Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Nippon Soken, Inc.

Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Setsuo Tokoro

Takashi Shigematsu

Tomoyuki Watanabe

Takashi Hayashi

Daisaku Sawada

Hisasi Kawai

Tokio Kohama

Hideki Obayashi

Koji Suzuki

Toshikazu Ina

Kyoichi Abe

Mitsuru Takada

Jun Tsuchida

Takashi Shigematu

Hisashi Satonaka

Tatsuo Kyushima

Yuichi Kubota

Toshihiro Katsuda

Masaharu Tanaka

Sotaro Narita

Makoto Takagi

Shinji Sekido

According to one aspect of the disclosure, a collision prevention control apparatus is provided which includes an image sensor that detects an object near the vehicle; a radar sensor that detects the object near the vehicle; and a controller that, if only one of the sensors, among the image sensor and the radar sensor, detects the object, determines reliability of the other sensor, and changes, based on the determined reliability, a way of performing a collision prevention control for preventing a collision with the object detected by the one of the sensors.

Collision prevention control apparatus

Provided is an object identification device and a method for the same that are capable of identifying a three-dimensional object and a road surface static object, irrespective of situations. The object identification device identifies an object, based on a transmission signal and a reflection signal caused by the object reflecting the transmission signal. The object identification device includes: a measurement section configured to measure at least one of the relative distance and the relative velocity with respect to the object; an intensity detection section configured to detect the intensity of the reflection signal; and an object identification section configured to identify the object which can be an obstacle object, based on at least one of the relative velocity and the variation in the relative distance, and on the variation in the intensity.

Object identification device and method

An object detection apparatus includes a radar that detects the position of an object; an imaging device that detects the position and size of an object; a fusion processing device that fuses the object detected by the radar device and the object detected by the imaging device as the same object, when the detection results of the radar device and the imaging device satisfy a prescribed fusion condition, to generate a fusion object having position information and size information. A provisional fusion object is generated if the detection result from the imaging device does not satisfy the fusion condition with respect to the detection result from the radar.

Object detecting apparatus and method for detecting an object

An object of the present invention is to provide an object detection apparatus capable of detecting an object at high precision in accordance with the type of the object. The object detection apparatus of the present invention comprises: object position detection meansfor detecting the positions of objects; object type estimating meansfor estimating the types of the objects; and object estimating meansfor integrating a plurality of detection results for positions within a search area obtained by the object position detection meansand thereby estimating the sizes of the objects, the object detection apparatus of the present invention being characterized in that the search area is set based on the types of the objects estimated by the object type estimating means. Moreover, the object detection apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the object position detection meansdetects the positions of the objects by using a plurality of position detection criteria, that the object type estimating meansestimates the types of the objects based on the position detection criteria, according to which the object position detection meanshave been able to detect the positions of the objects, and that the search area is set based on the position detection criteria, according to which the positions of the objects have been detected.

Object detection device

Clothingmade of a cloth is put on a dummy objectthat is formed into a human-like shape and made of a material having less reflection of electric wave, in order to form a dummy doll. Then, a collision prediction test or inspection by a millimeter wave radar is performed while swaying the clothingby a blower. By swaying the clothing, the result of the measurement with the use of the millimeter wave radar same as that obtained by using an actual human can be obtained. Further, the clothingmay be swayed by vibrating the dummy dollor moving the same, instead of the sending air. A reflection plate may be incorporated into the dummy objectto change the reflection state of the reflection plate. According to these configurations, the result of the test or inspection similar to the vehicle collision prediction by the millimeter wave radar for an actual pedestrian can be obtained with the use of the dummy doll.

Dummy apparatus or test method for collision prediction apparatus or its component

There is provided a running support system for a vehicle, which supports running of a vehicle by using a radar and image recognition means as obstacle detecting means, and in which appropriate support control based on a result of detection performed by each control means is set. A result of obstacle detection performed by a millimeter wave radar () is checked against a result of obstacle detection performed by image recognition means (). Then, a starting condition for the running support control is changed depending on whether an obstacle has been detected by both the millimeter wave radar () and the image recognition means (), or an obstacle has been detected by only one of the millimeter wave radar () and the image recognition means (). Thus, the control support is performed based on an inattentive condition of a driver.

Running support system for vehicle

The present invention relates to an obstacle recognition system and an obstacle recognition method. A radar detects existence of an object around a vehicle, an image taking part such as a camera takes an image of the object around the vehicle, a determination threshold is set at a low value when it is determined based on image information of the photographic image that a possibility of presence of an obstacle is high, the determination threshold is set at a high value when it is determined that the possibility of the presence of the obstacle is low, and these determination threshold values are used to detect the obstacle to travel of the vehicle on the basis of the output from the radar.

Obstacle recognition system and obstacle recognition method

An object detection system includes a radar detection means (), an image detection means (), and a collating means (). The collating means () performs a collation between an object detected by the radar detection means () in a present collation and an object that has been determined as being detected by the radar detection means () and the image detection means () in a previous collation (S, S), further performs a collation between an object detected by the image detection means () in a present collation and an object that has been determined as being detected by the radar detection means () and the image detection means () in the previous collation (S, S) when it is determined that the identical object is detected by the radar detection means () and the image detection means () in the previous collation. Then the collating means () determines whether the radar detection means () and the image detection means () detect the identical object based on the collations (S).

Object detection system and object detection method

An object detection system is provided with radar detection means (), image detection means (), and collating means (). The collating means () detects a combination of an object detected by the radar detection means () and an object selected among those detected by the image detection means (), which is the closest to the object detected by the radar detection means (S, S), detects a combination of an object detected by the image detection means () and an object selected among those detected by the radar detection means (), which is the closest to the object detected by the image detection means (S, S), and determines when there is a coincidence between the combination of the object detected by the radar detection means () and the selected object as being closest thereto and the combination of the object detected by the image detection means () and the selected object as being closest thereto, that the object detected by the radar detection means () is the same as the object detected by the image detection means (S).

Object detection system and method of detecting object

A radar apparatus of the present invention is provided with a reception array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements, a first bearing detector for detecting a bearing of a target by carrying out signal processing on individual element signals received on an element-by-element basis through the respective antenna elements, and a second bearing detector for detecting a bearing of a target by carrying out signal processing different from that of the first bearing detector, on the individual element signals received through the respective antenna elements. Since the radar apparatus is provided with the two detectors of the first bearing detector and second bearing detector as means for acquiring the target bearing, both or either one of the results of detection by the two detectors can be selectively utilized as occasion demands.

Radar apparatus

A radar apparatus for use on a vehicle has a radar beam scanning mechanism for scanning a scan area with a radar beam substantially in parallel to a road surface on which the vehicle is running, and an object detector for receiving reflected waves of the radar beam to create a detected object image, based on the reflected waves. The object detector is provided with a ghost determination device for determining whether a detected object image created is a ghost. Therefore, the radar apparatus can eliminate a detected object image determined as a ghost out of detected object images created.

Radar apparatus for vehicle

A radar apparatus comprising: a receiving antenna having an array antenna in which a plurality of antenna elements are arrayed in a horizontal direction; and a signal processing section for carrying out recognition of a target existing in a predetermined horizontal bearing range from receive signals received by the receiving antenna, by electrically carrying out horizontal scanning of an antenna pattern of the receiving antenna, wherein at least one of the antenna elements is placed with a shift in a vertical direction, and wherein the signal processing section detects an altitudinal bearing of the target by a monopulse method by use of a receive signal from the antenna element with the shift in the vertical direction.

A radar apparatus of the present invention is a radar apparatus for detecting an object around a vehicle, which comprises a transmitter section for radiating a frequency-modulated, transmitted wave a receiver section for receiving a radio wave re-radiated from an object exposed to the transmitted wave and mixing the radio wave received with part of the transmitted wave to obtain beat signals, and a signal processing section for analyzing frequencies of the beat signals to detect the object around the vehicle. This radar apparatus is arranged to set a first threshold value and a second threshold value higher than the first threshold value as to signal levels of a frequency spectrum of the beat signals. The signal processing section is arranged to detect the object around the vehicle, using a beat frequency of a signal level over the second threshold value, and to compare the frequency spectrum with the first threshold value in a predetermined frequency range to determine whether there is dirt on the transmitter section or on the receiver section.

An onboard radar system for a vehicle using the FM-CW method is provided. The radar system includes a mode changer. The mode changer provides a first mode which is suitable to detect a target existing distant from the vehicle. The mode changer also provides a second mode which is suitable to detect a target existing nearby the vehicle. The radar system detects a pair of beat frequencies in the first mode. Further, the radar system detects another pair of beat frequencies in the second mode. The radar system detects a target based on a pair of base beat frequencies which are determined based on an analysis result of both pairs of the beat frequencies.

Onboard radar system for a vehicle

A constant speed regulator apparatus includes a vehicle speed sensing unit which detects a vehicle speed of an automotive vehicle. An idle switch unit detects an OFF state of a throttle valve. A throttle adjusting actuator adjusts a throttle opening angle of the throttle valve to vary the vehicle speed. A target speed determining unit determines a target speed by using the vehicle speed which is detected by the vehicle speed sensing unit immediately after the OFF state of the throttle valve is detected by the idle switch unit. An actuator control unit regulates the throttle adjusting actuator so that the vehicle speed is maintained at the target speed determined by the target speed determining unit.

Growing community of inventors

Susono, Japan

Setsuo Tokoro