APPROACHING VEHICLE DETECTION DEVICE AND APPROACHING VEHICLE DETECTION METHOD

• US 20130328701A1
• Filed: 02/23/2012
• Published: 12/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Jun, Funayama, Ryuji
• Application Number:
  US14/000,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20130328701A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/943
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01 Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents electrical circuits for transmission of signals between steering wheel and the vehicle itself B60R16/027; for electrically actuating belt retractor locking means B60R22/343
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/938 in the bumper area radar in bumper area G01S2013/93275; bumper with obstacle sensor of electric or electronic type B60R19/483
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/808 using transducers spaced apart and measuring phase or time difference between signals therefrom, i.e. path-difference systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/521 Constructional features
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/54 with receivers spaced apart
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

There is provided an approaching vehicle detection device that detects an approaching vehicle on the basis of sounds collected by a plurality of sound collectors 13A, 14A, 15A, and 16A, in which a sound source (in particular, traveling sound of the vehicle) is detected using pairs of the sound collectors 11A (13A, 14A) and 12A (15A, 16A) with narrow spacings, and approach of the sound source is detected using a pair of the sound collectors 13A and 16A which are disposed to be more widely spaced than the pairs of the sound collectors 11A and 12A.

Claims

1. An approaching vehicle detection device that detects an approaching vehicle on the basis of sounds collected by a plurality of sound collectors,

wherein a sound source is detected using at least a single pair of the sound collectors, and approach of the sound source is detected using a different single pair of the sound collectors which are disposed to be more widely spaced than the single pair of the sound collectors.

2. The approaching vehicle detection device according to claim 1, comprising two pairs of the sound collectors that are respectively disposed on a left side and a right side of a vehicle in a vehicle width direction,

wherein a sound source is detected using the two pairs of the sound collectors, and approach of the sound source is detected using an outer sound collector of one pair of the sound collectors in the vehicle width direction and an outer sound collector of the other pair of the sound collectors in the vehicle width direction among the two pairs of the sound collectors.

3. The approaching vehicle detection device according to claim 1, comprising three sound collectors that are arranged in a vehicle width direction of a vehicle,

wherein a sound source is detected using a center sound collector and an outer sound collector in the vehicle width direction among the three sound collectors, and approach of the sound source is detected using both of the two outer sound collectors in the vehicle width direction among the three sound collectors.

4. The approaching vehicle detection device according to claim 1, wherein the different single pair of the sound collectors, which are disposed to be widely spaced, are omnidirectional sound collectors, and both of them are respectively disposed at both ends in the vehicle width direction.

5. The approaching vehicle detection device according to claim 4, wherein at least one sound collector is disposed on a side opposite to a side on which each pair of the sound collectors is disposed in a front-rear direction of the vehicle.

6. The approaching vehicle detection device according to claim 1, wherein spacings of the plurality of sound collectors are set as spacings which are specified by a Fibonacci sequence.

7. The approaching vehicle detection device according to claim 1, comprising fault diagnosis means for diagnosing faults in the sound collector,

wherein if there is the sound collector which is diagnosed as faulty by the fault diagnosis means, the sound collector, which is diagnosed as faulty, is excluded from the sound collectors which are used in detecting the approaching vehicle.

8. The approaching vehicle detection device according to claim 7, wherein if there is the sound collector which is diagnosed as faulty by the fault diagnosis means, the reliability of the detection of the approaching vehicle is set to be low.

9. The approaching vehicle detection device according to claim 1, comprising sound generating means for generating a sound with a specific frequency component,

wherein the sound, which is generated by the sound generating means, is collected by each of the plurality of sound collectors, and the plurality of sound collectors is adjusted to have constant sensitivities to the sound with the specific frequency component.

10. An approaching vehicle detection method that detects an approaching vehicle on the basis of sounds collected by a plurality of sound collectors,

wherein a sound source is detected using at least a single pair of the sound collectors, and approach of the sound source is detected using a different single pair of the sound collectors which are disposed to be more widely spaced than the single pair of the sound collectors.