Object recognition device and object recognition method

1. An object recognition device included in a vehicle, wherein the object recognition device is configured to receive, from a sensor of the vehicle, a detection data group formed of a plurality of pieces of object data having the same associated time, to thereby generate pieces of track data on respective objects individually corresponding to the plurality of pieces of object data included in the received detection data group, the object recognition device comprising:

a data receiver configured to receive the detection data group from the sensor, and associate the associated time with the received detection data group;

a prediction processor configured to generate, for each of the objects, prediction data being a predicted value of each of the pieces of track data for the associated time;

an association processor configured to associate, for the respective objects, the pieces of object data for the associated time and the pieces of prediction data for the associated time individually with each other; and

an update processor configured to generate, for each of the objects, the track data for the associated time through use of the object data and the prediction data that correspond to each other for the associated time,

wherein the association processor is configured to:

classify, under a state in which not all the pieces of object data in the detection data group have been received and a part of the pieces of object data have been received by a current processing time, the part of the pieces of object data into pieces regarded as ready for association determination and pieces not regarded as ready for the association determination, to thereby associate the pieces of object data regarded as ready for the association determination and the pieces of prediction data individually with each other and set, as pieces of pending object data, the pieces of object data not regarded as ready for the association determination; and

associate, under a state in which remaining pieces of object data in the detection data group have been received by the next processing time after the current processing time, the remaining pieces of object data and the pieces of pending object data individually with the pieces of prediction data,

wherein the update processor is further configured to send the track data to a vehicle control device of the vehicle to engage brakes when the track data indicates that a collision between the vehicle and at least one of the objects is unavoidable.

2. The object recognition device according to claim 1 , wherein the association processor is configured to set a small gate, which is smaller than a normal gate corresponding to the prediction data, to regard a piece of object data that has entered the small gate as ready for the association determination.

3. The object recognition device according to claim 2 , wherein the association processor is configured to set the small gate from size information on an object included in the prediction data.

4. The object recognition device according to claim 1 , wherein the association processor is configured to regard the object data including the same ID as an ID included in the prediction data as ready for the association determination.

5. The object recognition device according to claim 1 , wherein the association processor is configured to regard the object data including the same type as a type included in the prediction data as ready for the association determination.

6. The object recognition device according to claim 1 , wherein the association processor is configured to regard, as ready for the association determination: a piece of object data in which a distance from an object corresponding to the prediction data to an own vehicle falls within a set threshold value; a piece of object data in which a collision prediction time period required until the own vehicle is to collide with the object corresponding to the prediction data falls within a set threshold value; or a piece of object data in which a system priority of a vehicle control device installed in the own vehicle is equal to or higher than a set threshold value.

7. The object recognition device according to claim 1 , wherein the association processor is configured to regard the object data as ready for the association determination based on any one of an object type identification result, a sensor type, an object data reliability level, an object data detection time period, and a number of times of interpolation.

8. An object recognition device included in a vehicle, wherein the object recognition device is configured to receive, from a sensor of the vehicle, a detection data group formed of a plurality of pieces of object data having the same associated time, to thereby generate pieces of track data on respective objects individually corresponding to the plurality of pieces of object data included in the received detection data group, the object recognition device comprising:

a data receiver configured to receive the detection data group from the sensor, and associate the associated time with the received detection data group;

a prediction processor configured to generate, for each of the objects, prediction data being a predicted value of each of the pieces of track data for the associated time;

an association processor configured to associate, for the respective objects, the pieces of object data for the associated time and the pieces of prediction data for the associated time individually with each other; and

an update processor configured to generate, for each of the objects, the track data for the associated time through use of the object data and the prediction data that correspond to each other for the associated time,

wherein the association processor is configured to:

classify, under a state in which not all the pieces of object data in the detection data group have been received and a part of the pieces of object data have been received by a current processing time, the part of the pieces of object data into pieces regarded as ready for association determination and pieces not regarded as ready for the association determination, to thereby temporarily associate the pieces of object data regarded as ready for the association determination and the pieces of prediction data individually with each other; and

associate, under a state in which remaining pieces of object data in the detection data group have been received by the next processing time after the current processing time, all the pieces of object data in the detection data group and the pieces of prediction data individually with each other,

wherein the update processor is further configured to send the track data to a vehicle control device of the vehicle to engage brakes when the track data indicates that a collision between the vehicle and at least one of the objects is unavoidable.

9. An object recognition method that is performed by a vehicle for receiving, from a sensor of the vehicle, a detection data group formed of a plurality of pieces of object data having the same associated time, to thereby generate pieces of track data on respective objects individually corresponding to the plurality of pieces of object data included in the received detection data group, the object recognition method comprising the steps of:

receiving the detection data group from the sensor, and associating the associated time with the received detection data group;

generating, for each of the objects, prediction data being a predicted value of each of the pieces of track data for the associated time;

associating, for the respective objects, the pieces of object data for the associated time and the pieces of prediction data for the associated time individually with each other;

generating, for each of the objects, the track data for the associated time through use of the object data and the prediction data that correspond to each other for the associated time; and

sending the track data to a vehicle control device of the vehicle to engage brakes when the track data indicates that a collision between the vehicle and at least one of the objects is unavoidable,

wherein the step of associating includes:

classifying, under a state in which not all the pieces of object data in the detection data group have been received and a part of the pieces of object data have been received by a current processing time, the part of the pieces of object data into pieces regarded as ready for association determination and pieces not regarded as ready for the association determination, to thereby associate the pieces of object data regarded as ready for the association determination and the pieces of prediction data individually with each other and set, as pieces of pending object data, the pieces of object data not regarded as ready for the association determination; and

associating, under a state in which remaining pieces of object data in the detection data group have been received by the next processing time after the current processing time, the remaining pieces of object data and the pieces of pending object data individually with the pieces of prediction data.

10. An object recognition method that is performed by a vehicle for receiving, from a sensor of the vehicle, a detection data group formed of a plurality of pieces of object data having the same associated time, to thereby generate pieces of track data on respective objects individually corresponding to the plurality of pieces of object data included in the received detection data group, the object recognition method comprising the steps of:

receiving the detection data group from the sensor, and associate the associated time with the received detection data group;

generating, for each of the objects, prediction data being a predicted value of each of the pieces of track data for the associated time;

associating, for the respective objects, the pieces of object data for the associated time and the pieces of prediction data for the associated time individually with each other;

generating, for each of the objects, the track data for the associated time through use of the object data and the prediction data that correspond to each other for the associated time; and

sending the track data to a vehicle control device of the vehicle to engage brakes when the track data indicates that a collision between the vehicle and at least one of the objects is unavoidable,

wherein the step of associating includes:

classifying, under a state in which not all the pieces of object data in the detection data group have been received and a part of the pieces of object data have been received by a current processing time, the part of the pieces of object data into pieces regarded as ready for association determination and pieces not regarded as ready for the association determination, to thereby temporarily associate the pieces of object data regarded as ready for the association determination and the pieces of prediction data individually with each other; and

associating, under a state in which remaining pieces of object data in the detection data group have been received by the next processing time after the current processing time, all the pieces of object data in the detection data group individually with the pieces of prediction data.