Object detection apparatus

• US 10,332,399 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2015
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc. (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Matsuura, Mitsuyasu, Nomura, Takuya, Tanaka, Hidenori, Ohbayashi, Motonari, Ishijima, Hironobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Holloway, Jason
• Application Number:
  US15/515,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20170294125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/02 using reflection of acoustic waves G01S15/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/10 using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurement G01S15/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/87 Combinations of sonar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/524 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0238 using obstacle or wall sensors G05D1/0246 and G05D1/0289 take precedence; lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S17/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

An object detection apparatus is arranged to detect the distance to the object and includes: a transceiver repeatedly transmitting a wave as an ultrasonic wave and receives a reflection wave of the transmission wave; a transmission controller controlling the transceiver to transmit the transmission wave; a distance calculator calculating a distance to the object, based on a time interval from a moment when the transceiver transmits the wave to a moment when the reflection wave is received; and a transmission timing controller controlling timing at which the transmission controller controls the transmission wave to be transmitted. Moreover, the transmission timing controller inserts at least one type of temporary waiting time between a transmission/reception period in which the transceiver transmits the transmission wave and receives the reflection wave and a next transmission/reception period, when a predetermined crosstalk identification condition is established based on the distance to the object.

Claims

1. An object detection apparatus mounted to a vehicle and included in a driver assistance system for performing a driver assistance function based on a distance to an object, the object detection apparatus being arranged to detect the distance to the object and comprising:

a transceiver that repeatedly transmits a wave as an ultrasonic wave and receives a reflection wave of the transmission wave reflected by an object;

a transmission controller that controls the transceiver to transmit the transmission wave;

a distance calculator that calculates a distance to the object, based on a time interval from a moment the transceiver transmits the wave to a moment the reflection wave is received; and

a transmission timing controller that controls timing at which the transmission controller controls the transmission wave to be transmitted, wherein;

the transmission timing controller inserts at least one type of temporary waiting time between a transmission/reception period in which the transceiver transmits the transmission wave and receives the reflection wave and a next transmission/reception period, in response to a predetermined crosstalk identification condition being established based on the distance to the object; and

the crosstalk identification condition is a condition for determining whether it is necessary to identify an occurrence of crosstalk.

2. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, irrespective of an establishment of the crosstalk identification condition, the transmission timing controller selects one type of regular waiting time from multiple types of regular waiting time, which are predetermined, and inserts the one type of regular waiting time selected from the multiple types of regular waiting time between the transmission/reception period and the next transmission/reception period.

3. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the at least one type of the temporary waiting time includes multiple types of temporary waiting time; and

the transmission timing controller randomly selects one type of temporary waiting time, which is to be inserted, from the multiple types of temporary waiting time in response to the crosstalk identification condition being established.

4. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the crosstalk identification condition to be determined in the transmission timing controller includes a first crosstalk identification condition in which:

the distance to the object determined by the distance calculator is equal to or less than a predetermined first distance repeatedly within a first number of occurrences, which is predetermined; and

an amount of change in the distance to the object calculated within the first number of occurrences is equal to or less than a value obtained by adding a constant amount to an amount of movement of the vehicle.

5. The object detection apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the crosstalk identification condition to be determined in the transmission timing controller includes a second crosstalk identification condition in which:

a current distance to the object determined by the distance calculator is equal to or less than a second distance, which is shorter than the first distance; and

a previous distance to the object determined by the distance calculator is longer than the second distance.

6. The object detection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

a first temporary waiting time set, which is a set of multiple types of the temporary waiting time, and a second temporary waiting time set having multiple types of temporary waiting time as to be different from the first temporary waiting time set are arranged; and

the transmission timing controller randomly selects

one type of temporary waiting time from the multiple types of temporary waiting time included in the first temporary waiting time set in response to the first crosstalk identification condition being established, and

one type of temporary waiting time from the multiple types of temporary waiting time included in the second temporary waiting time set in response to the second crosstalk identification condition being established.

7. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

a left side ultrasonic sensor having the transceiver and arranged at a left side of the vehicle; and

a right side ultrasonic sensor having the transceiver and arranged at a right side of the vehicle at a position corresponding to a position of the left side ultrasonic sensor,

wherein, in response to the crosstalk identification condition being established based on either a distance determined by the distance calculator with the transceiver of the left side ultrasonic sensor or a distance determined by the distance calculator with the transceiver of the right side ultrasonic sensor, the transmission timing controller inserts the at least one type of temporary waiting time between the transmission/reception periods for each of the left side ultrasonic sensor and the right side ultrasonic sensor.

8. The object detection apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein, in response to the crosstalk identification condition being established individually based on a distance determined by the distance calculator with the transceiver of the left side ultrasonic sensor;

and based on a distance determined by the distance calculator with the transceiver of the right side ultrasonic sensor, the transmission timing controller inserts the at least one type of temporary waiting time, which is different from a situation in which the crosstalk identification condition is established only in one of the left side ultrasonic sensor and the right side ultrasonic sensor, between the transmission/reception periods for each of the left side ultrasonic sensor and the right side ultrasonic sensor.

9. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the transmission timing controller does not insert the temporary waiting time for a predetermined period of time after the at least one type of temporary waiting time is inserted.

10. The object detection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

a first stopping state set, which is a set of the multiple types of regular waiting time to be used at a time the vehicle is at a standstill, is arranged;

a first running state set having a set of the multiple types of regular waiting time to be used at a time the vehicle is running, is arranged, and at least one type of the multiple types of regular waiting time included in the first running state set is different from the multiple types of regular waiting time included in the first stopping state set; and

the transmission timing controller selects

one type of regular waiting time from the multiple types of regular waiting time included in the first stopping state set in response to the vehicle being at a standstill at a time the crosstalk identification condition is established, and

one type of regular waiting time from the multiple types of regular waiting time included in the first running state set in response to the vehicle is running at a time the crosstalk identification condition is established.

11. The object detection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

a second stopping state set, which is a set of multiple types of regular waiting time to be used at a time the vehicle is at a standstill, is arranged;

a second running state set having a set of multiple types of regular waiting time to be used at a time the vehicle is running is arranged, and at least one type of the multiple types of regular waiting time included in the second running state set is different from the multiple types of regular waiting time included in the second stopping state set; and

the transmission timing controller selects

one type of regular waiting time from the multiple types of regular waiting time included in the second stopping state set in response to the vehicle is at a standstill at a time the crosstalk identification condition is established, and

one type of regular waiting time from the multiple types of regular waiting time included in the second running state set in response to the vehicle is running at a time the crosstalk identification condition is established.

12. The object detection apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the multiple types of temporary waiting time included in the second stopping state set are longer than the multiple types of temporary waiting time in the second running state set.