Denso Corporation

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Yoshie Samukawa

Toyohito Nozawa

Keiji Matsuoka

Yoshiaki Hoashi

Tsutomu Natsume

Hiroshi Ookata

Hiroshi Ohkata

Noriaki Shirai

Eiji Teramura

Akiyoshi Mizutani

Mamoru Shimamoto

Yosuke Ito

Yasuyuki Miyake

Akira Isogai

Takao Nishimura

Mai Sakamoto

Katsuhiro Morikawa

Takekazu Terui

Kouji Shimizu

Kento Nakabayashi

Atsushi Kawakubo

Yoshihiro Abe

Kei Tamura

Ryusuke Uyama

Keiko Okuda

Tadashi Hyodo

A radar device includes a transmitting unit, a receiving unit, and a signal processor. The transmitting unit transmits a radar wave. The receiving unit mixes the received incoming wave with the radar wave to generate a beat signal. The signal processor executes a target detection process to detect a target having reflected the radar wave. In the target detection process, a signal value is extracted from the beat signal generated by the receiving unit for each of specified times, the specified time being a reciprocal of a DC component frequency, an approximation curve of a plurality of the signal values is calculated as a DC component signal, and the calculated DC component signal is subtracted from the beat signal to generate a target signal. Based on a result of frequency analysis performed on the target signal, a target that is a source of the incoming wave is detected.

Target detector and target detection method for detecting target using radar waves

An on-vehicle target detection apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a radar sensing portion and a processing unit that processes information from the radar sensing portion. The processing unit detects a target that is present in the periphery of the vehicle based on detection results from the radar sensing portion, and determines a depth determination value indicating the depth of the target detected. The processing unit compares the depth determination threshold and a threshold set in advance and determines that the target is a low-lying target that is surmountable by the vehicle, when the depth determination value is determined to be less than the threshold.

Apparatus and method for detecting target in periphery of vehicle

An example of recognition of the shape of a road where a vehicle travels is provided. An object type as to whether an object is a moving or stationary object is determined according to a relative speed of the object and a speed of the vehicle. Object-unit data effective for recognizing a road shape is extracted according to the determination. The object-unit data is used for forming data of a roadside object group, based on which a road edge is recognized. A series of the processes is repeatedly performed at a predetermined cycle. After the extraction process, a data addition process is performed to add object-unit data obtained in the extraction process of the previous cycle to object-unit data obtained in the extraction process of the present cycle. In a recognition process, a road edge is recognized according to the object-unit data obtained in the data addition process.

Method and apparatus for recognizing shape of road for vehicles

An object specifying device mounted in a controlled vehicle has a unit for tracking objects, existing in a monitoring area set along a running direction of the controlled vehicle, to detect the objects as forward objects, a unit for specifying one forward object running in the area as a forward vehicle, a unit for specifying each of other forward objects as a candidate for a control-based object when the forward object is placed in an inter-vehicle area between the controlled and forward vehicles, and a unit for specifying each candidate, tracked for a tracking period equal to or longer than a reference tracking period, as a control-based object and specifies each candidate, tracked for a tracking period shorter than the reference tracking period, as a non-control-based object. The controlled vehicle is controlled according to a movement of the control-based objects, regardless of a movement of the non-control-based objects.

Object specifying device for a vehicle

A target object information estimating device embodied by an electronically agile radar sensor is mounted in a moving vehicle. The device has a unit outputting a radar wave every measuring period, receiving radar waves reflected from a target object through different transmission paths and calculating a distance to the object in each measuring period to detect the object, a unit tracking the object in a tracking term of measuring periods, a unit setting the distance changed with time as a null distance each time electric power of the received waves is reduced to a minimal value, and a unit producing an actual pattern of null points corresponding to the null distances, collating the actual pattern with modeled patterns corresponding to various heights and estimates the height of the object from the collation result as information about the object.

Device for estimating information on target object

In an object recognition apparatus for a vehicle which uses intensities of reflected waves from reflecting objects to make a recognition on whether a reflecting object is a vehicle or a non-vehicle, a plurality of transmission waves are emitted to receive a plurality of reflected waves from the reflecting objects, and a decision is made as to whether or not the reflecting object producing the plurality of reflected waves is a unitary reflecting object. If the decision shows a unitary reflecting object, the highest intensity of intensities of the reflected waves from the unitary reflecting object is compared with a reference intensity to makes a decision on whether the reflecting object is a vehicle or a non-vehicle. This enables univocally making a decision for each unitary reflecting object as to whether the reflecting object is more likely to be a vehicle or to be a non-vehicle, thus improving the recognition accuracy.

Object recognition apparatus for vehicle and distance measurement apparatus

A radar sensor receives a radar wave signal through a radome in each of antennas while judging existence of an attenuating thing in a detecting unit. This unit extracts a maximum level channel from receiving channels assigned to the antennas every modulation period, calculates a difference in signal level between the maximum level channel and each receiving channel every modulation period, sets each receiving channel corresponding to large level differences in one measuring period including plural modulation periods as a candidate channel every measuring period, increments a preliminary variable of each candidate channel every measuring period, increases a final variable each time the preliminary variable of at least one receiving channel reaches or exceeds a preliminary value in one measuring period, and judges in response to the final variable reaching a final value that the attenuating thing attenuates the radar wave directed toward the random.

Radar sensor for receiving radar wave while judging existence of wave attenuator

An object recognition apparatus in a subject vehicle includes a radar unit for transmitting a plurality of laser beams in a scan range spread in horizontal and vertical directions of the subject vehicle and receiving a reflection, a recognition unit for recognizing the object in front of the subject vehicle based on the reflection, a determination sub-unit in the radar unit, a calculation sub-unit in the radar unit; and an adjustment sub-unit in the radar unit. The radar unit is so disposed in the subject vehicle with a center axis of one of the plurality of the laser beams aligned with a target angle that the determination sub-unit uses coverage in the vertical direction of the laser beam being sufficient for variation of heights of the reflector on the object at a first distance detected by the radar unit as the predetermined condition for selecting of the object.

Object recognition apparatus for motor vehicle

Inter-vehicle control apparatus and distance measurement apparatus

An object recognition device for a vehicle includes a size determining means, an existence condition determining means, and an adverse condition determining means. The size determining means determines that the recognized objects are large when a size of the objects is larger than a given determination value. The existence condition determining means determines whether at least a given number of the objects are determined to be large by the size determining means. The adverse condition determining means identifies an adverse condition related to recognizing the objects when at least the given number of the objects are determined to be large by the existence condition determining means.

Object recognition system for vehicle

First, it is determined that a measurable distance of a laser radar device is a first threshold value being an extremely short measurable distance or below, because of dirt on a sensor or bad weather. A vehicle control using measured data of the device is thereby prohibited. Second, it is determined that the measurable distance is a second threshold value being a short measurable distance or below but greater than the first threshold value, because of dirt on a sensor or bad weather. A vehicle speed for allowing the vehicle control using the measured data of the device is restricted. Eventually, the vehicle control is executed under these individual conditions.

Vehicle control device

If the maximum time width Lt of the intensity of received light of reflected waves from a vehicle ahead is smaller than a reference time width, it is judged that the vehicle ahead is positioned in proximity to the detection limit distance of an obstacle detection device for vehicle. Thus, there is no problem, for example, even if a cut-in vehicle is present in reality between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle of interest and nevertheless, the distance to the cut-in vehicle cannot be detected. It can be judged whether the vehicle ahead is positioned in proximity to the detection limit distance of the device by judging the magnitude relation between Lt and the reference time width. As a result, the detecting capability of the device can be judged with accuracy.

Method for detecting an obstacle around a vehicle

An object recognition apparatus for vehicles is provided which is equipped with a radar. The apparatus is designed to detect adhesion of any dirt to the radar which will disturbs emission of radar waves to and reception radar echoes from a target. When the number of radar waves is great which cause the times required by the radar waves to travel to and return from a target to be measured as being shorter than a predetermined period of time and the intensities of the radar returns to be greater than a predetermined value, it is determined that the dirt is adhered to the radar, thereby improving the accuracy of detecting the adhesion of dirt to the radar.

Object recognition apparatus designed to detect adhesion of dirt to radar

Object recognition apparatus for vehicle, inter-vehicle control apparatus, and distance measurement apparatus

In an object recognition apparatus using a radar unit for a vehicle, in mounting the radar unit on the vehicle, a transmission wave is outputted throughout an appropriate angular range in a forward direction of the vehicle in a state where a margin is given to a tolerance of the mounting angle of the radar unit on the vehicle. Laser beams are radiated at a target placed at a predetermined positional relationship relative to the radar unit mounted on the vehicle to extract a laser beam which provides the maximum light-reception intensity in each of the X-axis and Y-axis directions. Moreover, a predetermined angular range is set in each of the X-axis and Y-axis directions so that the laser beam which provides the maximum light-reception intensity is centered therein, and the predetermined angular range is used as a recognition area.

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Kariya, Japan

Yoshie Samukawa