OBJECT DETECTING APPARATUS

• US 20090040094A1
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Satonaka, Hisashi, Harada, Tomoaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,889,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/59
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• 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 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93274 on the side of the vehicles

Abstract

An object detecting apparatus for detecting an object by a plurality of radars, with improved accuracy of identity determination and acquisition of position information in fusion of detection results. The object detecting apparatus is arranged to obtain a moving path of a detected point by a radar and to perform pairing as follows: if a detected point by a radar exists in a region based on the moving path and if a relative velocity thereof is matched with that of the detected point of interest, the detected point is paired as a corresponding detected point.

Claims

1. An object detecting apparatus comprising:

first detecting means for receiving a reflected wave from an object as reflection of a transmitted wave sent out, to detect a position of the object;

second detecting means arranged so that a detection region thereof overlaps in part with a detection region of the first detecting means, and adapted for receiving a reflected wave from an object as reflection of a transmitted wave sent out, to detect a position of the object; and

identity determining means for setting a range for a moving path of the object, based on the position of the object detected by one of the first and second detecting means, and for, when the position of the object detected by the other of the first and second detecting means is included in the range, determining that the object detected by the first detecting means is identical with the object detected by the second detecting means.

2. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the range set for the moving path of the object, based on the position of the object, is a region within a predetermined width from an estimated movement locus of the object, in the vicinity of a border position of the detection region on the other detecting means side.

4. The object detecting apparatus according to of claim 1, wherein the first detecting means and the second detecting means are arranged to output as an object position a position where the reflected wave from the object has a maximum reflection intensity.

5. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the first detecting means and the second detecting means is a radar for sending out a transmitted wave to the object and for receiving a reflected wave thereof to detect a position of the object.

6. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1, which is mounted on a vehicle and adapted to detect an obstacle around the vehicle.

3. An object detecting apparatus comprising:

first detecting means for receiving a reflected wave from an object as reflection of a transmitted wave sent out, to detect a position of the object;

second detecting means arranged so that a detection region thereof overlaps in part with a detection region of the first detecting means, and adapted for receiving a reflected wave from an object as reflection of a transmitted wave sent out, to detect a position of the object;

pairing means for performing pairing of detection results of the first detecting means and the second detecting means; and

selecting means for selecting as an object position an object position more distant from a border of the detection region of the detecting means, among object positions paired by the pairing means.

7. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first detecting means and the second detecting means are arranged to output as an object position a position where the reflected wave from the object has a maximum reflection intensity.

8. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of the first detecting means and the second detecting means is a radar for sending out a transmitted wave to the object and for receiving a reflected wave thereof to detect a position of the object.

9. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 3, which is mounted on a vehicle and adapted to detect an obstacle around the vehicle.

10. An object detecting method comprising:

receiving a reflected wave from an object as reflection of a transmitted wave sent out, to detect a position of the object by a first radar;

receiving a reflected wave from an object as reflection of a transmitted wave sent out, to detect a position of the object by a second radar being arranged so that a detection region thereof overlaps in part with a detection region of the first radar;

setting a range for a moving path of the object, based on the position of the object detected by one of the first and second radar; and

determining that the object detected by the first radar is identical with the object detected by the second radar, when the position of the object detected by the other of the first and second radar is included in the range.

11. The object detecting method according to claim 10, wherein the range set for the moving path of the object, based on the position of the object, is a region within a predetermined width from an estimated movement locus of the object, in the vicinity of a border position of the detection region on the other detecting means side.

12. The object detecting method according to claim 10, wherein the first radar and the second radar are arranged to output as an object position a position where the reflected wave from the object has a maximum reflection intensity.

13. The object detecting method according to claim 10, wherein each of the first radar and the second radar is a radar for sending out a transmitted wave to the object and for receiving a reflected wave thereof to detect a position of the object.

14. The object detecting method according to claim 10, which is adapted to detect an obstacle around the vehicle.

15. An object detecting method comprising:

receiving a reflected wave from an object as reflection of a transmitted wave sent out, to detect a position of the object by a first radar;

receiving a reflected wave from an object as reflection of a transmitted wave sent out, to detect a position of the object by a second radar being arranged so that a detection region thereof overlaps in part with a detection region of the first radar;

performing pairing of detection results of the first radar and the second radar; and

selecting as an object position an object position more distant from a border of the detection region of the radar, among object positions paired by the pairing step.

16. The object detecting method according to claim 15, wherein the first radar and the second radar are arranged to output as an object position a position where the reflected wave from the object has a maximum reflection intensity.

17. The object detecting method according to claim 15, wherein each of the first radar and the second radar is a radar for sending out a transmitted wave to the object and for receiving a reflected wave thereof to detect a position of the object.

18. The object detecting method according to claim 15, which is adapted to detect an obstacle around the vehicle.