On-vehicle radar device and vehicle control system

• US 7,474,253 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2006
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Natsume, Kazuma
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bythrow; Peter M
• Application Number:
  US11/454,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20060284760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 342/29, 342/41, 342/61, 342/69, 342 70- 72, 342/75, 701/70, 701/93, 701/117
• US Class Current: 342/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01259 Brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/34 using transmission of continuous, frequency-modulated waves while heterodyning the received signal, or a signal derived therefrom, with a locally-generated signal related to the contemporaneously transmitted signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/464 using only the non-line-of-sight signal(s), e.g. to enable survey of scene 'behind' the target only the indirect signal is evaluated
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 Controlling the accelerator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• 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: 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

A radar transceiver of an on-vehicle radar transmits and receives a radar wave. Objects ahead of a vehicle having the on-vehicle radar are sensed based on the reflected radar wave reflected from the objects. A target vehicle to be monitored is extracted from the sensed objects based on the reflected radar wave. Also, a blind spot object, which is present in a blind spot of the target vehicle is extracted from the sensed objects based on the reflected radar wave.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle radar device comprising:

transmitting and receiving means for transmitting and receiving a radar wave in a form of a radio wave;

object sensing means for sensing a plurality of objects, which are spaced away from a vehicle having the on-vehicle radar device and reflect the transmitted radar wave, based on an output of the transmitting and receiving means;

target vehicle extracting means for extracting a target vehicle to be monitored from the plurality of sensed objects; and

blind spot object extracting means for extracting a blind spot object, which is present in a blind spot of the target vehicle extracted by the target vehicle extracting means, from the plurality of sensed objects through use of propagation of the radio wave that is directed from the transmitting and receiving means toward the target vehicle.

2. The on-vehicle radar device according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission direction changing means for changing at least a vertical angle of a transmission direction of the radar wave, which is transmitted from the transmitting and receiving means, in such a manner that the radar wave is directed toward a point below a floor of the target vehicle when a predetermined operational mode change condition is satisfied.

3. The on-vehicle radar device according to claim 2, wherein the transmission direction changing means is also for changes a horizontal angle of the transmission direction of the radar wave, which is transmitted from the transmitting and receiving means, in such a manner that the radar wave is directed toward the point below the floor of the target vehicle when the predetermined operational mode change condition is satisfied.

4. The on-vehicle radar device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined operational mode change condition, which is used by the transmission direction changing means to change the transmission direction of the radar wave, includes that the target vehicle extracted by the target vehicle extracting means is a non-moving vehicle on a road.

5. The on-vehicle radar device according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined operational mode change condition, which is used by the transmission direction changing means to change the transmission direction of the radar wave, further includes that the non-moving vehicle is an oncoming vehicle, which is about to make a left turn in an intersection where the vehicle having the on-vehicle radar device is about to make a left turn.

6. The on-vehicle radar device according to claim 1, wherein the target vehicle, which is extracted by the target vehicle extracting means, is a preceding vehicle located ahead of the vehicle having the on-vehicle radar device and is traveling on a travel lane of the vehicle having the on-vehicle radar device.

7. The on-vehicle radar device according to claim 1, wherein:

the target vehicle extracting means extracts the target vehicle from the plurality of sensed objects when a reception level of the reflected radar wave, which is reflected from the target vehicle, is greater than a predetermined first threshold value; and

the blind spot object extracting means extracts the blind spot object from the plurality of sensed objects when the blind spot object satisfies the following conditions;

the blind spot object is located further away from the vehicle having the on-vehicle radar device in comparison to the target vehicle; and

a reception level of the reflected radar wave, which is reflected from the blind spot object, is greater than a predetermined second threshold value, which is lower than the first threshold value.

8. A vehicle control system comprising the on-vehicle radar device according to claim 1.

9. The vehicle control system according to claim 8, further comprising a notifying means for notifying a driver of the vehicle having the vehicle control system about presence of the blind spot object when the blind spot object extracting means extracts the blind spot object.

10. The vehicle control system according to claim 8, further comprising a control means for controlling at least one of an accelerator and a brake of the vehicle having the vehicle control system based on a behavior of the blind spot object when the blind spot object extracting means extracts the blind spot object.

11. An on-vehicle radar device comprising:

a transmitting and receiving means for transmitting and receiving a radar wave in a form of a radio wave;

an object sensing means for sensing a plurality of objects, which are spaced away from a vehicle having the on-vehicle radar device and reflect the transmitted radar wave, based on an output of the transmitting and receiving means;

a target vehicle extracting means for extracting a target vehicle to be monitored from the plurality of sensed objects; and

a blind spot object extracting means for extracting a blind spot object, which is present in a blind spot of the target vehicle extracted by the target vehicle extracting means, from the plurality of sensed objects, the blind spot object having a reception level lower than a reception level of the target vehicle.