Object detecting apparatus

• US 7,889,116 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Satonaka, Hisashi, Harada, Tomoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barker; Matthew M
• Application Number:
  US12/281,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20090040094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,448 Days
• Field of Search: 342/59
• US Class Current: 342/59
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93274 on the side of the vehicles

Abstract

An object detecting apparatus for detecting an object by a plurality of radars, with improved accuracy of identity determination and acquisition of position information in fusion of detection results. The object detecting apparatus is arranged to obtain a moving path of a detected point by a radar and to perform pairing as follows: if a detected point by a radar exists in a region based on the moving path and if a relative velocity thereof is matched with that of the detected point of interest, the detected point is paired as a corresponding detected point.

Claims

1. An object detecting apparatus comprising:

a first radar that receives a reflected wave from an object as reflection of a transmitted wave sent out, to detect a position of the object and a relative velocity between the apparatus and the object;

a second radar arranged so that a detection region thereof overlaps in part with a detection region of the first radar, and adapted to receive a reflected wave from an object as reflection of a transmitted wave sent out, to detect a position of the object and a relative velocity between the apparatus and the object; and

a data processing section that sets a range for a moving path of the object, based on the position of the object and the relative velocity detected by one of the first and second radars, and, when the position of the object detected by the other of the first and second radars is included in the range and there is agreement between the relative velocities detected by the first and second radars, determines that the object detected by the first radar is identical with the object detected by the second radar,

wherein the range set for the moving path of the object, based on the position of the object, is a region within a predetermined width from an estimated movement locus of the object, in the vicinity of a border position of the detection region on the other radar side.

2. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first radar and the second radar are arranged to output as an object position a position where the reflected wave from the object has a maximum reflection intensity.

3. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the first radar and the second radar is a radar for sending out a transmitted wave to the object and for receiving a reflected wave thereof to detect a position of the object.

4. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1, which is mounted on a vehicle and adapted to detect an obstacle around the vehicle.

5. An object detecting method comprising:

receiving a reflected wave from an object as reflection of a transmitted wave sent out, to detect a position of the object and a relative velocity between the apparatus and the object by a first radar;

receiving a reflected wave from an object as reflection of a transmitted wave sent out, to detect a position of the object and a relative velocity between the apparatus and the object by a second radar being arranged so that a detection region thereof overlaps in part with a detection region of the first radar;

setting a range for a moving path of the object, based on the position of the object and the relative velocity detected by one of the first and second radar; and

determining that the object detected by the first radar is identical with the object detected by the second radar, when the position of the object detected by the other of the first and second radar is included in the range and there is agreement between the relative velocities detected by the first and second radars,

wherein the range set for the moving path of the object, based on the position of the object, is a region within a predetermined width from an estimated movement locus of the object, in the vicinity of a border position of the detection region on the other radar side.

6. The object detecting method according to claim 5, wherein the first radar and the second radar are arranged to output as an object position a position where the reflected wave from the object has a maximum reflection intensity.

7. The object detecting method according to claim 5, wherein each of the first radar and the second radar is a radar for sending out a transmitted wave to the object and for receiving a reflected wave thereof to detect a position of the object.

8. The object detecting method according to claim 5, which is adapted to detect an obstacle around the vehicle.