Parking aid for a motor vehicle having sensors with substantially the same detection area

• US 6,215,415 B1
• Filed: 09/02/1999
• Issued: 04/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Schröder, Hans-Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US09/388,760
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/435, 340/436, 340/903, 340/437, 340/508, 340/522, 340/904, 250/349
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/10 Automatic or semi-automatic parking aid systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9314 Parking operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9324 Alternative operation using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93275 in the bumper area

Abstract

A parking aid for a motor vehicle, which measures the distance between an object and the motor vehicle in a contactless manner and has a plurality of sensors which are arranged on the motor vehicle, each sensor emitting a signal and receiving the signal reflected from an object located in the direction of the beam, and an evaluation device connected to the sensors determining the distance between the object and the motor vehicle from the signals received. The outlay for electrically synchronizing the sensors is reduced and which nevertheless allows reliable detection of the actual object for accurate measurement of the distance, has three sensors which are arranged directly next to one another to provide approximate coverage of the same detection area, whereby the main beam of each sensor having approximately the same beam angle.

Claims

1. A parking aid for a motor vehicle, which measures the distance between an object and the motor vehicle in a contactless manner, comprising a plurality of sensors which are arranged on the motor vehicle, each sensor emitting a signal and receiving the signal reflected from an object located in the direction of the signal, an evaluation device connected to the sensors determining the distance between the object and the motor vehicle from the signals received, wherein three sensors are arranged directly next to one another to provide substantially the same coverage of a detection area, and wherein the main signal of each sensor has approximately the same signal angle.

2. The parking aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the evaluation device activates the sensors simultaneously to transmit the sensor signal and then to receive the reflected signal, wherein each sensor activated with a different frequency for the transmission of the sensor signal.

3. The parking aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the evaluation device activates the sensors in succession to transmit the sensor signal, all the sensors being activated with the same frequency.

4. The parking aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensors are arranged at a distance from the outer contour of the motor vehicle, with the result that the detection range of each sensor covers the entire outer contour extending in the direction of the signal of the sensor and the adjoining space.

5. The parking aid as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensors are arranged at a distance from the outer contour of the motor vehicle, with the result that the detection range of each sensor covers the entire outer contour extending in the direction of the signal of the sensor and the adjoining space.

6. The parking aid as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sensors are arranged at a distance from the outer contour of the motor vehicle, with the result that the detection range of each sensor covers the entire outer contour extending in the direction of the signal of the sensor and the adjoining space.

7. The parking aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the evaluation device determines the propagation time between the transmission of the sensor signal of a sensor and the reception of the reflected sensor signal by the same sensor and from the propagation times of the three sensors determined in this way, determines the position and distance of the motor vehicle from the object.

8. The parking aid as claimed in claim 2, wherein the evaluation device determines the propagation time between the transmission of the sensor signal of a sensor and the reception of the reflected sensor signal by the same sensor and from the propagation times of the three sensors determined in this way, determines the position and distance of the motor vehicle from the object.

9. The parking aid as claimed in claim 3, wherein the evaluation device determines the propagation time between the transmission of the sensor signal of a sensor and the reception of the reflected sensor signal by the same sensors and from the propagation times of the three sensors determined in this way, determines the position and distance of the motor vehicle from the object.

10. The parking aid as claimed in claim 4, wherein the evaluation device determines the propagation time between the transmission of the sensor signal of a sensor and the reception of the reflected sensor signal by the same sensor and from the propagation times of the three sensors determined in this way, determines the position and distance of the motor vehicle from the object.

11. The parking aid as claimed in claim 7, wherein the evaluation device forms a structural unit with one sensor.

12. The parking aid as claimed in claim 7, wherein the evaluation device is an electronic system that would be present in the vehicle in any case.

13. The parking aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is a radar sensor.

14. The parking aid as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensor is a radar sensor.

15. The parking aid as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sensor is a radar sensor.

16. The parking aid as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sensor is a radar sensor.

17. The parking aid as claimed in claim 5, wherein the sensor is a radar sensor.

18. The parking aid as claimed in claim 6, wherein the sensor is a radar sensor.