Outside environment recognition device

An external environment recognition method that recognizes an external environment of an autonomous mobile object, the method comprising:

• receiving detection results from a plurality of external environment recognition sensors each having an information detection circuit that detects information of an object outside the autonomous mobile object, the plurality of external environment recognition sensors being arranged such that a detection range of the information detection circuit includes an overlapping region where at least part of the detection range of the information detection circuit overlaps with at least part of the detection range of another one of the information detection circuits;
• extracting identical objects in the overlapping region from the detection results of the external environment recognition sensors;
• performing no synchronous processing if there is no deviation in position between the identical objects in the overlapping region;
• and
• performing synchronous processing to synchronize the plurality of external environment recognition sensors a timing when a deviation in position between the identical objects in the overlapping region occurs,
• wherein the plurality of external environment recognition sensors include a plurality of cameras arranged so as to have the overlapping region, and further comprising:
• extracting identical objects from images in the overlapping region of the plurality of cameras, identifies static objects from among the identical objects;
• and
• superimposing the static objects on each other to determine whether or not there is a deviation in position between the identical objects.

A non-transitory computer readable storage device having computer readable instructions that when executed by circuitry cause the circuitry to:

• receive detection results from a plurality of external environment recognition sensors each having an information detection circuit that detects information of an object outside an autonomous mobile object, the plurality of external environment recognition sensors being arranged such that a detection range of the information detection circuit includes an overlapping region where at least part of the detection range of the information detection circuit overlaps with at least part of the detection range of another one of the information detection circuits;
• extract identical objects in the overlapping region from the detection results of the external environment recognition sensors;
• perform no synchronous processing if there is no deviation in position between the identical objects in the overlapping region;
• and
• perform synchronous processing to synchronize the plurality of external environment recognition sensors a timing when a deviation in position between the identical objects in the overlapping region occurs, wherein the plurality of external environment recognition sensors include a plurality of cameras arranged so as to have the overlapping region, and the circuitry is further caused to:
• extract identical objects from images in the overlapping region of the plurality of cameras, identifies static objects from among the identical objects;
• and
• superimpose the static objects on each other to determine whether or not there is a deviation in position between the identical objects.