Object sensing apparatus

• US 7,012,560 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2002
• Issued: 03/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Heinebrodt, Martin, Braeuchle, Goetz, Böcker, Jürgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B.
• Application Number:
  US10/491,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20050062615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 342 70- 72, 342 52- 55, 342/27, 342/114, 342/115, 342/173, 342/174, 342/189, 342/195, 340/435, 340/436, 340/903, 701/301
• US Class Current: 342/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/20 Data confidence level
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/865 Combination of radar systems with lidar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• 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 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/40 Means for monitoring or calibrating

Abstract

An object sensing apparatus for driver assistance systems in motor vehicles, including at least two sensor systems which measure data concerning the location and/or motion status of objects in the vicinity of the vehicle, and whose detection regions overlap one another, characterized by an error recognition device that checks the data measured by the sensor systems for absence of contradictions, and outputs an error signal upon detection of a contradiction.

Claims

1. An object sensing device for a driver assistance system in a motor vehicle, comprising:

at least two sensor systems which measure data concerning at least one of a location status and a motion status of an object in a vicinity of the motor vehicle, detection regions of the sensor systems overlap one another; and

an error recognition arrangement configured to check the data for absence of contradictions and to output an error signal upon detection of a contradiction;

wherein the error recognition arrangement checks, on a basis of the data, whether the object is located in an overlap region between a first detection region of a first sensor system and a second detection region of a second sensor system, and outputs the error signal one of when the object is not located by the second sensor system and when data measured by the second sensor system, taking into account error limits, deviate from data measured by the first sensor system;

and wherein for objects that are located in the overlap region, the error recognition device weights the data measured by the first sensor system and the second sensor system in accordance with reliability, and combines the weighted mutually corresponding data into data that are output to the driver assistance system.

2. The object sensing device of claim 1, wherein the sensor systems include at least one of a radar system, a lidar system, and a video system.

3. The object sensing device of claim 1, wherein the first sensor system is configured for a long-range region and the second sensor system is configured for a short-range region.

4. The object sensing device of claim 3, wherein the first sensor system includes one of a radar system and a lidar system.

5. The object sensing device of claim 3, wherein the second sensor system includes one of a radar system, a lidar system, and a video system.

6. The object sensing device of claim 1, wherein one of the sensor systems includes a video system including at least two cameras for acquiring a stereo image of the object.

7. The object sensing device of claim 1, wherein the error recognition arrangement is configured to identify, on a basis of a type of contradiction ascertained, which sensor system is causing the error.

8. The object sensing device of claim 7, further comprising:

a correction arrangement configured to correct an ascertained error by one of realigning and recalibrating one of the sensor system that is causing the error and an evaluation unit belonging to that sensor system.

9. The object sensing device of claim 7, further comprising:

a statistics module configured to record and store ascertained errors.

10. The object sensing device of claim 9, wherein the statistics module is configured to output an error message to a driver when an error ascertained by the error recognition arrangement occurs with a certain statistical frequency.