined that a narrow object exists. Judgment procedure,
An obstacle position measuring method characterized by comprising: Transmitting means for transmitting a transmission wave within a predetermined range around the vehicle;
  Receiving means for receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave;
  Measuring means for measuring the distance and direction to the object existing in the predetermined range and the size of the object;
  A hiding judgment means for judging whether a part of the measured object is hiding behind the front object,
  The same object judging means for judging whether or not the object being measured is the same as the object measured at the previous time;
  A motion vector measuring means for measuring a motion vector representing a continuous motion of an object located at the same distance;
  When the object being measured moves sideways from the front, if another object is measured behind the object after it is moved, a flag indicating that a part of the object behind is hidden is added to the measurement result. Flag adding means for
  After moving to a position where the near object does not hide the object behind, if the size of the object that has appeared remains at the time of hiding, it is determined that a narrow object exists. Judgment means,
  An obstacle position measuring apparatus comprising:

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