Automotive radar device

• US 7,486,222 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2006
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuoka, Katsuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): GALT, CASSI J
• Application Number:
  US11/399,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20070085728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 342 5- 12, 342 70- 72, 342/173, 342/159, 342/165, 342/175, 343/872
• US Class Current: 342/70
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4004 of parts of a radar system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4039 of sensor or antenna obstruction, e.g. dirt- or ice-coating
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4056 specially adapted to FMCW
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4078 involving an integrated reference reflector or reference transponder

Abstract

An automotive radar device that can securely detect dirt adhering to the surface of a vehicle-side radome irrespective of the positional relation between the vehicle-side radome and a radar. The automotive radar device has a radio-type radar housed in a vehicle-side radome installed on a vehicle, the radio-type radar including a transmitting unit and a receiving unit. The automotive radar device sends and receives radio waves from the radar through the vehicle-side radome and measures distance and relative velocity with respect to a subject. The automotive radar device includes a guiding unit that is arranged between the vehicle-side radome and the radar and that guides a reflected wave from adhering matter on a surface of the vehicle-side radome to the receiving unit of the radar, and an adhering matter judging unit that judges the existence/non-existence of the adhering matter on the surface of the vehicle-side radome on the basis of signal level of the reflected wave received by the receiving unit.

Claims

1. An automotive radar device having a radio-type radar housed in a vehicle-side radome installed on a vehicle, the radio-type radar including a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, the automotive radar device sending and receiving radio waves from the radar through the vehicle-side radome, in a sending and receiving direction, and measuring distance and relative velocity with respect to a subject, the automotive radar device comprising:

a guiding unit that is arranged between the vehicle-side radome and the radar and that guides a reflected wave, without modulation thereof, from adhering matter on a surface of the vehicle-side radome to the receiving unit of the radar; and

an adhering matter judging unit that judges the existence/non-existence of the adhering matter on the surface of the vehicle-side radome on the basis of the signal level of the reflected wave received by the receiving unit,

wherein the guiding unit guides a reflected wave reflected in only a specific beam direction to the receiving unit, and

wherein the adhering matter judging unit judges the existence/non-existence of adhering matter on the surface of the vehicle-side radome on the basis of the signal level of the reflected wave in the specific beam direction and in another beam direction.

2. The automotive radar device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adhering matter judging unit determines that adhering matter exists on the surface of the vehicle-side radome if absolute value of difference in the signal level of the reflected wave between the specific beam direction and the other beam direction is equal to or larger than a predetermined value.

3. The automotive radar device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adhering matter judging unit determines that adhering matter exists on the surface of the vehicle-side radome if a state where the absolute value of the difference in the signal level of the reflected wave between the specific beam direction and the other beam direction is equal to or larger than a predetermined value continues for a predetermined period of time.

4. An automotive radar device having a radio-type radar housed in a vehicle-side radome installed on a vehicle, the radio-type radar including a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, the automotive radar device sending and receiving radio waves from the radar through the vehicle-side radome, in a sending and receiving direction, and measuring distance and relative velocity with respect to a subject, the automotive radar device comprising:

a guiding unit that is arranged between the vehicle-side radome and the radar and that guides a reflected wave, without modulation thereof, from adhering matter on a surface of the vehicle-side radome to the receiving unit of the radar; and

an adhering matter judging unit that judges the existence/non-existence of the adhering matter on the surface of the vehicle-side radome on the basis of the signal level of the reflected wave received by the receiving unit,

wherein the guiding unit reflects the reflected wave from the adhering matter on the surface of the vehicle-side radome in a direction toward the receiving unit.

6. The automotive radar device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the guiding unit is a reflecting mirror.

7. The automotive radar device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the guiding unit is a flat array antenna having total reflection at its feeding point.

8. The automotive radar device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the guiding unit is a flat array antenna in which a feeding point can be switched between total reflection and terminal by a switch.

9. The automotive radar device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the guiding unit is a reflector array.

5. An automotive radar device having a radio-type radar housed in a vehicle-side radome installed on a vehicle, the radio-type radar including a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, the automotive radar device sending and receiving radio waves from the radar through the vehicle-side radome, in a sending and receiving direction, and measuring distance and relative velocity with respect to a subject, the automotive radar device comprising:

a guiding unit that is arranged between the vehicle-side radome and the radar and that guides a reflected wave, without modulation thereof, from adhering matter on a surface of the vehicle-side radome to the receiving unit of the radar; and

an adhering matter judging unit that judges the existence/non-existence of the adhering matter on the surface of the vehicle-side radome on the basis of the signal level of the reflected wave received by the receiving unit,

wherein the guiding unit reflects the reflected wave from the adhering matter on the surface of the vehicle-side radome to a direction where the receiving unit exists so that the reflected wave becomes parallel to a directivity direction of a receiving antenna.

10. An automotive radar device having a radio-type radar housed in a vehicle-side radome installed on a vehicle, the radio-type radar including a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, the automotive radar device sending and receiving radio waves from the radar through the vehicle-side radome, in a sending and receiving direction, and measuring distance and relative velocity with respect to a subject, the automotive radar device comprising:

a guiding unit that is arranged between the vehicle-side radome and the radar and that guides a reflected wave, without modulation thereof, from adhering matter on a surface of the vehicle-side radome to the receiving unit of the radar; and

an adhering matter judging unit that judges the existence/non-existence of the adhering matter on the surface of the vehicle-side radome on the basis of the signal level of the reflected wave received by the receiving unit,

wherein the guiding unit refracts the reflected wave from the adhering matter on the surface of the vehicle-side radome into a direction where the receiving unit exists.

12. The automotive radar device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the guiding unit is a dielectric lens.

11. An automotive radar device having a radio-type radar housed in a vehicle-side radome installed on a vehicle, the radio-type radar including a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, the automotive radar device sending and receiving radio waves from the radar through the vehicle-side radome, in a sending and receiving direction, and measuring distance and relative velocity with respect to a subject, the automotive radar device comprising:

a guiding unit that is arranged between the vehicle-side radome and the radar and that guides a reflected wave, without modulation thereof, from adhering matter on a surface of the vehicle-side radome to the receiving unit of the radar; and

an adhering matter judging unit that judges the existence/non-existence of the adhering matter on the surface of the vehicle-side radome on the basis of the signal level of the reflected wave received by the receiving unit,

wherein the guiding unit refracts the reflected wave from the adhering matter on the surface of the vehicle-side radome into a direction where the receiving unit exists so that the reflected wave becomes parallel to a directivity direction of a receiving antenna.

13. An automotive radar device having a radio-type radar housed in a vehicle-side radome installed on a vehicle, the radio-type radar including a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, the automotive radar device sending and receiving radio waves from the radar through the vehicle-side radome, in a sending and receiving direction, and measuring distance and relative velocity with respect to a subject, the automotive radar device comprising:

a guiding unit that is arranged between the vehicle-side radome and the radar and that guides a reflected wave, without modulation thereof, from adhering matter on a surface of the vehicle-side radome to the receiving unit of the radar; and

an adhering matter judging unit that judges the existence/non-existence of the adhering matter on the surface of the vehicle-side radome on the basis of the signal level of the reflected wave received by the receiving unit,

wherein the guiding unit reflects the reflected wave from the adhering matter on the surface of the vehicle-side radome to its incoming direction.

14. The automotive radar device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the guiding unit is a reflecting mirror.

15. The automotive radar device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the guiding unit is a single corner reflector or plural corner reflectors.

16. The automotive radar device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the guiding unit is a flat array antenna having total reflection at its feeding point.

17. The automotive radar device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the guiding unit is a flat array antenna in which a feeding point can be switched between total reflection and terminal by a switch.

18. The automotive radar device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the guiding unit is a reflector array.

19. An automotive radar device having a radio-type radar housed in a vehicle-side radome installed on a vehicle, the radio-type radar including a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, the automotive radar device sending and receiving radio waves from the radar through the vehicle-side radome, in a sending and receiving direction, and measuring distance and relative velocity with respect to a subject, the automotive radar device comprising:

a guiding unit that is arranged between the vehicle-side radome and the radar and that guides a reflected wave, without modulation thereof, from adhering matter on a surface of the vehicle-side radome to the receiving unit of the radar; and

an adhering matter judging unit that judges the existence/non-existence of the adhering matter on the surface of the vehicle-side radome on the basis of the signal level of the reflected wave received by the receiving unit,

wherein the reflected wave is reflected from said surface along a path which is different from the path of incidence of the wave on said surface.