Surroundings monitoring apparatus for a motor vehicle

• US 8,094,000 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2008
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US12/448,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20100141413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,468 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/436, 340/903, 180/167, 180/169, 342/158, 342/90, 342/118, 342/71, 342/72, 701/300, 701/301
• US Class Current: 340/435
• 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 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles

Abstract

In a surroundings monitoring apparatus, a front approaching object detection section detects a front approaching object that is approaching the vehicle from ahead from among objects sensed by a front millimeter wave radar. An object specifying section specifies the object which has been detected as the front approaching object by the front approaching object detection section from among objects sensed by a rear millimeter wave radar. A rear approaching object detection section excludes the object specified by the object specifying section from the objects sensed by the rear millimeter wave radar to detect a rear approaching object that is approaching the vehicle from behind.

Claims

1. A surroundings monitoring apparatus for a vehicle having a front monitoring device for sensing objects existing ahead of the vehicle and a rear monitoring device for sensing objects existing behind the vehicle, characterized by comprising:

a front approaching object detection section that detects a front approaching object that is approaching the vehicle from ahead from among the objects sensed by the front monitoring device;

an object specifying section that specifies the object which has been detected as the front approaching object by the front approaching object detection section from among the objects sensed by the rear monitoring device; and

a rear approaching object detection section that excludes the specified object from the objects sensed by the rear monitoring device to detect a rear approaching object that is approaching the vehicle from behind.

2. The surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the object specifying section includes a timing calculation section that calculates a timing for the front approaching object sensed by the front monitoring device to start being sensed by the rear monitoring device.

3. The surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the object specifying section includes a specifying section that specifies the front approaching object detected by the front approaching object detection section from among the objects sensed by the rear monitoring device based on information from the rear monitoring device and the timing calculated by the timing calculation section.

4. The surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the object specifying section includes an estimating section that estimates a distance from the vehicle to the object, an angle of the vehicle with respect to the object, and a relative speed between the vehicle and the object at the timing for the front approaching object detected by the front approaching object detection section to start being detected by the rear monitoring device.

5. A surroundings monitoring method for a vehicle having a front monitoring device for sensing objects existing ahead of the vehicle and a rear monitoring device for sensing objects existing behind the vehicle, characterized by comprising the steps of:

detecting a front approaching object that is approaching the vehicle from ahead;

specifying the object which has been detected as the front approaching object from among the objects sensed by the rear monitoring device;

excluding the specified object from the objects sensed by the rear monitoring device; and

detecting a rear approaching object that is approaching the vehicle from behind.

6. The surroundings monitoring method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of:

calculating a timing for the detected front approaching object to start being sensed by the rear monitoring device.