Delco Electronics Corporation

Michael J Shorkey

Mark Ford Henderson

David James Lee

Zhaohong Zhang

Fie A Liem

Thomas Hays Savchick

Side detection radar utilized on a host vehicle for covering a blind spot in a vehicle mirror view produces alert commands resulting in signals which have gaps due to poor radar reflectivity of portions of a target. To fill these gaps to produce a steady alert signal when a target vehicle is in radar view and to extend the perceived zone of coverage, a variable sustain time is added to each alert signal which exceeds a threshold value. The sustain time varies as an inverse function of the relative vehicle speed and the threshold value varies as an inverse function of vehicle speed. If the alert signal is shorter than the threshold value, then a minimized hold time can be applied.

Method of improving zone of coverage response of automotive radar

A variable effort power steering unit under control of a microcomputer is able to change steering effort in response to control current. The current is developed as a function of average vehicle speed. In the case of vehicle deceleration, a long averaging time is used to inhibit rapid steering effort changes during braking. In the case of vehicle acceleration, a short averaging time is used for rapid response of steering effort to speed increases.

Speed averaging for variable effort power steering

A road vehicle radar system for discriminating between hazard and non-hazard targets within a predetermined zone uses a pair of frequency modulated continuous wave radar cycles (FM-CW) and a single continuous wave cycle (CW) in the generation of radar quantities for measuring target range and apparent target velocity. Measured quantities from the FM-CW and CW cycles are compared with predetermined quantities for discriminating between hazard and non-hazard targets.

Growing community of inventors

Noblesville, IN, United States of America

Michael J Shorkey