High performance vehicle radar system

• US 6,400,308 B1
• Filed: 10/09/1998
• Issued: 06/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gentherm Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Gentherm Incorporated
• Inventors: Kan Li, Jimmy Moon, Taur, Roger, Delacueva, Jess, Bell, David Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Lobo, Ian J.
• Application Number:
  US09/169,679
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 342/70, 342/71, 342/72, 340/901, 340/904, 340/436
• US Class Current: 342/71
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0023 the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/18 wherein range gates are used
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9314 Parking operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9317 Driving backwards
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9323 Alternative operation using light waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9327 Sensor installation details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93277 in the lights
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3233 particular used as part of a sensor or in a security system, e.g. for automotive radar, navigation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3283 side-mounted antennas, e.g. bumper-mounted, door-mounted mounted on windscreens H01Q1/1271
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching

Abstract

A radar system is described for use in vehicular applications. The radar system is particularly suited to backup warning systems and lane-change warning systems. The radar minimizes many of the problems found in the prior art by providing programmable delays and programmable gain. The radar uses a range search algorithm to detect and sort targets at various ranges within the field of view of the radar. Each target range corresponds to a particular delay and gain setting. The radar searches for targets at the various ranges by running a target search algorithm. For each target range, the search algorithm causes the proper time delay and gain setting. Targets within the selected range are detected and catalogued. Speed of the targets is obtained through Doppler processing. A display is used to warn the driver of the vehicle of the presence of targets at the various ranges. The warning may be visual and/or audible. When used in a lane-change system, issuance of an audible warning is based on the speed of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A lane-change aid system for providing information to a driver of a vehicle about objects in a side-object region, said system comprising:

a radar sensor unit configured to provide radar target information to a user interface, said radar sensor configured to discriminate between multiple targets by having a programmable maximum detection range and a programmable minimum detection range and to use said programmable maximum detection range and said programmable minimum detection range to sweep through a desired region of detection ranges to search for targets in each detection range, thereby discriminating between multiple targets at different detection ranges; and

a speedometer pick-up configured to provide vehicle speed information to said user interface, said user interface providing warnings to the driver according to said vehicle speed information and a range to a detected target.

2. The lane change aid system of claim 1, wherein said radar sensor unit comprises:

a radio frequency transmitter configured to transmit pulses of radio frequency energy;

a radio frequency receiver configured to receive said pulses of radio frequency energy, said receiver configured to convert said pulses of radio frequency energy into an intermediate frequency signal;

an analog to digital converter configured to convert said intermediate frequency signal into a stream of digital samples in response to a programmable time delay; and

a controller unit, said controller unit configured to program said programmable time delay to detect targets with a field of view of said sensor at different downrange distances.

3. The lane-change aid system of claim 1, wherein said radar sensors are intelligent radar sensor, each intelligent radar sensor comprising a control unit configured to transmit radar target information on a vehicle information bus.

4. The lane-change aid system of claim 1, wherein said user interface comprises a visual indicator.

5. The lane-change aid system of claim 1, wherein said user interface comprises an audible warning and a visual warning.

6. The lane-change aid system of claim 1, wherein said user interface comprises an audible warning.

7. The lane-change aid system of claim 6, wherein said user interface does not sound said audible warning when said vehicle is traveling at less than a desired speed.

8. The lane-change aid system of claim 6, wherein said user interface sounds an audible warning according to a distance to a detected target and a relative speed between said vehicle and said detected target.

9. The lane-change aid system of claim 1, further comprising a turn-signal pick-up.

10. The lane-change aid system of claim 9, wherein said user interface does not audibly warn a driver of left-side targets unless said turn-signal pick-up indicates that a left-side turn-signal has been activated.

11. The lane-change aid system of claim 9, wherein said user interface does not audibly warn a driver of right-side targets unless said turn-signal pick-up indicates that a right-side turn-signal has been activated.

12. A method for warning a driver of a vehicle that a lane-change maneuver may result in a collision comprising the steps of:

sensing at least one object in a side-object region in response to activation of a turn-signal;

visually warning said driver about said object;

measuring a velocity of said vehicle;

selecting a maximum range based on said velocity; and

audibly warning said driver if a range to said at least one object is less than said maximum range.

13. A method for warning a driver of a vehicle that a lane-change maneuver may result in a collision comprising the steps of:

sensing one or more objects in a side-object region in response to activation of a turn-signal;

visually warning said driver about said one or more objects;

measuring a velocity of at least one of said one or more objects relative to a velocity of said vehicle;

selecting a maximum range based on said velocity; and

audibly warning said driver if a range to at least one of said one or more objects is less than said maximum range.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of measuring a velocity comprises Doppler processing.