Vehicular radar device

• US 7,283,212 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Automotive Electronics Company Limited (Nidec Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Asada, Yasutada, Arita, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): ALSOMIRI, ISAM A
• Application Number:
  US11/528,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20070064216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 383 Days
• Field of Search: 356 401- 515, 356/28, 342 70- 72, 342/159, 701/1, 701/223, 701/301
• US Class Current: 356/5.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4802 using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section

Abstract

A vehicular radar device detects an object within a detection area on the basis of detection data having a reception intensity exceeding a predefined threshold. The detection data is contained in reflected-wave data on waves irradiated into the detection area outward of a vehicle provided with the vehicular radar device. The device is capable of varying a direction or/and a range of the detection area in a vertical direction, and setting, during a normal time, the direction or/and the range of the detection area in the vertical direction to a normal state in which the object is correctly detected, and performing a detection operation in the normal state.

Claims

1. A vehicular radar device which detects an object within a detection area on the basis of detection data having a reception intensity exceeding a predefined threshold, the detection data being contained in reflected-wave data on waves irradiated into the detection area outward of a vehicle provided with the vehicular radar device, comprising control processing means capable of varying a direction or/and a range of the detection area in a vertical direction,

the control processing means being operative to set, during a normal time, the direction or/and the range of the detection area in the vertical direction to a normal state in which the object is correctly detected, and perform a detection operation in the normal state, and being operative to perform, during a road-surface decision time for making a decision as to a road surface, a detection operation in a down state in which the direction or/and the range of the detection area is shifted comparatively downwardly in the vertical direction so that the road surface is correctly detected, and determine that, from among detection data obtained during the down state, detection data which varies in reception delay time compared to a detection operation in an immediately previous normal state is detection data relative to the road surface.

2. A vehicular radar device according to claim 1, wherein the road-surface decision time is a time at which when a target decision based on a feature quantity of a received waveform is performed on the detection data obtained through the detection operation in the normal state, the result of the decision shows that there exists detection data presumed to be relative to the road surface.

3. A vehicular radar device according to claim 2, wherein the control processing means determines, as detection data relative to the road surface, only detection data which varies in a direction in which the reception delay time becomes shorter as the result of a shift to the down state.

4. A vehicular radar device according to claim 2, wherein the control processing means determines only detection data whose reception delay time is within a predefined range, as detection data relative to the road surface.

5. A vehicular radar device according to claim 1, wherein the control processing means determines, as detection data relative to the road surface, only detection data which varies in a direction in which the reception delay time becomes shorter as the result of a shift to the down state.

6. A vehicular radar device according to claim 1, wherein the control processing means determines only detection data whose reception delay time is within a predefined range, as detection data relative to the road surface.

7. A vehicular radar device according to claim 6, wherein the control processing means determines, as detection data relative to the road surface, only detection data which varies in a direction in which the reception delay time becomes shorter as the result of a shift to the down state.