INTERNAL MULTI-AXIS G SENSING USED TO ALIGN AN AUTOMOTIVE FORWARD RADAR TO THE VEHICLE'S THRUST AXIS

• US 20130154870A1
• Filed: 12/14/2011
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Mills, Aaron L., Gaboury, Scott Howard
• Granted Patent: US 8,957,807 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/70
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4026 Antenna boresight
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4034 in elevation, i.e. in the vertical plane

Abstract

A motor vehicle includes a vehicle floor, a tilt sensor attached to the vehicle floor and having an output, and a forward looking radar module attached to the vehicle. The radar module includes a radar, an accelerometer; and an output from the accelerometer, and a controller that averages the tilt sensor output and the accelerometer output and determines a difference between the output averages, the controller reporting when the differences changes more than a predetermined amount. A method of calibrating the forward looking radar module, when attached to a vehicle, comprises placing the vehicle on a flat surface to determine the accelerometer pitch.

Claims

1. A forward looking radar module adapted to be mounted on a vehicle, the radar module including:

a radar;

an accelerometer; and

an accelerometer output.

2. The forward looking radar module according to claim 1, wherein the accelerometer is a low-g accelerometer.

3. The forward looking radar module according to claim 1, wherein the module further includes a controller connected to the accelerometer output determining the position of the radar relative to a gravity vector.

4. A method of calibrating a forward looking radar module attached to a vehicle, the radar module including a radar, an accelerometer, and an output from the accelerometer, the method comprising:

placing the vehicle on a flat surface to determine an accelerometer pitch.

5. The method according to claim 4 further including tilting the vehicle to determine an accelerometer yaw.

6. A motor vehicle including:

a vehicle floor, a tilt sensor attached to the vehicle'"'"'s floor, the tilt sensor having an output;

a forward looking radar module attached to the vehicle, the radar module including a radar, an accelerometer; and

an accelerometer output; and

a controller that averages the tilt sensor output and the accelerometer output and determines a difference between the output averages, the controller reporting when the differences change more than a predetermined amount.