The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 25, 1996
Filed:
Jan. 13, 1995
Mark F Henderson, Kokomo, IN (US);
John C Reed, Tucson, AZ (US);
Phillip A May, Lompoc, CA (US);
Zhaohong Zhang, Kokomo, IN (US);
Delco Electronics Corp., Kokomo, IN (US);
Abstract
A method and system for discriminating a target which presents a hazard to a motor vehicle moving in a first lane of traffic from a target moving in a second adjacent lane of traffic which does not present a hazard to the vehicle. The method includes the steps of utilizing an antenna mounted flush to a side of the vehicle to produce a radar beam having a beamwidth greater than 5-10 degrees to illuminate the target. At least a portion of the radar beam is produced along a first axis which is perpendicular to the direction of motion of the vehicle. The reflected signal is received from the illuminated target and a velocity of the illuminated target is estimated with a Kalman filter relative to the velocity of the vehicle in the direction of a second axis which is parallel to the direction of motion of the vehicle based on the reflected signal. The method also includes the steps of measuring the velocity of the vehicle using at least one velocity sensor and determining that the illuminated target is hazardous if the sum of the measured vehicle velocity and the estimated parallel target velocity is greater than a predetermined threshold. The illuminated target is determined not to be hazardous if the sum of the measured vehicle velocity and the estimated parallel target velocity is less than a predetermined threshold.