Approaching vehicle detecting system and approaching vehicle detecting method
An approaching vehicle detecting system that detects an approaching vehicle on the basis of sounds collected by a plurality of sound collectors mounted on a host vehicle determines whether a transverse moving direction of a sound source detected by the plurality of sound collectors is a direction approaching the host vehicle, determines whether a vertical position of the sound source detected using the plurality of sound collectors is in the same plane as that of the host vehicle, and detects that sound source as the approaching vehicle when it is determined that the transverse moving direction of the sound source is the direction approaching the host vehicle and the vertical position of the sound source is in the same plane as that of the host vehicle.
1. An approaching vehicle detecting system that detects an approaching vehicle on the basis of sounds collected by a plurality of sound collectors mounted on a host vehicle, comprising:
a transverse determination unit configured to determine whether a transverse moving direction in a vehicle widthwise direction of a sound source detected using the plurality of sound collectors is a direction approaching the host vehicle; and
a vertical determination unit configured to determine whether a vertical position of the sound source detected using the plurality of sound collectors is in the same plane as that of the host vehicle, wherein
when the transverse determination unit determines that the transverse moving direction of the sound source is the direction approaching the host vehicle and the vertical determination unit determines that the vertical position of the sound source is in the same plane as that of the host vehicle, the sound source is detected as the approaching vehicle.
2. The approaching vehicle detecting system according to claim 1 , wherein the vertical determination unit determines that the vertical position of the sound source is in the same plane as that of the host vehicle when an arrival time interval between sounds respectively collected by the sound collectors arranged at different positions in the vertical direction of the host vehicle is smaller than or equal to a threshold.
3. The approaching vehicle detecting system according to claim 1 , wherein the vertical determination unit determines whether the vertical position of the sound source is in the same plane as that of the host vehicle on the basis of a variation in an arrival time interval between sounds respectively collected by the sound collectors arranged at different positions in the vertical direction of the host vehicle and different positions in the transverse direction of the host vehicle.
4. The approaching vehicle detecting system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sound collectors include at least one pair of sound collectors arranged at different positions in the vertical direction of the host vehicle and at least one pair of sound collectors arranged at different positions in the transverse direction of the host vehicle.
5. The approaching vehicle detecting system according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one pair of upper sound collector and lower sound collector located at different positions in the vertical direction are arranged at different positions in a longitudinal direction of the host vehicle.
6. The approaching vehicle detecting system according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one pair of upper sound collector and lower sound collector located at different positions in the vertical direction are arranged such that the upper sound collector is arranged on a front side of the lower sound collector with respect to the host vehicle.
7. The approaching vehicle detecting system according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one pair of upper sound collector and lower sound collector located at different positions in the vertical direction are arranged such that the lower sound collector is arranged on a front side of the upper sound collector with respect to the host vehicle.
8. The approaching vehicle detecting system according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one pair of upper sound collector and lower sound collector comprises three sound collectors located at different positions in the vertical direction to constitute two pairs of sound collectors including a pair of sound collectors in which the upper sound collector is arranged on a front side of the lower sound collector with respect to the host vehicle and a pair of sound collectors in which the lower sound collector is arranged on the front side of the upper sound collector with respect to the host vehicle.
9. The approaching vehicle detecting system according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one pair of sound collectors located at different positions in the vertical direction and the at least one pair of sound collectors located at different positions in the transverse direction are formed of different sound collectors.
10. The approaching vehicle detecting system according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one pair of sound collectors located at different positions in the vertical direction and the at least one pair of sound collectors located at different positions in the transverse direction are formed of sound collectors that are partially shared between the at least one pair of sound collectors located at different positions in the vertical direction and the at least one pair of sound collectors located at different positions in the transverse direction.
11. The approaching vehicle detecting system according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one pair of sound collectors located at different positions in the vertical direction and the at least one pair of sound collectors located at different positions in the transverse direction are formed of sound collectors that are entirely shared between the at least one pair of sound collectors located at different positions in the vertical direction and the at least one pair of sound collectors located at different positions in the transverse direction.
12. An approaching vehicle detecting method that detects an approaching vehicle on the basis of sounds collected by a plurality of sound collectors mounted on a host vehicle, comprising:
determining whether a transverse moving direction in a vehicle widthwise direction of a sound source detected using the plurality of sound collectors is a direction approaching the host vehicle;
determining whether a vertical position of the sound source detected using the plurality of sound collectors is in the same plane as that of the host vehicle; and
when it is determined that the transverse moving direction of the sound source is the direction approaching the host vehicle and it is determined that the vertical position of the sound source is in the same plane as that of the host vehicle, detecting the sound source as the approaching vehicle.
13. The approaching vehicle detecting method according to claim 12 , wherein it is determined that the vertical position of the sound source is in the same plane as that of the host vehicle when an arrival time interval between sounds respectively collected by the sound collectors arranged at different positions in the vertical direction of the host vehicle is smaller than or equal to a threshold.
14. The approaching vehicle detecting method according to claim 12 , wherein it is determined whether the vertical position of the sound source is in the same plane as that of the host vehicle on the basis of a variation in an arrival time interval between sounds respectively collected by the sound collectors arranged at different positions in the vertical direction of the host vehicle and different positions in the transverse direction of the host vehicle.