Method and device for detecting and evaluating objects in the vicinity of a motor vehicle
First Claim
1. A method for detecting and evaluating at least one target object in an area surrounding a vehicle, comprising:
- (a) acquiring the at least one target object in a monitoring area by using at least one radar sensor, and (b) evaluating at least one of distance data and velocity data of the at least one target object in at least one evaluation arrangement;
wherein the velocity data of the at least one target object is acquired within a virtual barrier that is modifiable in a first distance of the virtual barrier from the vehicle and in a length of the virtual barrier.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and a device for acquiring and evaluating objects in the area surrounding a vehicle, in which, using at least one radar sensor, the target objects in a monitoring area are acquired, and in at least one evaluation unit the distance data and/or velocity data of the target objects are evaluated. The acquisition of the target objects takes place within a virtual barrier that can be modified in its distance from the vehicle and in its length, and, using a transmission signal of a pulse radar sensor, the receive signal reflected from the target object can be evaluated in one or more receive channels so that different locus resolutions and different dimensions with respect to the distance and the length of the virtual barrier can be achieved.
204 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method for detecting and evaluating at least one target object in an area surrounding a vehicle, comprising:
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(a) acquiring the at least one target object in a monitoring area by using at least one radar sensor, and (b) evaluating at least one of distance data and velocity data of the at least one target object in at least one evaluation arrangement;
wherein the velocity data of the at least one target object is acquired within a virtual barrier that is modifiable in a first distance of the virtual barrier from the vehicle and in a length of the virtual barrier. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
a first receive channel is arranged to process the receive signal, using a first reference signal having a fixedly set pulse duration corresponding to the transmission signal, to at least one of acquire the distance data of at least one target object and set the first distance of the virtual barrier; and
a second receive channel is arranged to process the receive signal, using a second reference signal having a variable pulse duration, to at least one of adjust the length of the virtual barrier, acquire the at least one target object with a modifiable locus resolution, and acquire the at least one target object in another distance range.
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4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
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(c) acquiring a second distance and a first relative velocity, and, if necessary, a first relative acceleration of the vehicle with respect to the at least one target object;
(d) predetermining a time interval for measurement value processing, data transmission, and controlling a relevant application;
(e) determining a minimum distance of the virtual barrier from each of the at least one radar sensor so that the first distance of the virtual barrier does not fall below the minimum distance, and determining the length of the measurement area; and
(f) acquiring the first relative velocity and the first relative acceleration by measuring a Doppler frequency inside the virtual barrier with a time, if the second distance is smaller than a sum of the minimum distance and the length of the virtual barrier.
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5. The method of claim 4, wherein the time interval is a function of at least one of the first relative velocity and the first relative acceleration.
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6. The method of claim 4, wherein steps (e) and (f) are repeated multiple times to acquire a plurality of distance ranges and velocity ranges, using each time newly calculated values of the length of the virtual barrier and the minimum distance.
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7. The method of claim 4, wherein steps (e) and (t) are repeated with lower values for the length of the virtual barrier and for the minimum distance if a second measured relative velocity is smaller than a first measured relative velocity.
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8. The method of claim 4, wherein a collision velocity at a collision time is calculated from relative accelerations of the vehicle with the respect to the at least one target object according to at least one of:
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9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
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selecting at least one relevant target object for an application; and
determining relative velocities of at least one selected relevant target object by evaluating a Doppler frequency within a respective virtual barrier in the at least one receive channel, simultaneously with at least another distance measurement in the at least one receive channel used therefor;
wherein the acquiring includes measuring the distance data of the at least one target object present in the monitoring area using at least one receive channel.
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10. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluating includes evaluating a received radar signal in at least one receive channel by a combination of at least one of a chronologically sequential evaluation and a chronologically parallel evaluation in the at least one receive channel.
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11. A device for acquiring and evaluating objects in an area surrounding a vehicle, comprising:
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an acquiring arrangement to acquire at least one target object in a monitoring area; and
an evaluating arrangement to evaluate at least one of distance data and velocity data of the at least one target object;
wherein;
the velocity data of the at least one target object is acquired within a virtual barrier that is modifiable in a first distance from the vehicle and a length of the virtual barrier; and
the acquiring arrangement includes at least one pulse radar sensor, a first receive channel, at least another receive channel, and a pulse generator, to provide modulated carrier pulses for a signal of a radar transmitter and to provide demodulation in the first receive channel and the at least another receive channel. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
a first pulse input arrangement;
a first delay arrangement;
a first pulse duration adjustment arrangement, associated with the first receive channel, to charge the signal of the radar transmitter for a first pulse duration and route it via the first delay arrangement to the first pulse input arrangement as a first reference signal;
a second pulse input arrangement;
a second delay arrangement; and
a second pulse duration adjustment arrangement, associated with the at least another receive channel, to modify at least one of continuously and discretely the signal for a second pulse duration and route it via the second delay arrangement to the second pulse input arrangement for one of adjusting at least one of the length and the first distance of the virtual barrier, and measuring the first distance with a modifiable locus resolution.
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13. The device of claim 12, wherein the first reference signal is for measuring distance.
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14. The device of claim 12, wherein the second reference signal is for at least one of adjusting the virtual barrier and measuring distance.
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15. The device of claim 11, wherein the device includes an I/Q mixer for mixing a transmission signal and a signal supplied by a reception antenna in a respective receive channel.
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16. The device of claim 11, wherein the evaluating of a received radar signal is performed in the first receive channel and the at least another receive channel by a combination of at least one of a chronologically sequential evaluation and a chronologically parallel evaluation therein.
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17. The device of claim 11, wherein the first receive channel is for measuring distance.
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18. The device of claim 11, wherein the at least another receive channel is for at least one of adjusting the virtual barrier and measuring distance.
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19. A device for acquiring and evaluating objects in an area surrounding a vehicle, comprising:
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an acquiring arrangement to acquire at least one target object in a monitoring area; and
an evaluating arrangement to evaluate at least one of distance data and velocity data of the at least one target object;
wherein;
the velocity data of the at least one target object is acquired within a virtual barrier that is modifiable in a first distance from the vehicle and a length of the virtual barrier, and the at least one radar sensor includes a FMCW radar system having at least one receive channel.
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20. A method for detecting and evaluating at least one target object in an area surrounding a vehicle, comprising:
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(a) acquiring the at least one target object in a monitoring area by using at least one radar sensor; and
(b) evaluating at least one of distance data and velocity data of the at least one target object in at least one evaluation arrangement;
wherein the velocity data of the at least one target object is acquired within a virtual barrier, the virtual barrier being at a first distance away from the vehicle and having a length, the first distance and the length of the virtual barrier being modifiable.
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21. A device for acquiring and evaluating objects in an area surrounding a vehicle, comprising:
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an acquiring arrangement to acquire at least one target object in a monitoring area; and
an evaluating arrangement to evaluate at least one of distance data and velocity data of the at least one target object;
wherein;
the velocity data of the at least one target object is acquired within a virtual barrier, the virtual barrier being at a first distance away from the vehicle and having a length, the first distance and the length of the virtual barrier being modifiable; and
the acquiring arrangement includes at least one pulse radar sensor, a first receive channel, at least another receive channel, and a pulse generator, to provide modulated carrier pulses for a signal of a radar transmitter and to provide demodulation in the first receive channel and the at least another receive channel.
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22. A device for acquiring and evaluating objects in an area surrounding a vehicle, comprising:
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an acquiring arrangement to acquire at least one target object in a monitoring area; and
an evaluating arrangement to evaluate at least one of distance data and velocity data of the at least one target object;
wherein;
the velocity data of the at least one target object is acquired within a virtual barrier, the virtual barrier being at a first distance away from the vehicle and having a length, the first distance and the length of the virtual barrier being modifiable; and
the at least one radar sensor includes a FMCW radar system having at least one receive channel.
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Specification