Obstruction detecting apparatus

• US 6,128,576 A
• Filed: 12/11/1998
• Issued: 10/03/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Hara, Daisuke, Nishimoto, Yukio
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US09/209,448
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301, 340/435, 340/436, 180/167, 180/169, 367/107, 367/111, 367/909
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/04 Systems determining presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S15/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/878 wherein transceivers are operated, either sequentially or simultaneously, both in bi-static and in mono-static mode, e.g. cross-echo mode
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93275 in the bumper area
• 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 7/56 Display arrangements short-range imaging G01S7/52053

Abstract

In the obstruction detection apparatus incorporated in a vehicle (11), ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver (16 to 19 171) for changing a combination of transmitting of ultrasonic waves and of receiving of reflected ultrasonic waves, a CPU (20) calculates a distance between the vehicle (11) and an obstruction and stores data corresponding to the calculated distance into the distance table (23), and the LC display device (27) displays the obstruction on display bars of a lattice shape corresponding to the data stored in the distance table (23), and a buzzer (26) sounds an alarm for a driver.

Claims

1. An obstruction detection apparatus comprising:

a plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means installed on a vehicle for transmitting ultrasonic wave and for receiving the ultrasonic wave reflected by an obstruction;

control means including a distance table for calculating a distance between said vehicle and said obstruction based on a time interval from a time at which the ultrasonic wave is transmitted to a time at which the ultrasonic wave reflected by said obstruction is received by said plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means, and for storing data corresponding to the calculated distance into memory fields forming said distance table;

display means for displaying a range where no obstruction is detected by said plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means based on the data stored in said distance table; and

alarm means for sounding an alarm about said obstruction for a driver of said vehicle based on the data stored in said distance table,

wherein said distance table comprising a plurality of memory fields corresponding to a case in which a same ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means transmits said ultrasonic wave and receives the ultrasonic wave reflected by said obstruction and a case in which a different ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means transmits the ultrasonic wave and receives the ultrasonic wave reflected by said obstruction.

2. An obstruction detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means are installed at corner sections of said vehicle, and when said ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means installed at said corner sections transmit the ultrasonic wave and directly receive the ultrasonic wave reflected by said obstruction, said control means uses said ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means as a corner sensor, and said display means displays information of a position of said obstruction obtained by said ultrasonic wave reflected by said obstruction.

3. An obstruction detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display means comprises a plurality of display bars of a lattice shape, and lights said display bars corresponding to data stored in said distance table.

4. An obstruction detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control means calculates a distance between said vehicle and said obstruction in consideration of a distance difference between a tip section of said vehicle and said plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means.

6. An obstruction detection apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one of said plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means are installed at corner sections of said vehicle, and when said ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means installed at said corner sections transmit the ultrasonic wave and directly receive the ultrasonic wave reflected by said obstruction, said control means uses said ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means as a corner sensor, and said display means displays information of a position of said obstruction obtained by said ultrasonic wave reflected by said obstruction.

7. An obstruction detection apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said display means comprises a plurality of display bars of a lattice shape, and lights said display bars corresponding to data stored in said distance table.

5. An obstruction detection apparatus comprising:

a plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means installed on a vehicle for transmitting ultrasonic wave and for receiving the ultrasonic wave reflected by an obstruction;

control means including a distance table for calculating a distance between said vehicle and said obstruction based on a time interval from a time at which the ultrasonic wave is transmitted to a time at which the ultrasonic wave reflected by said obstruction is received by said plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means, and for storing data corresponding to the calculated distance into memory fields forming said distance table;

display means for displaying a range where said obstruction is detected by said plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means based on the data stored in said distance table; and

alarm means for sounding an alarm about said obstruction for a driver of said vehicle based on the data stored in said distance table,

wherein said distance table comprising a plurality of memory fields corresponding to a case in which a same ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means transmits said ultrasonic wave and receives the ultrasonic wave reflected by said obstruction and a case in which a different ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means transmits the ultrasonic wave and receives the ultrasonic wave reflected by said obstruction.

8. An obstruction detection apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said control means calculates a distance between said vehicle and said obstruction in consideration of a distance difference between a tip section of said vehicle and said plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver means.

9. An obstruction detection apparatus comprising:

a first transmitter installed on a vehicle that transmits a first transmitted wave towards an obstruction, wherein the first transmitted wave reflects off of the obstruction to produce a first reflected wave;

a first receiver installed on the vehicle that receives at least a first reflected portion of the first reflected wave;

a second receiver installed on the vehicle that receives at least a second reflected portion of the first reflected wave;

a control circuit that calculates a distance between the vehicle and the obstruction based on a first reception time when the first receiver receives at least the first reflected portion of the first reflected wave and based on a second reception time when the second receiver receives at least the second reflected portion of the first reflected wave, wherein the control circuit generates distance data corresponding to the calculated distance; and

a display circuit that provides information to a driver of the vehicle, wherein the information indicates the distance between the vehicle and the obstruction based on the distance data.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

an alarm that informs the driver about the obstruction based on the distance data.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control circuit comprises a distance table that stores the distance data.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the display circuit provides the information based on the distance data stored in the distance table.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the distance data comprises first distance data and second distance data,

wherein the control circuit generates the first distance data based on the first reception time when the first receiver receives at least the first reflected portion of the first reflected wave and generates the second distance data based on the second reception time when the second receiver receives at least the second reflected portion of the first reflected wave,

wherein the distance table comprises a first memory field and a second memory field, and

wherein the control circuit stores the first distance data in the first memory field and stores the second distance data in the second memory field.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the display device comprises a first illumination element and a second illumination element,

wherein the display device places the first illumination element in an illumination state based on the first distance data stored in the first memory field and places the second illumination element in an illumination state based on the second distance data stored in the second memory field.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first transmitted wave transmitted by the first transmitter comprises a first transmitted portion and a second transmitted portion,

wherein the first transmitted portion reflects off of the obstruction to produce the first reflected portion and the second transmitted portion reflects off of the obstruction to produce the second reflected portion,

wherein the control circuit instructs the first transmitter to transmit the first transmitted portion at a first transmission time and instructs the first transmitter to transmit the second transmitted portion at a second transmission time that is different from the first transmission time, and

wherein the control circuit calculates the distance between the vehicle and the obstruction based on a first difference between the first transmission time and the first reception time and based on a second difference between the second transmission time and the second reception time.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the distance data comprises first distance data and second distance data, and

wherein the control circuit generates the first distance data based on the first difference and generates the second distance data based on the second difference.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the control circuit comprises a distance table having a first memory field and a second memory field,

wherein the control circuit stores the first distance data in the first memory field and stores the second distance data in the second memory field.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the display device comprises a first illumination element and a second illumination element,

wherein the display device places the first illumination element in an illumination state based on the first distance data stored in the first memory field and places the second illumination element in an illumination state based on the second distance data stored in the second memory field.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, further comprising a second transmitter installed on the vehicle,

wherein the second transmitter outputs a second transmitted wave towards the obstruction and the second transmitted wave reflects off of the obstruction to produce a second reflected wave,

wherein the second receiver receives at least a first reflected portion of the second reflected wave, and

wherein the control circuit calculates the distance between the vehicle and the obstruction based on the first reception time when the first receiver receives at least the first reflected portion of the first reflected wave, based on the second reception time when the second receiver receives at least the second reflected portion of the first reflected wave, and based on a third reception time when the second receiver receives at least the first reflected portion of the second reflected wave.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the distance table further comprises a third memory field and wherein the distance data further comprises third distance data,

wherein the control circuit generates the third distance data based on the third reception time when the second receiver receives at least the first reflected portion of the second reflected wave, and

wherein the controller stores the third distance data in the third memory field.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the display device comprises a third illumination element and places the third illumination element in an illumination state based on the third distance data stored in the third memory field.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the control circuit instructs the second transmitter to transmit the second transmitted wave at a third transmission time that is different from the first transmission time and the second transmission time, and

wherein the control circuit calculates the distance between the vehicle and the obstruction based on a third difference between the third transmission time and the third reception time.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a second transmitter installed on the vehicle,

wherein the second transmitter outputs a second transmitted wave towards the obstruction and the second transmitted wave reflects off of the obstruction to produce a second reflected wave,

wherein the second receiver receives at least a first reflected portion of the second reflected wave, and

wherein the control circuit calculates the distance between the vehicle and the obstruction based on the first reception time when the first receiver receives at least the first reflected portion of the first reflected wave, based on the second reception time when the second receiver receives at least the second reflected portion of the first reflected wave, and based on a third reception time when the second receiver receives at least the first reflected portion of the second reflected wave.