Obstacle detecting control device of vehicle

• US 20070241870A1
• Filed: 04/02/2007
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Oka, Takuji, Fukushima, Masanobu, Ohmura, Hiroshi, Nakagami, Takashi, Kobayashi, Sei, Okazaki, Haruki, Terano, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,652,560 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/56 for presence detection presence detection using near field arrangements G01V3/00, e.g. G01V3/08, G01V3/12; burglar, theft or intruder alarms with electrical actuation G08B13/22 - G08B13/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9314 Parking operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/412 based on a comparison between measured values and known or stored values

Abstract

A radar device is configured to transmit an electric wave and receives a reflected wave that is generated by a reflection of the electric wave on an object, and to recognize the object is a potential obstacle that is to be hit by the vehicle when a received intensity of the reflected wave thereby is a specified threshold or more. And, the specified threshold has a plurality of preset values. Accordingly, a determination as to whether or not the obstacle detected by the radar device is the potential obstacle to be hit by the vehicle can be accurately made.

Claims

1. An obstacle detecting control device of a vehicle, which includes a radar device to detect an obstacle in front of the vehicle and an operational-device control device to control an operational device of the vehicle according to an obstacle detecting information detected by the radar device, wherein:

said radar device is configured to transmit an electric wave and receives a reflected wave that is generated by a reflection of the electric wave on an object, to recognize the object is a potential obstacle that is to be hit by the vehicle when a received intensity of the reflected wave thereby is a specified threshold or more, and to output an information related to the recognized object as the potential obstacle to said operational-device control device as the obstacle detecting information; and

said specified threshold has a plurality of preset values.

2. The obstacle detecting control device of a vehicle of claim 1, wherein said radar device comprises a determining device to determine whether the detected object is a moving object or a stationary object, and said plural threshold values includes a threshold for moving object and a threshold for stationary object, the threshold for moving object being for recognizing the moving object as the obstacle, the threshold for stationary object being for recognizing the stationary object as the obstacle.

3. The obstacle detecting control device of a vehicle of claim 2, wherein said threshold for stationary object is configured to have a greater preset value than said threshold for moving object.

4. The obstacle detecting control device of a vehicle of claim 2, wherein there is further provided a vehicle speed detecting device to detect a traveling speed of the vehicle, and said radar device is configured to conduct a determination of the stationary object as said obstacle by using said threshold for stationary object when the vehicle traveling speed detected by the vehicle speed detecting device is a specified speed or less.

5. The obstacle detecting control device of a vehicle of claim 2, wherein there is further provided a vehicle speed detecting device to detect a traveling speed of the vehicle, said radar device further detects a distance between the detected object and the vehicle, and the radar device is configured to conduct a determination of the stationary object as said obstacle by using said threshold for stationary object when said distance detected by the radar device is a specified distance or less and the vehicle traveling speed detected by the vehicle speed detecting device is a specified speed or less.

6. The obstacle detecting control device of a vehicle of claim 4, wherein said radar device is configured to recognize that the stationary object determined by said determining device is said obstacle when said received intensity of the reflected wave from the stationary object is said threshold for stationary object or more, said radar device is further configured to provisionally recognize that the stationary object determined by said determining device is said obstacle when said received intensity of the reflected wave from the stationary object is said threshold for moving object or more and less than said threshold for stationary object, and obstacle-related information of the stationary object that has been provisionally recognized as the obstacle is outputted to said operational-device control device as a different information from obstacle-related information of the stationary object that has been recognized as the obstacle.

7. The obstacle detecting control device of a vehicle of claim 6, wherein said threshold for stationary object comprises a first threshold and a second threshold that is greater than the first threshold, and said radar device is configured to change the threshold for stationary object from the first threshold to the second threshold to be used when conducting said determination of the stationary object as said obstacle with respect to the stationary object that has been provisionally recognized as the obstacle.

8. The obstacle detecting control device of a vehicle of claim 1, wherein said radar device is a millimeter-wave radar.

9. The obstacle detecting control device of a vehicle of claim 1, wherein said operational device is a brake operating device to operate a braking of the vehicle.

10. The obstacle detecting control device of a vehicle of claim 1, wherein said operational device is a seatbelt pre-tensioner to restrain a passenger by winding up a seatbelt of the passenger to apply a specified tension to the seatbelt.