Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Denso Corporation

Advics Co., Ltd.

Tsuyoshi Ando

Mitsuyasu Matsuura

Motonari Ohbayashi

Hironobu Ishijima

Takayuki Hiromitsu

Masatoshi Hanzawa

Naoki Yabusaki

Takahiro Shiraki

Yasutaka Atarashi

Shunsuke Murata

An obstacle detection apparatus for vehicles includes: a first ultrasonic sensor for detecting a distance to an obstacle; a second ultrasonic sensor at a position of the vehicle for receiving a reflection wave from the obstacle of an ultrasonic wave from the first ultrasonic wave; a notifier that gives a notification of detecting the obstacle present within a preset distance in one or more of predetermined notification areas including a first notification area for the first ultrasonic sensor, and a second notification area for the second ultrasonic sensor detects the obstacle for the vehicle; and a controller that controls contents to be notified by the notifier. Furthermore, the controller determines whether a first indirect wave distance and a second indirect wave distance are used to determine whether to give the notification of detecting the obstacle in the first notification area.

Obstacle detection apparatus for vehicles

An obstacle detection apparatus for vehicles includes: a first probe wave sensor detecting a direct wave distance as a distance to an obstacle by transmitting a probe wave and receiving a reflection wave of the probe wave reflected by the obstacle; a second probe wave sensor receiving the reflection wave to detect an indirect wave distance as a distance to the obstacle by receiving the reflection wave; an approach determinator determining whether the obstacle is present between the first probe wave sensor and the second probe wave sensor and whether the obstacle is approaching the vehicle; and a distance determinator determining an obstacle distance to be less than or equal to a predetermined distance range when the indirect wave distance falls out of the distance range as the obstacle is present between the first probe wave sensor and the second probe wave sensor and the obstacle is approaching the vehicle.

An obstacle detection apparatus includes: a transceiver transmitting a transmission wave and receiving an ultrasonic wave; a transmission controller; a receiver circuit detecting a signal level of a receiving wave; a distance calculator sequentially calculating a distance to an object reflecting the transmission wave; a memory storing the distance to the object; an obstacle determinator determining whether the object is an obstacle; and a reception level monitoring device monitoring the signal level of the receiving wave before the transmission wave being transmitted. When the signal level exceeds a predetermined threshold, the obstacle determinator sets a first number of determination data elements to an increased number of determinations for a predetermined period to be used for determining whether the object is the obstacle, as being larger than a second number of determination data elements used when the signal level does not exceed the predetermined threshold.

Obstacle detection apparatus

An EPB control device controlling an electric actuator driving an EPB, wherein the device performs control to reach a lock position, a release position and a standby position between the lock position and the release position. In the lock position, a friction-applying member is thereby pressed against a friction-applied member by the EPB by actuating the electric actuator and a predetermined braking force is generated. In the release position, the friction-applying member is separated from the friction-applied member when the EPB is not actuated. In the standby position, a transition to the lock position is performed in a shorter time than when the EPB is actuated from the release position by the actuation of the electric actuator. The device controls, when a starting operation to start moving a vehicle is performed, the electric actuator such that the standby position is reached.

Electric parking brake control device

An EPB-ECU is an electric parking brake control device which generates a braking force by driving an electric motor to press pads and to a disc rotor. The EPB-ECU includes a current supply unit for supplying a motor current to the electric motor and stopping the supply of the motor current when the motor current reaches a predetermined target current value, a supply time measurement unit for measuring a supply time of the motor current, a waiting time setting unit for setting a waiting time from when the supply of the motor current is stopped to when the supply of the motor current is restarted next time on the basis of the measured motor current supply time, and a control unit for instructing the current supply unit to supply the motor current according to the set waiting time.

Growing community of inventors

Kariya, Japan

Tsuyoshi Ando