Vehicle obstacle detecting device

• US 7,061,373 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2004
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Takahashi, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): LAU, HOI CHING
• Application Number:
  US10/873,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20050012604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/436, 340/943, 340/686.6, 340/932.2, 340/933, 340/942, 340/903, 340/935, 340/939, 382/103, 701/45, 342 70- 72
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

The vehicle obstacle detecting device improves safety of the vehicle by utilizing information detected by a plurality of sensors to appropriately handle situations in which an obstacle exists in a blind spot of the sensors. The vehicle obstacle detecting device includes at least first and second sensors arranged such that sensing scopes of the first and second sensors do not substantially overlap. The vehicle obstacle detecting device is configured to observe the behavior of an obstacle existing within the sensing scope of one of the first and second sensors and predict the blind spot behavior of the obstacle in a blind spot between the sensing scopes of the first and second sensors based on the observed behavior of the obstacle. Thus, the vehicle obstacle detecting device is configured to predict the existence of an obstacle in the blind spot where the first and second sensors cannot actually detect the obstacle.

Claims

1. A vehicle obstacle detecting device adapted to be mounted on a vehicle to detect an obstacle, comprising:

a plurality of sensors including at least a first sensor having a sensing scope that does not substantially overlap a sensing scope of the second sensor thereby defining a blind spot between the sensing scopes of the first and second sensors;

an obstacle behavior observing section configured to observe a behavior of an obstacle within at least the sensing scope of the first sensor; and

a blind spot behavior predicting section configured to predict a blind spot behavior of the obstacle in the blind spot between the sensing scopes of the first and second sensors based on the behavior of the obstacle in the sensing scope of the first sensor observed by the obstacle behavior observing section, the blind spot behavior predicting section is configured to obtain the blind spot behavior of the obstacle by using at least one parameter, and to adjust the at least one parameter based on a difference between the blind spot behavior and an actual behavior of the obstacle within the blind spot so that a blind spot behavior of a next obstacle within the blind spot is predicted using the at least one parameter.

2. The vehicle obstacle detecting device as recited in claim 1, wherein

the blind spot behavior predicting section is configured to obtain a predicted position of the obstacle within the blind spot after the obstacle departs from the sensing scope of the first sensor by using the at least one parameter, and to adjust the at least one parameter based on a difference between the predicted position and an actual position of the obstacle when the obstacle enters the sensing scope of the second sensor.

3. The vehicle obstacle detecting device as recited in claim 1, wherein

the blind spot behavior predicting section is configured to obtain a predicted time when the obstacle will enter the sensing scope of the second sensor after the obstacle departs from the sensing scope of the first sensor, and to adjust the at least one parameter based on a difference between the predicted time and an actual time when the obstacle enters the sensing scope of the second sensor.

4. The vehicle obstacle detecting device recited in claim 2, further comprising

an adjustment prohibiting section configured to prohibit adjusting the at least one parameter used in the blind spot behavior predicting section to predict the blind spot behavior of the obstacle when the difference between the predicted position and the actual position of the obstacle is larger than a prescribed value.

5. The vehicle obstacle detecting device recited in claim 3, further comprising

an adjustment prohibiting section configured to prohibit adjusting the at least one parameter used in the blind spot behavior predicting section to predict the blind spot behavior of the obstacle when the difference between the predicted time and the actual time of the obstacle is larger than a prescribed value.

6. The vehicle obstacle detecting device as recited in claim 1, wherein

the obstacle behavior observing section is further configured to set a hypothetical position of the obstacle when the blind spot behavior predicting section is unable to predict the blind spot behavior of the obstacle.

7. The vehicle obstacle detecting device as recited in claim 1, further comprising

a diagnostic section configured to diagnose an abnormality of the vehicle obstacle detecting device by determining whether the difference between the blind spot behavior and the actual behavior of the obstacle when the obstacle enters the sensing scope of the second sensor is larger than a prescribed value with a prescribed amount of frequency.

8. A method for detecting an obstacle in a vicinity of a vehicle, comprising:

sensing a first area adjacent the vehicle to define a first sensing scope;

sensing a second area adjacent the vehicle to define a second sensing scope that does not substantially overlap with the first sensing scope such that a blind spot is defined between the first and second sensing scopes;

observing a behavior of an obstacle within the first sensing scope;

predicting a blind spot behavior of the obstacle in the blind spot between the first and second sensing scopes based on the behavior of the obstacle in the first sensing scope observed by the obstacle behavior observing section;

obtaining the blind spot behavior of the obstacle by using at least one parameter; and

adjusting the at least one parameter based on a difference between the blind spot behavior and an actual behavior of the obstacle within the blind spot so that a blind spot behavior of a next obstacle within the blind spot is predicted using the at least one parameter.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein

the obtaining of the blind spot behavior includes obtaining a predicted position of the obstacle within the blind spot after the obstacle departs from the first sensing scope by using the at least one parameter, and adjusting the at least one parameter based on a difference between the predicted position and an actual position of the obstacle when the obstacle enters the second sensing scope.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein

the obtaining of the blind spot behavior includes obtaining a predicted time when the obstacle will enter the first sensing scope after the obstacle departs from the first sensing scope, and adjusting the at least one parameter based on a difference between the predicted time and an actual time when the obstacle enters the second sensing scope.

11. The method recited in claim 9, further comprising

prohibiting adjusting the at least one parameter used in the blind spot behavior predicting section to predict the blind spot behavior of the obstacle when the difference between the predicted position and the actual position of the obstacle is larger than a prescribed value.

12. The method recited in claim 10, further comprising

prohibiting adjusting the at least one parameter used in the blind spot behavior predicting section to predict the blind spot behavior of the obstacle when the difference between the predicted time and the actual time of the obstacle is larger than a prescribed value.

13. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising

setting a hypothetical position of the obstacle when the blind spot behavior is unable to be predicted.

14. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising

diagnosing an abnormality by determining whether the difference between the blind spot behavior and the actual behavior of the obstacle when the obstacle enters the second sensing scope of the second sensor is larger than a prescribed value with a prescribed amount of frequency.

15. A vehicle obstacle detecting device adapted to be mounted on a vehicle to detect an obstacle, comprising:

detecting means for detecting an obstacle within a plurality of prescribed sensing scopes, the prescribed sensing scopes defining a blind spot where the obstacle is undetectable by the detecting means;

observing means for observing a behavior of the obstacle within one of the prescribed sensing scopes; and

predicting means for predicting a blind spot behavior of the obstacle in the blind spot based on the behavior of the obstacle observed by the observing means;

obtaining means for obtaining the blind spot behavior of the obstacle by using at least one parameter; and

adjusting means for adjusting the at least one parameter based on a difference between the blind spot behavior and an actual behavior of the obstacle within the blind spot so that a blind spot behavior of a next obstacle within the blind spot is predicted using the at least one parameter.