TRAFFIC LIGHT DETECTION METHOD AND TRAFFIC LIGHT DETECTION DEVICE

To provide a traffic light detection method and a traffic light detection device that can prevent a high luminance object that moves relative to an own vehicle, such as a tail lamp of another vehicle, from being falsely detected as a traffic light, and improve traffic signal recognition performance.SOLUTION: A traffic light detection method and a traffic light detection device create a second image in which time change of a luminance value due to an object moving relative to a vehicle is suppressed based on a first image captured by an imaging unit mounted on the vehicle, extracts a pixel whose magnitude of the component of a predetermined frequency included in the time change of the luminance value among pixels of the second image exceeds a predetermined threshold value as a traffic light pixel showing a traffic light, and thereby detects the traffic light.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1 【課題】他車両のテールランプといった自車両に対して相対的に移動する高輝度の物体を信号機であるとして誤検知してしまう事態を防ぎ、信号認識性能を向上させることができる信号機検出方法及び信号機検出装置を提供する。【解決手段】信号機検出方法及び信号機検出装置は、車両に搭載される撮像部によって取得した第１画像に基づいて、車両に対して相対的に移動する物体による輝度値の時間変化を抑制した第２画像を作成し、第２画像の画素のうち、輝度値の時間変化に含まれる所定周波数の成分の大きさが所定閾値を超える画素を信号機が写る信号機画素として抽出することで、信号機の検出を行う。【選択図】図１