Object detecting apparatus for vehicle

• US 8,115,668 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2010
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Mochizuki, Kazuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): SOTOMAYOR, JOHN B
• Application Number:
  US12/711,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20100225521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 342 70- 72, 342/27, 342/90, 342/188, 342/195
• US Class Current: 342/70
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/345 using triangular modulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/726 Multiple target tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• 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

Abstract

An object candidate position detecting apparatus which detects a position of an object candidate includes a unifying mechanism which unifies a plurality of object candidates detected within a predetermined unified range into a single group. Where the relative positions of the object candidates stored in a unified information storage device changes such that the single group splits into a plurality of groups, a tracking mechanism judges whether any object candidate forming the group before the split continuously remains to be detected in a running lane in which a subject vehicle runs and which is estimated by a running lane estimator. Where any object candidate forming the group before the split is determined as continuously remaining to be detected in the running lane, the tracking mechanism determines that there is continuity between a group after the split including the thus-determined object candidate and the group before the split.

Claims

1. An object detecting apparatus for a vehicle, the object detecting apparatus comprising:

transmitting/receiving means for transmitting an electromagnetic wave in a driving direction of the vehicle at predetermined intervals and for receiving a reflected wave from an object, the transmitting/receiving means installed in the vehicle;

object candidate position detecting means for detecting a position of an object candidate based on a result of the transmission and reception performed by the transmitting/receiving means;

unifying means for unifying a plurality of object candidates into a single group in a case where the plurality of object candidates are detected within a predetermined unified range;

group representative point calculating means for calculating a representative point of the group unified by the unifying means;

tracking means for judging whether there is continuity between a group made in a previous detection cycle and a group made in a current detection cycle based on the group representative point calculation;

object information outputting means for outputting a representative point of a group after a split, based on an output from the group representative point calculating means and an output from the tracking means;

unified information storage means for storing the object candidates forming each group; and

running lane estimating means for estimating a running lane in which the vehicle runs, wherein in a case where a change in relative positions of the plurality of object candidates of the single group splits the single group into a plurality of split groups whose representative points are present in different lanes, the tracking means judges whether any of the object candidates forming the group before the split continuously remains to be detected in a running lane including the representative point of the group before the split based on an output from the unified information storage means and an output from the running lane estimating means, and

in a case where any of the object candidates forming the single group before the split is determined as continuously remaining to be detected in the running lane, the tracking means determines there is continuity between the group after the split including the thus-determined object candidate and the group before the split.

2. The object detecting apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the tracking means sets up an emergence estimation area where an object candidate detected in a previous detection cycle is expected to be detected in a current detection cycle, and

in a case where an object candidate is detected in the emergence estimation area which is situated in the running lane including the representative point of the group before the split, the tracking means determines that any of the object candidates forming the group before the split is continuously detected in the running lane including the representative point of the group before the split.

3. The object detecting apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the tracking means sets up the emergence estimation area as an area extending longitudinally and transversely which is included within a predetermined range from a previous position of the object candidate.

4. The object detecting apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the running lane estimating means estimates the running lane in which the vehicle runs based on a vehicle speed of the vehicle detected by a vehicle speed sensor and a yaw rate of the vehicle detected by a yaw rate sensor.

5. The object detecting apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the running lane estimating means estimates the running lane in which the vehicle runs based on a vehicle speed of the vehicle detected by a vehicle speed sensor and a yaw rate of the vehicle detected by a yaw rate sensor.

6. The object detecting apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the running lane estimating means estimates the running lane in which the vehicle runs based on a vehicle speed of the vehicle detected by a vehicle speed sensor and a yaw rate of the vehicle detected by a yaw rate sensor.

7. The object detecting apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the group representative point calculating means calculates a transverse location of a representative point of a group as a middle position between leftmost and rightmost object candidates among the plurality of object candidates, and calculates a longitudinal location of the representative point of the group as a position of an object candidate which is the nearest to the vehicle among the plurality of object candidates.

8. The object detecting apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

the group representative point calculating means calculates a transverse location of a representative point of a group as a middle position between leftmost and rightmost object candidates among the plurality of object candidates, and calculates a longitudinal location of the representative point of the group as a position of an object candidate which is the nearest to the vehicle among the plurality of object candidates.

9. The object detecting apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein

the group representative point calculating means calculates a transverse location of a representative point of a group as a middle position between leftmost and rightmost object candidates among the plurality of object candidates, and calculates a longitudinal location of the representative point of the group as a position of an object candidate which is the nearest to the vehicle among the plurality of object candidates.

10. The object detecting apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein

the group representative point calculating means calculates a transverse location of a representative point of a group as a middle position between leftmost and rightmost object candidates among the plurality of object candidates, and calculates a longitudinal location of the representative point of the group as a position of an object candidate which is the nearest to the vehicle among the plurality of object candidates.

11. The object detecting apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein

the group representative point calculating means calculates a transverse location of a representative point of a group as a middle position between leftmost and rightmost object candidates among the plurality of object candidates, and calculates a longitudinal location of the representative point of the group as a position of an object candidate which is the nearest to the vehicle among the plurality of object candidates.

12. The object detecting apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 6, wherein

the group representative point calculating means calculates a transverse location of a representative point of a group as a middle position between leftmost and rightmost object candidates among the plurality of object candidates, and calculates a longitudinal location of the representative point of the group as a position of an object candidate which is the nearest to the vehicle among the plurality of object candidates.