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.

Date of Patent:
May. 08, 2001

Filed:

Jul. 14, 1999
Applicant:
Inventor:

Hayato Kikuchi, Wako, JP;

Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
B60T 7/16 ; G01C 3/08 ; G01B 1/126 ; G01S 1/308 ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
B60T 7/16 ; G01C 3/08 ; G01B 1/126 ; G01S 1/308 ;
Abstract

An area is divided by a plurality of parallel lines parallel to a vehicle body axis CL of a vehicle V, into fifteen detection areas K1 to K15 each having a width of 1.6 m, and each of the detection areas K1 to K15 is divided by a distance address at a distance of every 0.5 m to define a large number of measure-shaped regions. It is determined whether a target T exists in any of the regions, by adding together received reception level signals of laser beams reflected in the regions and comparing a value resulting from the adding with a threshold value. The widths of the detection areas K1 to K15 assume a constant value irrespective of distance to the target and hence, even when the target T exists at a point closer to the vehicle, the reception level signals of waves reflected from a wider area of the target T can be added together, leading to an enhanced detecting ability.


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