Obstacle Detection System and Obstacle Detection Method Thereof

• US 20090153151A1
• Filed: 12/17/2008
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Auto Tech Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Auto Tech Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: CHO, Seung Won, Jeong, Kwang Seok
• Granted Patent: US 7,876,107 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/681
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/07 using several loops, e.g. for redundant clock signal generation
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/099 concerning mainly the controlled oscillator of the loop

Abstract

An obstacle detection system includes a static capacitance detection module including a sensor strip for detecting a static capacitance, an RF oscillator connected to the sensor strip, a phase lock loop section for maintaining the oscillation frequency of the RF oscillator to a selected value and a first MCU for controlling the operation of the phase lock loop section, a control module including a second MCU for remotely controlling the first MCU of the static capacitance detection module and a transmission line for connecting the static capacitance detection module and the control module and transmitting the information acquired by the first MCU so as to be transmitted to the control module, a control signal to be transmitted from the second MCU to the first MCU and drive power of the static capacitance detection module.

Claims

1. An obstacle detection system comprising:

a static capacitance detection module including a sensor strip for detecting a static capacitance, an RF oscillator connected to the sensor strip, a phase lock loop section for maintaining the oscillation frequency of the RF oscillator to a selected value and a first MCU for controlling the operation of the phase lock loop section;

a control module including a second MCU for remotely controlling the first MCU of the static capacitance detection module; and

a transmission line for connecting the static capacitance detection module and the control module and transmitting the information acquired by the first MCU so as to be transmitted to the control module, a control signal to be transmitted from the second MCU to the first MCU and drive power of the static capacitance detection module.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the phase lock loop section includes:

a variable capacitance diode connected to the RF oscillator;

a phase lack loop IC connected to and controlled by the first MCU;

a frequency adjusting signal line for applying the frequency adjusting voltage output from the phase lock loop IC to the variable capacitance diode; and

frequency detection means arranged between the RF oscillator and the phase lock loop IC to detect the oscillation frequency of the RF oscillator.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the first MCU is connected to voltage detection line for detecting the frequency adjusting voltage output from the phase lock loop IC.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a frequency changing section connected at one of the opposite ends thereof to the first MCU and at the other end to the RF oscillator to drive the RF oscillator to oscillate sequentially and repeatedly at a plurality of frequencies under the control of the first MCU.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein

the frequency changing section includes a plurality of RF oscillators and the oscillation frequencies of the plurality of RF oscillators are so selected that the dead points produced by one of the plurality of RF oscillators due to the sensor strip do not overlap with the dead points produced by any other one of the plurality of RF oscillators due to the sensor strip.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein

the frequency changing section includes:

a capacitor connected to the RF oscillator; and

a switching element connected at the first terminal thereof to the capacitor, at the second terminal thereof to the ground and at the third terminal thereof to the first MCU.

10. An obstacle detection method for detecting an obstacle by means of an obstacle detection system according to claim 2, the method comprising:

a step of applying a first frequency adjusting voltage to the variable capacitance diode by means of the phase lock loop IC in order to maintain the oscillation frequency of the RF oscillator to a defined and set value;

a step of detecting the first frequency adjusting voltage by means of the first MCU;

a step of applying a second frequency adjusting voltage different from the first frequency adjusting voltage to the variable capacitance diode by means of the phase lock loop IC in order to restore the RF oscillation frequency when the RF oscillation frequency exceeds a predefined value; and

a step of detecting the second frequency adjusting voltage by means of the first MCU, comparing it with the first frequency adjusting voltage and subsequently transmitting information on the presence or absence of an obstacle and also information on the detected second frequency adjusting voltage to the second MCU of the control module.

11. An obstacle detection method for detecting an obstacle by means of an obstacle detection system according to claim 4, the method comprising:

a step of driving the RF oscillator to oscillate at a first frequency;

a step of determining the presence or absence of an obstacle by means of the first MCU or the second MCU, utilizing the electric signal received from the phase lock loop section while the RF oscillator is oscillating at the first frequency;

a step of driving the RF oscillator to oscillate at a second frequency; and

a step of determining the presence or absence of an obstacle by means of the first MCU or the second MCU, utilizing the electric signal received from the phase lock loop section while the RF oscillator is oscillating at the second frequency.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein

the first frequency and the second frequency are so selected that the dead points produced by one of the oscillation frequency to the sensor strip do not overlap with the dead points produced by the other oscillator frequency due to the sensor strip.

7. An obstacle detection system comprising:

a static capacitance detection module including a sensor strip for detecting a static capacitance, a plurality of RF oscillators connected in parallel to the sensor strip so as to oscillate with different respective frequencies, a phase lock loop section for maintaining the oscillation frequencies of the plurality of RF oscillators to selected respective values and a first MCU for controlling the operation of the phase lock loop section so as to cause the plurality of RF oscillators to oscillate sequentially in a defined order; and

a transmission line for connecting the static capacitance detection module and the control module and transmitting the information acquired by the first MCU, a control signal to be transmitted from the second MCU to the first MCU and drive power of the static capacitance detection module.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein

the phase lock loop of the static capacitance detection module includes:

a plurality of variable capacitance diodes connected respectively to the plurality of RF oscillators;

a phase lock loop IC controlled by the first MCU to apply frequency adjusting voltages respectively to the plurality of RF oscillators so as to cause the plurality of RF oscillators to output the oscillation frequencies defined and set respectively for them;

a plurality of frequency adjusting signal lines for applying the plurality of frequency adjusting voltages respectively to the plurality of variable capacitance diodes; and

a plurality of frequency detection means arranged respectively between the plurality of RF oscillators and the phase lock loop IC in order to detect the oscillation frequencies of the plurality of RF oscillators

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein

the oscillation frequencies of the plurality of RF oscillators are so selected that the dead points produced by one of the plurality of RF oscillators due to the sensor strip do not overlap with the dead points produced by any other one of the plurality of RF oscillators due to the sensor strip.

13. An obstacle detection method for detecting an obstacle by means of an obstacle detection system according to claim 7, the method comprising:

a step of driving the first RF oscillator to oscillate at a first frequency out of the plurality of RF oscillators;

a step of determining the presence or absence of an obstacle by means of the first MCU or the second MCU, utilizing the electric signal received from the phase lock loop section while the first RF oscillator is oscillating at the first frequency;

a step of driving the second RF oscillator among the plurality of RF oscillators to oscillate at a second frequency; and

a step of determining the presence or absence of an obstacle by means of the first MCU or the second MCU, utilizing the electric signal received from the phase lock loop section while the second RF oscillator is oscillating at the second frequency.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein

the oscillation frequency of the first RF oscillator and the oscillation frequency of the second RF oscillator are so selected that the dead points produced by the first RF oscillator due to the sensor strip do not overlap with the dead points produced by the second RF oscillator due to the sensor strip.