Object detection device and object detection method

An object detection method comprising:

• calculating, for each of a plurality of regions in a predetermined detection range represented in the newest sensor signal of a plurality of sensor signals in time-series acquired by a sensor for detecting an object present in the detection range, a confidence indicating a degree of certainty that an object to be detected is represented in each of the plurality of regions;
• tracking a first object, which has been detected in any of sensor signals preceding the newest sensor signal among the plurality of sensor signals, among the objects to be detected, to detect, in the newest sensor signal, a passed region through which the first object has passed;
• controlling, for each of the plurality of regions in the newest sensor signal, a confidence threshold applied to a confidence for a second object among the objects to be detected according to whether or not each of the plurality of regions is included in the passed region;
• and
• detecting, in the newest sensor signal, the second object in an object region, among the plurality of regions, with respect to which the confidence for the second object is equal to or higher than the confidence threshold of the object region,
• wherein the method further comprises:
• calculating the confidence for each type of the second object;
• setting the confidence threshold of the object region to a first confidence threshold when the type of the second object whose confidence is a maximum value of the confidences calculated for each type of the second object is a moving object or the object region is not included in the passed region;
• and
• setting the confidence threshold of the object region to a second confidence threshold higher than the first confidence threshold when the type of the second object whose confidence is the maximum value is a stationary object or a low-speed moving object whose speed is lower than a speed of the moving object and the object region is included in the passed region.

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program for object detection that causes a computer to execute a process comprising:

• calculating, for each of a plurality of regions in a predetermined detection range represented in the newest sensor signal among a plurality of sensor signals in time-series acquired by a sensor for detecting an object present in the detection range, a confidence indicating a degree of certainty that an object to be detected is represented in each of the plurality of regions;
• tracking a first object, which has been detected in any of sensor signals preceding the newest sensor signal among the plurality of sensor signals, among the objects to be detected, to detect, in the newest sensor signal, a passed region through which the first object has passed;
• controlling, for each of the plurality of regions in the newest sensor signal, a confidence threshold applied to a confidence for a second object among the objects to be detected according to whether or not each of the plurality of regions is included in the passed region;
• and
• detecting, in the newest sensor signal, the second object in an object region, among the plurality of regions, with respect to which the confidence for the second object is equal to or higher than the confidence threshold of the object region, wherein the process further comprises:
• calculating the confidence for each type of the second object;
• setting the confidence threshold of the object region to a first confidence threshold when the type of the second object whose confidence is a maximum value of the confidences calculated for each type of the second object is a moving object or the object region is not included in the passed region;
• and
• setting the confidence threshold of the object region to a second confidence threshold higher than the first confidence threshold when the type of the second object whose confidence is the maximum value is a stationary object or a low-speed moving object whose speed is lower than a speed of the moving object and the object region is included in the passed region.