Apparatus for monitoring surroundings of vehicle and sensor unit

• US 20070076526A1
• Filed: 09/25/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Touge, Hiroshi, Aikyo, Hideyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,379,389 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 367/128
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/003 Bistatic sonar systems; Multistatic sonar systems
• 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 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/939 vertical stacking of sensors, e.g. to enable obstacle height determination

Abstract

An apparatus for monitoring surroundings of a vehicle includes an imaging apparatus provided at the vehicle, a plurality of ultrasonic sensors provided around the imaging apparatus as a unit with the imaging apparatus, an object-position-detecting apparatus for detecting a position of an object appearing within an imaging range of the imaging apparatus on the basis of outputs of the plurality of the ultrasonic sensors and a display-controlling apparatus for performing a predetermined image processing for an image obtained by the imaging apparatus at a position corresponding to the position of the object detected by the object-position-detecting apparatus.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring surroundings of a vehicle, comprising:

an imaging means provided at the vehicle;

a plurality of ultrasonic sensors provided around the imaging means as a unit with the imaging means;

an object-position-detecting means for detecting a position of an object appearing within an imaging range of the imaging means on the basis of outputs of the plurality of the ultrasonic sensors; and

a display-controlling means for performing a predetermined image processing for an image obtained by the imaging means at a position corresponding to the position of the object detected by the object-position-detecting means.

2. The apparatus for monitoring surroundings of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of the ultrasonic sensors comprise at least one ultrasonic wave transmitting element and at least three ultrasonic wave receiving elements for receiving reflected waves of ultrasonic waves transmitted from the ultrasonic wave transmitting element, and the ultrasonic wave transmitting element and the ultrasonic wave receiving elements are located around an optical axis of the imaging means.

3. The apparatus for monitoring surroundings of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the display-controlling means comprises an image-synthesizing means for synthesizing a predetermined image with the image obtained by the imaging means at the position corresponding to the position of the object detected by the object-position-detecting means.

4. The apparatus for monitoring surroundings of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the imaging means obtains an image from a moving direction of the vehicle, and the plurality of the ultrasonic sensors and the object-position-detecting means detect the position of the object in the moving direction of the vehicle.

5. The apparatus for monitoring surroundings of the vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle-locus-estimating means for estimating a locus of the vehicle when the vehicle moves, wherein

the display-controlling means processes the image obtained by the imaging means so as to be distinguished the object detected by the object-position-detecting means and positioned within the locus of the vehicle estimated by the vehicle-locus-estimating means from another object detected by the object-position-detecting means and positioned outside the estimated locus of the vehicle.

7. The apparatus for monitoring surroundings of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of the ultrasonic sensors comprises a first ultrasonic sensor and a second ultrasonic sensor arranged in parallel with each other and the imaging means is provided on a line extended from a middle point between the first ultrasonic sensor and the second ultrasonic sensor, the line perpendicular to a line which connects the first ultrasonic sensor and the second ultrasonic sensor.

8. The apparatus for monitoring surroundings of the vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of the ultrasonic sensors further comprises a third ultrasonic sensor arranged in parallel with the first ultrasonic sensor and the imaging means is provided on a line extended from a middle point between the first ultrasonic sensor and the third ultrasonic sensor, the line perpendicular to a line which connects the first ultrasonic sensor and the third ultrasonic sensor.

6. A sensor unit, comprising;

a camera;

at least one ultrasonic wave transmitting element located around an optical axis of the camera; and

an ultrasonic wave receiving element located around the optical axis of the camera and receiving reflected waves of ultrasonic waves transmitted from the ultrasonic wave transmitting element.

9. The sensor unit according to claim 6, wherein

the number of the ultrasonic wave receiving elements is three and each ultrasonic wave receiving element is provided equidistantly from the camera.

10. The sensor unit according to claim 9, wherein

a temperature sensor is provided on a plane on which the camera, the ultrasonic wave transmitting element and the ultrasonic wave receiving elements are provided.