Obstacle detecting apparatus

• US 7,643,940 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2005
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Horikawa, Kenichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner; Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Algahaim; Helal A
• Application Number:
  US11/178,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20060031016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,638 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301, 340/436, 340/435
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01068 between different sensors and airbag control unit
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01115 specific data frames
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01184 Fault detection or diagnostic circuits in power circuits B60R2021/01129
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93275 in the bumper area
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4004 of parts of a radar system

Abstract

An obstacle detecting apparatus includes sensors and a control device. The sensors detect an obstacle and are connected to the control device through a bus. The control device includes communication error determination and detection means. The communication error determination means determines an occurrence of a communication error if communication with the sensors is impossible for a preset error determination time period. The communication error detection means detects the communication error. The communication error determination means sets in advance, as the error determination time period, a preset first error determination time period in the case of the first communication with the sensors and a preset second error determination time period in the case of communication with the sensors after the first communication with the sensors is normally performed. The first error determination time period and the second error determination time period are set so as to be different.

Claims

1. An obstacle detecting apparatus comprising:

a warning device;

a plurality of sensors for detecting an obstacle; and

a control device to which the plurality of sensors are connected through a bus, wherein the control device is coupled to the warning device, the control device including

communication error determination means for determining an occurrence of a communication error if communication with any of the sensors is impossible for a preset error determination time period or longer, and

communication error detection means for detecting the communication error if the occurrence of the communication error is determined by the communication error determination means to be impossible, wherein

the warning device is activated if the communication error determination means determines that the communication with any of the sensors is impossible,

the communication error determination means sets in advance, as the error determination time period, a preset first error determination time period in the case of the first communication with the plurality of sensors and a preset second error determination time period in the case of communication with the plurality of sensors after the first communication with the plurality of sensors is normally performed,

the first error determination time period and the second error determination time period are set so as to be different from each other, and

the first error determination time period is set by the communication error determination means to be shorter than the second error determination time period.

2. The obstacle detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication error determination means determines the occurrence of the communication error if communication is impossible with at least one of the plurality of sensors.

3. The obstacle detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors is provided in at least one of a front bumper and a rear bumper of a vehicle so as to detect an obstacle present in the vicinity of the vehicle.

4. An obstacle detecting apparatus for accurately detecting and reporting a communication error, the obstacle detecting apparatus having a control device, a warning device, and a plurality of sensors connected to the control device through a bus, wherein the plurality of sensors and the control device are capable of communicating across the bus through transmission and reception of a communication frame, and wherein the control device is configured to:

attempt to conduct an initial communication with each of the plurality of sensors including a respective initial transmission of the communication frame to each of the plurality of sensors and a respective response frame from the each of the plurality of sensors;

determine whether the initial communication is a first communication with each of the plurality of sensors since a power on operation associated with the obstacle detecting apparatus and whether communication with one or more of the plurality of sensors is impossible;

institute a first error remediation procedure associated with a first time period if the communication with the one or more of the plurality of sensors is impossible and if the initial communication is the first communication;

institute a second error remediation procedure associated with a second time period, which is longer than the first time period, if the communication with the one or more of the plurality of sensors is impossible and if the initial communication is not the first communication,

wherein if one of the first remediation procedure and the second remediation procedure is unsuccessful, the warning device is activated to provide a warning of the communication error.

5. The obstacle detecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the initial communication includes a first ID setting command frame transmitted by the control device to the each and a polling frame transmitted from each of the plurality of sensors to the control device in response to the first ID setting command frame;

the control device in conducting the first error remediation procedure is further configured to;

(a) transmit up to two additional ID setting frames if the communication is determined to be impossible based on a failure to receive the polling frame from each of the plurality of sensors within the first time period in response to the up to two additional ID setting frames;

(b) power OFF the each if the polling frame is not received in response to the up to two additional ID setting frames within the first time period and subsequently power ON the each and perform (a) again; and

(c) report the communication error using the warning device if, after performing (b) up to two times, communication is determined to be impossible.

6. The obstacle detecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the initial communication includes a first ID setting command frame transmitted by the control device to each of the sensors and a polling frame transmitted from each of the sensors to the control device in response to the first ID setting command frame, and the control device in conducting the second error remediation procedure is further configured to:

(a) transmit up to two additional ID setting frames if the communication is determined to be impossible based on a failure to receive the polling frame from each of the sensors within the second time period in response to the up to two additional ID setting frames;

(b) power OFF the sensors if the polling frame is not received in response to the up to two additional ID setting frames within the second time period and subsequently power ON the sensors and perform (a) again; and

(c) report the communication error using the warning device if, after performing (b) up to two times, communication is determined to be impossible.

7. The obstacle detecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the sensors are provided in at least one of a front bumper and a rear bumper of a vehicle to detect an obstacle present in the vicinity oft. vehicle.