Fujitsu Ten Limited

Fujitsu Corporation

Nobukazu Shima

Kazuo Shirakawa

Kenji Oka

Masataka Tsuchihashi

Akihiro Oota

Hiroshi Kamada

Osamu Isaji

Kanako Honda

Masaki Hitotsuya

Hiroyuki Yatsuka

Satoshi Ishii

Yoshikazu Dooi

An image size changing section obtains a size changed image by changing the size of one of two original images captured by a pair of cameras. If an edge of an object has many oblique components, the edge is difficult to detect as a vertical edge but, when the image is horizontally reduced, an oblique edge becomes close to a vertical edge. For this reason, feature end points are extracted with reliability by a feature extracting section and, thereby, an object is recognized and the distance to the object is determined reliably.

Ranging device utilizing image processing

An image processing device includes a camera that picks up an image, an image density recognizer that recognizes density of the image, and an exposure controller that in an exposure control period automatically controls an exposure of the camera based on the density recognized. The exposure controller period includes at least a maximum exposure period during which the exposure is set to a maximum exposure, a minimum exposure period during which the exposure is set to a minimum exposure, and a normal exposure period during which the exposure is set to in between the maximum exposure and the minimum exposure.

Imaging processing device and a method of processing an image

An on-vehicle radar device has a transmission section for transmitting a radio wave to an object, a receive section for receiving the radio wave reflected by the object, and a processing section for dividing an object detection range into three or more of a plurality of areas, setting a threshold of an intensity of the radio wave received for each of the plurality of areas, and judging the existence of an object by comparing the intensity of the radio wave and the threshold. This processing section sets, based on an auto-cruise control mode or pre-crash mode of the vehicle, a threshold of a part of an area in the object detection range to be lower than the threshold of the other areas, or changes the threshold of the detection area according to the object detection status.

On-vehicle radar device

A radar device has a long range radar sensor having a first transmission and receiving section for transmitting and receiving radio wave to a first detection range and a first signal processing section for detecting an object existing in the first detection range; a short range radar sensor having a second transmission and receiving section for transmitting and receiving a radio wave to a second detection range of which width is wider and of which distance is shorter than the first detection range and a second signal processing section for detecting an object existing in the second detection range; and a processing section for integrating information supplied from the first and second signal processing sections. And one of the long range radar sensor and the short range radar sensor stops a detection operation of the object to an overlapped range of both the detection ranges.

Radar device with overlapping short and long range sensors

A radar apparatus is provided which includes a plurality of antennas arranged at unequally spaced intervals in a single row, the plurality of antennas configured to transmit a radio wave as transmitting antennas during continued multiple periods, and receive a reflected radio wave as receiving antennas during the continued multiple periods. A plurality of transceivers are included for transmitting a radio wave from the transmitting antennas and receiving received signals from the receiving antennas, said received signals representing the reflected wave received at the receiving antennas. A signal processing unit is included for selecting a transceiver which transmits a radio wave during each of the continue multiple periods, selecting transceivers which receive the received signals from the receiving antennas during each of the continued multiple periods, and perform digital beam forming with a first receiving signal channel group and a second receiving signal channel group.

Radar apparatus

A radar apparatus includes a plurality of receiver circuit systems to correspond with a plurality of receiving antennas. Channel signals having the same characteristics are generated by the switching operation of a second switch from a received channel signal received by an antenna selected by a first switch, and the thus generated signals are input to the respective receiver circuit systems. Any change in characteristic is detected by comparing signal level and phase between the channel signals converted from analog to digital. The characteristic of each receiver circuit system or the characteristic of each A-D converted output signal is corrected based on the result of the detection of each receiver circuit system. Any change detected in the characteristic of a receiver circuit system is corrected during normal operation, and any change occurring in the characteristic due to aging or temperature variations in the operating environment is corrected as needed.

Radar apparatus for detecting distance or velocity with respect to an object

On/off timing of an amplifier and timing of antenna selection are accurately adjusted. When adjusting the on/off timing of the amplifier, modulation of a transmit signal is stopped, and a switch is set so as not to select any one of the antennas, thereby totally reflecting the transmit signal; in this condition, the timing is controlled so that the average value of the output level of a mixer becomes a minimum. When adjusting the antenna selection timing, modulation of the transmit signal is stopped, and a reflective object is placed in close proximity to the antenna; in this condition, the timing is adjusted so that the average value of the output level of the mixer becomes a maximum.

Timing adjustment method for radar, and radar apparatus having automatic timing adjusting function

The present invention relates to a radar apparatus that forms multiple digital beams based on reflected waves of a transmitted radio wave. A transmit signal is transmitted in a predetermined cycle from one of transmitting/receiving antennas Ato Aarrayed in a row. The antennas Ato A, each switched between transmission and reception, are arranged such that the ratio of the spacing between one pair of adjacent antennas to the spacing between the other pair of adjacent antennas is 1:2. The reflected waves are received by the respective antennas, and DBF is performed based on the resulting received signals. Eleven-channel DBF is achieved using the four antennas with a space equivalent to six antennas. By achieving multiple channels with a minimum number of antennas, the size and cost of the apparatus can be reduced while also reducing the processing time and thus enhancing the performance.

An image size changing section obtains a size-changed image by changing the size of one of two original images captured by a pair of cameras. If an edge of an object has many oblique components, the edge is difficult to detect as a vertical edge but, when the image is horizontally reduced, an oblique edge becomes close to a vertical edge. For this reason, a feature end points are extracted with reliability by a feature extracting section and, thereby, an object is recognized and the distance to the object is determined reliably.

The present invention relates to a radar apparatus that uses a plurality of transmitting/receiving antennas A-Aand receives a reflected wave, of a transmitted wave, reflected from a target. By utilizing the property that the path of the transmitted wave from an antenna Aand its reflected wave and the path of the transmitted wave from the next selected antenna Aand its reflected wave share the same spatial system, and therefore that both received signals have the same characteristics in terms of frequency and phase, a judgment is made as to whether there exists any difference between the receiving characteristics of the antennas, and the received signal is corrected in accordance with the result of the judgment. It is also possible to judge the presence or absence of a change in the characteristic of each antenna, and apply a correction accordingly, even during the normal operation of the apparatus.

A diagnostic apparatus in an image recognition system able to quickly and accurately detect breakage of a cable from an image sensor or pixel burn of an image sensor, provided with a histogram computing unit for performing predetermined computations on an image signal fetched into an image recognition unit to generate a density histogram and an abnormality judging unit for analyzing the density histogram generated by the histogram computing unit to judge the presence of an abnormality or alternatively provided with a memory unit for receiving as input and storing information of an image signal fetched into an image recognition unit and a comparing/judging unit for reading out and comparing information of image signals of a plurality of images different in time relating to a target pixel from the memory unit and judging whether they are the same or different and judging that there is an abnormality when they are the same.

Diagnostic apparatus for abnormalities in image recognition system

A radar apparatus comprises: a transmitter unit having a high-frequency oscillating unit whose oscillation frequency is variable, and a pulse amplitude modulating unit for amplitude-modulating a pulse of a transmission high-frequency signal output from the high-frequency oscillating unit with a first control pulse signal; a receiver unit having a gating unit for controlling ON/OFF of an input of a received high-frequency signal with a second control pulse signal; and a controlling and signal processing unit for controlling the transmitter unit and the receiver unit, and for switching a first operation mode for making the apparatus function as an FM-CW radar, and a second operation mode for making the apparatus function as a pulse radar.

Radar apparatus, radar apparatus controlling method

A range-finder, capable of finding a range by image realization, having two distantly arranged imaging devices. The first pattern having a predetermined size and the first positional information is extracted by the pattern extracting section from the first image of a target which has been made by the first imaging device. In the second image of the same target, which has been made by the second imaging device, the second pattern having the second positional information, which is most correlated with the first pattern in a plurality of upward and downward horizontal or vertical lines corresponding to the first positional information, is detected by the correlation processing section. Parallax is found from the first and the second positional information by the parallax calculating section. A distance to the target is found from this parallax by using the principle of triangulation.

Range finder for finding range by image realization

An apparatus recognizes road traffic lines and a car running ahead without regard to obstacles and noise signals. A video image recording unit on a car provides an image of the road ahead. Horizontal edges in the image are detected for determining the presence of a car ahead. Successive lateral sweeps in both directions from a center line that advance at predetermined sampling intervals from a proximal portion of the image toward a distal portion of the image provide data by which horizontal edges are determined for comparison against predetermined standards. A base line on the road for the car ahead is determined as the most proximal horizontal edge. Lines marking road lanes are detected by similar two directional search lines from a center line. Lane lines are identified in right and left proximal portions of the image and extrapolated to the distal portion of the image. Missing portions of lines are interpolated. In determining the presence of marked road lanes, vertical edge detection provides basic data for establishing the thickness and distance between probable lines for comparison against predetermined standards. Comparison of successive road images determines relative motion between the vehicle bearing the apparatus and detected images and aids in updating the image and eliminating noise signals.

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Kobe, Japan

Nobukazu Shima