Ultrasonic object detection apparatus

• US 10,371,805 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2015
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• 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, Harada, Taketo, Nomura, Takuya, Ohbayashi, Motonari, Ishijima, Hironobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Alsomiri, Isam A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Armstrong, Jonathan D
• Application Number:
  US15/515,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20170219698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/86 Combinations of sonar systems with lidar systems; Combinations of sonar systems with systems not using wave reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/87 Combinations of sonar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/93 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/938 in the bumper area
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52006 with provision for compensating the effects of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/526 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/529 Gain of receiver varied automatically during pulse-recurrence period for seismic signals G01V1/245
• 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

Abstract

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 determination device 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 determination device 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.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic object detection apparatus mounted to a vehicle and comprising:

at least one transceiver that transmits a transmission wave as an ultrasonic wave to outside of the vehicle and receives a reflection wave of the transmission wave reflected by an object;

at least one reception circuit that detects a signal level of the reflection wave received by the transceiver;

at least one object detector that detects an object, based on a comparison between the signal level detected by the reception circuit and an object detection threshold;

at least one sensor temperature detector that detects an ambient temperature of the transceiver; and

a detection sensitivity adjuster that performs a detection sensitivity adjustment, which is an adjustment of at least one of a detection sensitivity of the reception circuit and the object detection threshold, based on the ambient temperature detected by the at least one sensor temperature detector, wherein;

the at least one transceiver includes a plurality of transceivers;

the at least one reception circuit includes a plurality of reception circuits;

the at least one object detector includes a plurality of object detectors;

the at least one sensor temperature detector includes a plurality of sensor temperature detectors;

the plurality of transceivers, the plurality of reception circuits, the plurality of object detectors, and the plurality of sensor temperature detectors configure a plurality of ultrasonic sensors, respectively; and

the detection sensitivity adjuster uses a lowest ambient temperature among a plurality of ambient temperatures respectively detected by the plurality of sensor temperature detectors arranged at the plurality of ultrasonic sensors correspondingly, to perform the detection sensitivity adjustment.

2. An ultrasonic object detection apparatus mounted to a vehicle and comprising:

at least one transceiver—

that transmits a transmission wave as an ultrasonic wave to outside of the vehicle and receives a reflection wave of the transmission wave reflected by an object;

at least one reception circuit that detects a signal level of the reflection wave received by the transceiver;

at least one object detector that detects an object, based on a comparison between the signal level detected by the reception circuit and an object detection threshold;

at least one sensor temperature detector that detects an ambient temperature of the transceiver; and

a detection sensitivity adjuster that performs a detection sensitivity adjustment, which is an adjustment of at least one of a detection sensitivity of the reception circuit and the object detection threshold, based on the ambient temperature detected by the at least one sensor temperature detector, and further comprising;

an outside air temperature acquisition device that acquires an outside air temperature from an outside air temperature sensor set at a location of the vehicle other than a location where the at least one transceiver detects the ambient temperature and that detects outside air temperatures,

wherein the detection sensitivity adjuster performs the detection sensitivity adjustment

using the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor based on a determination in which a temperature difference between the outside air temperature acquired by the outside air temperature acquisition device and the ambient temperature detected by one of the plurality of sensor temperature detectors is smaller than a predetermined value, and

using the ambient temperature detected by the sensor temperature detector based on a determination in which the temperature difference is larger than a predetermined value.

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

the at least one transceiver includes a plurality of transceivers;

the at least one reception circuit includes a plurality of reception circuits;

the at least one object detector includes a plurality of object detectors;

the at least one sensor temperature detector includes a plurality of sensor temperature detectors;

the plurality of transceivers, the plurality of reception circuits, the plurality of object detectors, and the plurality of sensor temperature detectors configure a plurality of ultrasonic sensors, respectively; and

the detection sensitivity adjuster uses a lowest ambient temperature among a plurality of ambient temperatures respectively detected by the plurality of sensor temperature detectors arranged at the plurality of ultrasonic sensors correspondingly, to perform the detection sensitivity adjustment.

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

the at least one transceiver includes a plurality of transceivers,

the at least one reception circuit includes a plurality of reception circuits,

the at least one object detector includes a plurality of object detectors,

the at least one sensor temperature detector includes a plurality of sensor temperature detectors,

the plurality of transceivers, the plurality of reception circuits, the plurality of object detectors, and the plurality of sensor temperature detectors configure a plurality of ultrasonic sensors, respectively,

the detection sensitivity adjuster uses a weighted average of a plurality of ambient temperatures respectively detected by the plurality of sensor temperature detectors arranged at the plurality of ultrasonic sensors correspondingly, to perform the detection sensitivity adjustment, the weighted average being obtained by using a weight coefficient determined based on installation positions of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors.

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

the at least one transceiver includes a plurality of transceivers,

the at least one reception circuit includes a plurality of reception circuits,

the at least one object detector includes a plurality of object detectors,

the at least one sensor temperature detector includes a plurality of sensor temperature detectors,

the plurality of transceivers, the plurality of reception circuits, the plurality of object detectors, and the plurality of sensor temperature detectors configure a plurality of ultrasonic sensors, respectively, and at least one of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors is arranged at a side face of the vehicle, and

the detection sensitivity adjuster uses the ambient temperature detected by the at least one sensor temperature detector arranged at the at least one of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors arranged at the side face of the vehicle, to perform the detection sensitivity adjustment to all of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors.

6. The ultrasonic object detection apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein, when the outside air temperature acquisition device fails to acquire the outside air temperature from the outside air temperature sensor, the detection sensitivity adjuster holds an adjustment result of the detection sensitivity adjustment when the outside air temperature has been available last time from the outside air temperature sensor for a preset period of time.

7. An ultrasonic object detection apparatus mounted to a vehicle and comprising:

at least one transceiver—

that transmits a transmission wave as an ultrasonic wave to outside of the vehicle and receives a reflection wave of the transmission wave reflected by an object;

at least one reception circuit that detects a signal level of the reflection wave received by the transceiver;

at least one object detector that detects an object, based on a comparison between the signal level detected by the reception circuit and an object detection threshold;

at least one sensor temperature detector that detects an ambient temperature of the transceiver; and

a detection sensitivity adjuster that performs a detection sensitivity adjustment, which is an adjustment of at least one of a detection sensitivity of the reception circuit and the object detection threshold, based on the ambient temperature detected by the at least one sensor temperature detector, and further comprising;

an outside air temperature acquisition device that acquires an outside air temperature from an outside air temperature sensor set at a location of other than a location where the at least one transceiver detects the ambient temperature and that detects outside air temperatures, and

a stopped state determinator that determines whether the vehicle is stopped or running,

wherein the detection sensitivity adjuster performs the detection sensitivity adjustment

using the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor based on a determination in which the vehicle is stopped carried out by the stopped state determinator, and

using the ambient temperature detected by the at least one sensor temperature detector, based on a determination in which the vehicle is running carried out by the stopped state determinator.

8. An ultrasonic object detection apparatus mounted to a vehicle and comprising:

at least one transceiver—

that transmits a transmission wave as an ultrasonic wave to outside of the vehicle and receives a reflection wave of the transmission wave reflected by an object;

at least one reception circuit that detects a signal level of the reflection wave received by the transceiver;

at least one object detector that detects an object, based on a comparison between the signal level detected by the reception circuit and an object detection threshold;

at least one sensor temperature detector that detects an ambient temperature of the transceiver; and

a detection sensitivity adjuster that performs a detection sensitivity adjustment, which is an adjustment of at least one of a detection sensitivity of the reception circuit and the object detection threshold, based on the ambient temperature detected by the at least one sensor temperature detector, wherein;

the at least one transceiver includes a plurality of transceivers,

the at least one reception circuit includes a plurality of reception circuits,

the at least one object detector includes a plurality of object detectors,

the at least one sensor temperature detector includes a plurality of sensor temperature detectors,

the plurality of transceivers, the plurality of reception circuits, the plurality of object detectors, and the plurality of sensor temperature detectors configure a plurality of ultrasonic sensors, respectively,

the detection sensitivity adjuster uses a weighted average of a plurality of ambient temperatures respectively detected by the plurality of sensor temperature detectors arranged at the plurality of ultrasonic sensors correspondingly, to perform the detection sensitivity adjustment, the weighted average being obtained by using a weight coefficient determined based on installation positions of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors.

9. An ultrasonic object detection apparatus mounted to a vehicle and comprising:

at least one transceiver—

that transmits a transmission wave as an ultrasonic wave to outside of the vehicle and receives a reflection wave of the transmission wave reflected by an object;

at least one reception circuit that detects a signal level of the reflection wave received by the transceiver;

at least one object detector that detects an object, based on a comparison between the signal level detected by the reception circuit and an object detection threshold;

at least one sensor temperature detector that detects an ambient temperature of the transceiver; and

a detection sensitivity adjuster that performs a detection sensitivity adjustment, which is an adjustment of at least one of a detection sensitivity of the reception circuit and the object detection threshold, based on the ambient temperature detected by the at least one sensor temperature detector, wherein;

the at least one transceiver includes a plurality of transceivers,

the at least one reception circuit includes a plurality of reception circuits,

the at least one object detector includes a plurality of object detectors,

the at least one sensor temperature detector includes a plurality of sensor temperature detectors,

the plurality of transceivers, the plurality of reception circuits, the plurality of object detectors, and the plurality of sensor temperature detectors configure a plurality of ultrasonic sensors, respectively, and at least one of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors is arranged at a side face of the vehicle, and

the detection sensitivity adjuster uses the ambient temperature detected by the at least one sensor temperature detector arranged at the at least one of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors arranged at the side face of the vehicle, to perform the detection sensitivity adjustment to all of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors.