Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Omron Corporation

Hayato Kikuchi

Toshiaki Arai

Makoto Sato

Yoshikazu Tsuchiya

Yasuhiko Fujita

Kunio Nanno

Satoru Arita

Wataru Ishio

Hiroshi Sato

Kiichiro Sawamoto

Mahito Ishiyama

In an FM/CW type radar device (R), when object candidate information storage means (M) stores as object candidate information a distance or a relative speed for an object that is determined based on a combination of peak signals on the rising side and the falling side in each detection area, if a difference in frequency between peak signaldetermined in a given detection area and peak signaldetermined in another detection area is no greater than a predetermined value and object candidate information due to peak signaland object candidate information due to peak signalstored in the object candidate information storage means (M) are substantially equal to each other, grouping means (M) carries out grouping of the two peak signals and, furthermore, object information calculation means (M) calculates the distance or relative speed for the object based on a combination of peak signals on the rising side and the falling side after the grouping processing. This enables the distance and relative speed of an object to be calculated with good precision by means of an FM/CW type object detecting apparatus while minimizing the amount of arithmetic processing and the processing time.

Object detecting apparatus

A ghost target candidate judging device judges that one target of two targets is a candidate for a ghost target where the distances of the two targets from a subject vehicle are equal to each other and where the difference between receiving levels of the two targets is not less than a predetermined value. A running-abreast target judging device judges that one target is the target running abreast of the other target based on changes in an angle difference and in a left-right positional difference between the two targets in accordance with the change in the distances of the two targets from the subject vehicle. The ghost target judging device judges, as the ghost target, a target obtained by removing the running-abreast target data from the candidates for the ghost target. The running-abreast target is prevented from being erroneously recognized as the ghost target while judging which target is the ghost target. Also, a target indicating a lower receiving level is prevented from erroneously being judged as a ghost target when two targets indicating their respective different receiving levels are running side by side.

A running control system having a radar device that detects a distance between a subject vehicle and a preceding vehicle. When a vehicle speed sensor detects the subject vehicle has stopped, a transmission output controller sets a transmission output of the radar device to a stopping time transmission output lower than a running time transmission output. When the radar device detects an increase in the distance between the subject vehicle and the preceding vehicle while the subject vehicle is stopped, or when the distance between the subject vehicle and the preceding vehicle detected by the radar device while the subject vehicle has stopped is longer than a predetermined value, a notifying device notifies an occupant of the subject vehicle that following running control is possible.

Running control system for vehicle

In an object sensing member M, while electromagnetic waves are transmitted from transmission membersandto a predetermined region, based upon a result of receiving electromagnetic waves reflected from an object by reception membersand, a distance detecting memberdetects at least a distance of the object. An abnormal condition judging member Mjudges that the object sensing member Mis under abnormal condition, if a difference between a maximum value of reception levels of the electromagnetic waves received by the reception membersand, and a minimum value of these reception levels for a predetermined time measured by a time measuring member Mis smaller than a predetermined threshold value. As a result, the abnormal condition judging member Mcan surely judge the abnormal condition even, if the vehicle is driven on a desert road where objects to be sensed are occasionally present.

Vehicle-purpose object sensing apparatus

There is provided a system in which when a gate having a reflection level of a threshold or higher and having been recognized as a control target by last time is not recognized as the control target this time, the gate is assumed to be actually detected, and extrapolation device extrapolates the gate (see &#x25ef;) up to a predetermined number of times (five times), wherein when the gate is a stationary object, and a reflection level of the gate at the next detection (Time) predicted from a reflection level at the previous detection (Time) and a reflection level at the current detection (Time) is lower than a detection threshold (see &#x25a1;), the limit of the number of extrapolations by the extrapolation device is reduced from five to two. Thus, the number of extrapolations is reduced of the gate whose reflection level is suddenly reduced as a subject vehicle approaches and that is estimated not to be a control target, and unnecessary vehicle control for the gate can be prevented to eliminate discomfort of a driver.

Control target recognition system and vehicle object detection system

In a vehicle control system, when an inter-vehicular distance between a subject vehicle and a preceding vehicle detected by a radar device is less than or equal to a predetermined value, automatic braking is performed or an alarm is activated to alert a driver to prevent a collision. A stationary object detection threshold value of a reception level of a reflected wave for detecting a stationary object is set higher in a predetermined region compared to a moving object detection threshold value of a reception level of a reflected wave emitted from the radar device for detecting a moving object such as a preceding vehicle. Thus, the system prevents a gate or an article in the roadway, which are not obstacles, from being erroneously recognized as obstacles. As such, unnecessary automatic braking and alarm activation for the gate and the article in the roadway can be prevented.

Vehicle control system

Whether or not a radar device detects an object is determined by a detection state determinator. Whether or not a time during which the object is not detected and which is measured by a clocking device becomes a determination threshold value or more, is determined by a non-detection determinator. Based on the determination results, an informing device informs an occupant that the object is not detected for a predetermined time or more. Therefore, a state in which the radar device does not detect an object due to absence of the object on a road in a desert or the like is prevented from being erroneously determined as a state caused by contamination of the radar device. Also, the occupant can easily determine whether the operation of the informing device is actually caused by absence of an object or contamination of the radar device, based on the environment around the road on which the own vehicle is traveling. Especially because a reflected wave from a road surface, of which intensity changes in accordance with the condition, is not used for determination, it becomes unnecessary to change the setting of the determination threshold value and determination frequency region, and thus the structure and operation are simplified.

Object detecting system for vehicle

A moving body transmitter and receiver axis adjusting system includes a radar system mounted on a moving body and having a scanning area of 10&#xb0; and a detection area of 8&#xb0; in each of the left and right directions, and carrying out auto aiming to adjust the detection area in left and right directions inside the scanning area so that an object detection axis that is the center of the detection area coincides with a reference reflecting body placed on a vehicle center line. When a deviation between the object detection axis and the reference reflecting body exceeds 2&#xb0;, adjustment cannot be completed only by auto aiming. In this case, the angle at which the radar system is mounted on the vehicle body is manually adjusted in the left and right directions so that the object detection axis overlaps the vehicle center line.

Moving body transmitter and receiver axis adjusting system

An auto-cruise apparatus having a constant vehicle speed controller and a mode selector is provided. The constant vehicle speed controller controls the vehicle speed such that the vehicle speed is maintained at the set vehicle speed whether a preceding vehicle may exist or not. The mode selector selects in accordance with predetermined operations upon the input means, either a vehicle-to-vehicle distance control mode in which a travel of the subject vehicle is controlled by the vehicle-to-vehicle distance controller or a constant vehicle speed control mode in which the travel is controlled by the constant vehicle speed controller. A travel control by either the vehicle-to-vehicle distance controller or the constant vehicle speed controller is performed in accordance with a travel mode that has been selected by the mode selector.

Auto-cruise apparatus

A travel following system includes a lower limit vehicle speed setting device, an upper limit vehicle speed setting device, a vehicle speed control device, and a control start commanding device. The vehicle speed control device is adapted to discontinue vehicle speed control at a vehicle speed between the lower limit vehicle speed and a vehicle speed in a stopped state. The vehicle speed control device is also adapted to ensure that vehicle speed control is discontinued when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or higher than the upper limit vehicle speed, and vehicle speed control is suspended until operation of the control start commanding device. Thus, a moderate tension is provided to the driver during operation of the travel following system so that braking operation can be easily conducted and starting of the vehicle based on the driver's will can be carried out without switching operation by the driver.

Travel following system for vehicle

A method for adjusting a detection axis of an object detection system, wherein a disk-shaped adjusting member is fixed to a reference plane on an outer face of a casing, wherein the rotational position of the adjusting member is adjusted. The adjusting member has first and second base surfaces, between which a wedge shape is formed. Rotating the adjusting member finely adjusts the angle of the second base surface relative to the reference plane of the casing thereby resulting in the direction of the second base surface coinciding with the direction of an object detection axis of a radar mechanism part fixed within the casing. The direction of the object detection axis can be adjusted in the horizontal direction by placing a level on the second base surface of the adjusting member and adjusting the mounting angle of the casing so the level indicates a horizontal direction.

Method for adjusting detection axis of object detection system

An object detecting device mounted on a vehicle transmits an electromagnetic wave to a detecting area established in a traveling direction of the vehicle. The object detecting device receives a wave resulting from the reflection of the electromagnetic wave from an object in the detecting area, thereby detecting the object. A reference reflector is disposed at a predetermined location in front of the object detecting device. A plurality of tires are stacked on top of one another behind the reference reflector to form an electromagnetic wave absorber. An object detecting axis of the object detecting device is adjusted by transmitting the electromagnetic wave so that the reference reflector assumes a reference position of the detecting area.

Process for adjusting the detecting axis of an object detector

In an object detecting system, a first discriminating unit discriminates an object which has a reflected wave having a reception level calculated by a reception level calculating unit, equal to or larger than a first reference level. A second discriminating unit discriminates an object, the distance to which, calculated by a distance calculated unit, is equal to the distance to the object discriminated by the first discriminating unit, and which has a reflected wave whose reception level calculated by the reception level calculating unit is equal to or smaller than a second reference level. A virtual image determining unit determines the object discriminated by the second discriminating unit as a virtual image of the actual existing object discriminated by the first discriminating unit. A virtual image deleting unit deletes the virtual image from the result of the recognition provided by an object recognizing unit, whereby only the actual existing object including no virtual image can be detected correctly. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the misdetection of an object due to a ghost beam generated by the deposition of ice or the like on a light transmitting face.

Object detecting system

A laser beam transmitted from a laser diode is run for scanning laterally as a transmitted-beam elongated vertically with a lateral width thereof limited. A wave of the transmitted-beam reflected from an object is caught in a beam receiving area which is elongated laterally with a vertical width limited and scanned vertically, and is received by a photo-diode. Even if the vertical width of the transmitted-beam is set at a sufficient large value to absorb an error in the vertical mounting of a radar system, the period of time when the direct sun rays enter the beam receiving area to make the detection impossible can be shortened by vertically scanning the beam receiving area elongated laterally. Thus, the influence of the direct sun rays can be maintained to the minimum to reliably detect the object without need for a precise aiming, excluding the case where the height position of the sun corresponds to the level of the object.

Optical radar system

An area is divided by a plurality of parallel lines parallel to a vehicle body axis CL of a vehicle V, into fifteen detection areas K1 to K15 each having a width of 1.6 m, and each of the detection areas K1 to K15 is divided by a distance address at a distance of every 0.5 m to define a large number of measure-shaped regions. It is determined whether a target T exists in any of the regions, by adding together received reception level signals of laser beams reflected in the regions and comparing a value resulting from the adding with a threshold value. The widths of the detection areas K1 to K15 assume a constant value irrespective of distance to the target and hence, even when the target T exists at a point closer to the vehicle, the reception level signals of waves reflected from a wider area of the target T can be added together, leading to an enhanced detecting ability.

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Wako, Japan

Hayato Kikuchi