Object detection apparatus

• US 8,648,744 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2008
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Koike, Shin
• Primary Examiner(s): Barker, Matthew M
• Application Number:
  US12/593,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20100109937A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,084 Days
• Field of Search: 342/70
• US Class Current: 342/70
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/0245 Radar with phased array antenna
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 Controlling the steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles

Abstract

An object detection apparatus including: an electromagnetic wave radiating-receiver radiating an electromagnetic wave and receiving a reflection wave of the radiated electromagnetic wave; a reflection point identifying mechanism identifying, based on data regarding the reflection wave received by the electromagnetic wave radiating-receiver, a reflection point on a detection target object at which the radiated electromagnetic wave was reflected; and a representative point setting mechanism setting a representative point representing the position of the detection target object based on the reflection point identified by the reflection point identifying mechanism. The object detection apparatus outputs data regarding the set representative point. The representative point setting mechanism performs a correction prohibiting or minimizing a change of position of the representative point in the detection target object which occurs as a result of a change in a relative position between the detection target object and the moving body.

Claims

1. An object detection apparatus provided in a moving body comprising:

an electromagnetic wave radiating-receiving section that radiates an electromagnetic wave and receives a reflection wave of the radiated electromagnetic wave;

a reflection point identifying section that identifies, based on data regarding the reflection wave received by the electromagnetic wave radiating-receiving section, one or more reflection points on a detection target object at which the radiated electromagnetic wave was reflected; and

a representative point setting section that sets a representative point representing a position of the detection target object from the one or more reflection points identified by the reflection point identifying section, the object detection apparatus outputting data regarding the set representative point,

wherein

the representative point setting section is configured to update the set representative point based on changes in the identified one or more reflection points by the reflection point identifying section,

the representative point setting section is configured to update the set representative point by performing a correction on the set representative point, the correction prohibiting or minimizing a change in a position of the set representative point on the detection target object occurring as a result of a change in a relative position between the detection target object and the moving body, and

the representative point setting section performs the correction on the set representative point in accordance with the change in the relative position between the detection target object and the moving body,

wherein the correction performed by the representative point setting section is performed by changing the set representative point from a first one of the one or more reflection points to a second one of the one or more reflection points in accordance with a change in a relative position between the detection target object and the moving body.

2. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the representative point setting section is configured to correct, when one of the one or more reflection points identified by the reflection point identifying section has disappeared as a result of the change in the relative position between the detection target object and the moving body, the set representative point on the assumption that the disappeared the one or more reflection point still exists.

3. The object detection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the object detection apparatus is configured to monitor a given area behind the moving body.

4. The object detection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the representative point setting section is configured to correct, when a reflection point has been newly identified by the reflection point identifying section as a result of a change in the relative position between the detection target object and the moving body, the updated representative point on the assumption that the newly identified reflection point does not exist.

5. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the representative point setting section is configured to correct, when a reflection point has been newly identified by the reflection point identifying section as a result of a change in the relative position between the detection target object and the moving body, the set representative point on the assumption that the newly identified reflection point does not exist.

6. The object detection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the object detection apparatus is configured to monitor a given area ahead of the moving body.

7. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the representative point setting section is configured to select one of the one or more reflection points identified by the reflection point identifying section using a given selection method and is configured to set the representative point to the selected reflection point; and

the representative point setting section is configured to prohibit or minimize a change of the representative point from the selected reflection point to another reflection point which is detected as a result of the change in the relative position between the detection target object and the moving body.

8. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the representative point setting section is configured to prohibit or minimize a change of a position of at least one reflection point identified by the reflection point identifying section on the detection target object from being changed as a result of the change in the relative position between the detection target object and the moving body.

9. The object detection apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the representative point setting section is configured to estimate a movement amount of the at least one reflection point as a result of the change in the relative position between the detection target point and the moving body, and to prohibit or minimize a change of the position of the at least one reflection point from being changed, based on the estimated movement amount of the reflection point.

10. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the representative point setting section is configured to perform the correction on the condition that a position of at least one representative point on the detection target object is likely to change as a result of the change in the relative position between the detection target object and the moving body.

11. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the representative point setting section is configured to perform the correction on the condition that the detection target object is located in a predetermined region with respect to the moving body.

12. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the representative point setting section is configured to perform the correction on the condition that the azimuth of the detection target object from the moving body has shifted by a predetermined angle or larger.

13. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the representative point setting section is configured to perform the correction on the condition that the detection target object has been displaced by a predetermined distance or more in the direction perpendicular to an imaginary straight line connecting the moving body and the detection target object.

14. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the moving body is a motor vehicle; and

the detection target object is another motor vehicle.