Granted Patent B2

US 12,292,301 · App. 18/092,588 · Granted May 6, 2025

Inventor: Hiroya Chiba (Fuji, JP)

Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA

G01C21/3685B60W30/06B60W2556/45

Abstract

Claims (62)

1. A moving body support system for supporting a moving body including a vehicle that recognizes a marker arranged in a predetermined area, the moving body support system comprising:

one or more memories configured to store marker position information indicating positions of a plurality of markers arranged in the predetermined area, and light position information indicating positions of one or more lights present in the predetermined area; and

one or more processors configured to:

acquire, based on the marker position information, a position of a target marker being a target to be recognized by the moving body;

execute a brightness acquisition process that acquires information indicating brightness at the position of the target marker;

when the brightness at the position of the target marker is less than a threshold, execute a light control process that selects, based on the light position information, a target light present at a position capable of illuminating the target marker and increases a light intensity of the target light as compared with a case where the brightness is equal to or greater than the threshold;

acquire moving body position information indicating at least one of a position and a target path of the moving body in the predetermined area; and

acquire the position of the target marker based on the marker position information and the moving body position information, wherein:

the plurality of markers include:

a first marker included in the target marker; and

a second marker farther from the position or the target path of the moving body than the first marker is,

the light control process includes controlling the one or more lights such that illuminance of the second marker becomes lower than illuminance of the first marker based on the marker position information, the light position information, and the moving body position information,

the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine a light intensity of the target light based on a difference between a current brightness and the target brightness at the position of the target marker;

receive a notification of a recognized target marker, the notification including identification information or a position of the recognized marker; and

reduce, in response to the notification, the light intensity of the target light that has illuminated the recognized marker, and

the target marker is the marker scheduled to be recognized by the vehicle in the future based on a target path position.

2. The moving body support system according to claim 1 , wherein the light control process includes increasing the light intensity of the target light such that the brightness at the position of the target marker becomes target brightness.

3. The moving body support system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more lights include:

a first light present at a position capable of illuminating the first marker; and

a second light present at a position capable of illuminating the second marker, and

the light control process includes setting a light intensity of the second light to be lower than a light intensity of the first light.

4. The moving body support system according to claim 3 , wherein the light control process includes turning on the first light and turning off the second light.

5. The moving body support system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more lights include a movable light whose at least one of a position and an orientation is variable, and

the light control process includes controlling the at least one of the position and the orientation of the movable light such that the illuminance of the first marker becomes higher than the illuminance of the second marker.

6. The moving body support system according to claim 5 , wherein

the light control process includes controlling the at least one of the position and the orientation of the movable light such that an area illuminated by the movable light moves and follows the moving body.

7. The moving body support system according to claim 1 , wherein

a recognized marker is the target marker that is already recognized by the moving body, and

the one or more processors are further configured to reduce a light intensity of the target light illuminating the recognized marker as compared with before recognition of the recognized marker.

8. The moving body support system according to claim 1 , wherein the brightness acquisition process includes:

acquiring at least one of illuminance around the moving body and illuminance in the predetermined area; and

acquiring the brightness at the position of the target marker based on the position of the target marker and the illuminance acquired.

9. The moving body support system according to claim 1 , wherein the brightness acquisition process includes:

a shadow position estimation process that estimates a position of a shadow in the predetermined area; and

acquiring the brightness at the position of the target marker based on the position of the target marker and the position of the shadow.

10. The moving body support system according to claim 9 , wherein the shadow position estimation process includes:

acquiring light source position information indicating a position of a light source;

acquiring object position information indicating a position of an object in the predetermined area; and

estimating, based on the light source position information and the object position information, the position of the shadow generated by the light source and the object.

11. The moving body support system according to claim 1 , wherein

the predetermined area is a parking lot, and

the moving body supports automated valet parking in the parking lot.

12. The moving body support system according to claim 11 , wherein

the one or more processors are capable of remotely operating a parked vehicle in the parking lot, and

the one or more lights include an external light of the parked vehicle.

13. A moving body support method for supporting a moving body including a vehicle that recognizes a marker arranged in a predetermined area, the moving body support method comprising:

acquiring marker position information indicating positions of a plurality of markers arranged in the predetermined area, and light position information indicating positions of one or more lights present in the predetermined area;

acquiring, based on the marker position information, a position of a target marker being a target to be recognized by the moving body;

executing a brightness acquisition process that acquires information indicating brightness at the position of the target marker;

when the brightness at the position of the target marker is less than a threshold, executing a light control process that selects, based on the light position information, a target light present at a position capable of illuminating the target marker and increases a light intensity of the target light as compared with a case where the brightness is equal to or greater than the threshold;

acquiring moving body position information indicating at least one of a position and a target path of the moving body in the predetermined area; and

acquiring the position of the target marker based on the marker position information and the moving body position information, wherein:

the plurality of markers include:

a first marker included in the target marker; and

a second marker farther from the position or the target path of the moving body than the first marker is,

the light control process includes controlling the one or more lights such that illuminance of the second marker becomes lower than illuminance of the first marker based on the marker position information, the light position information, and the moving body position information,

the moving body support method further comprising:

determine a light intensity of the target light based on a difference between a current brightness and the target brightness at the position of the target marker;

receiving a notification of a recognized target marker, the notification including identification information or a position of the recognized marker; and

reducing, in response to the notification, the light intensity of the target light that has illuminated the recognized marker, and

the target marker is the marker scheduled to be recognized by the vehicle in the future based on a target path position.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (20)