Object detection device and navigation device

• US 8,666,656 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2011
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Mikami, Takashi, Hirano, Takashi, Niiyama, Marika
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US13/981,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20130311083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/428
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/876 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S15/872 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/932 for parking operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/939 vertical stacking of sensors, e.g. to enable obstacle height determination
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/526 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

An object detection device includes: an ultrasonic sensor for transmitting a signal and further receiving reflected signals of the transmitted signal; a delay-sum processing unit for generating two-dimensional distance information in which the reflected signals received by the ultrasonic sensor are delay-summed in a plurality of reference planes set in advance; a distance information integration unit for generating integrated distance information in which the two-dimensional distance information in the plurality of reference planes generated by the delay-sum processing unit is summed in a vertical direction to the reference planes; and an object detection unit for detecting an object at a position where an intensity in the vertical direction is equal to or larger than a threshold value by referring to an intensity in the vertical direction of the integrated distance information generated by the distance information integration unit.

Claims

1. An object detection device for transmitting a signal, and detecting an object based on a received result of a reflected signal of the transmitted signal reflected from the object, the device comprising:

at least one transmitting sensor for transmitting the signal;

at least two or more receiving sensors for receiving a reflected signal of the signal transmitted from the transmitting sensor;

a delay-sum processing unit for generating two-dimensional distance information in which two or more reflected signals received by the receiving sensors are delay-summed in a plurality of reference planes set in advance;

an integration unit for generating integrated distance information in which the two-dimensional distance information in the plurality of reference planes generated by the delay-sum processing unit is summed in a vertical direction to the reference planes; and

a detection unit for detecting an object at a position in which an intensity in the vertical direction is equal to or larger than a threshold value by referring to an intensity in the vertical direction of the integrated distance information generated by the integration unit.

2. The object detection device according to claim 1,

wherein the receiving sensors includes at least three or more sensors, and

the delay-sum processing unit generates two-dimensional distance information in which three or more reflected signals received by the receiving sensors are delay-summed in a plurality of reference planes set in advance,

the device further comprising:

a change amount acquisition unit for calculating a difference of the two-dimensional distance information in the plurality of reference planes generated by the delay-sum processing unit, and acquiring from the said difference a detected position of the object and a change amount of the reflected signals in the vertical direction to the plurality of reference planes; and

a height detection unit for detecting a height in the vertical direction of the object based on the detected position of the object and the change amount in the vertical direction of the reflected signals acquired by the change amount acquisition unit.

3. The object detection device according to claim 2, wherein the detection unit detects the object as an object when the height of the object acquired by the height detection unit is equal to or larger than a threshold value set in advance.

4. The object detection device according to claim 1, wherein the delay-sum processing unit generates as the two-dimensional distance information a two-dimensional distance image in at least one reference plane of the plurality of reference planes.

5. The object detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit for displaying the object detected by the detection unit.

6. The object detection device according to claim 1, further comprising an output unit for informing detection of the object in the detection unit by sound or voice.

7. A navigation device mounting thereon an object detection device according to claim 1, comprising:

a position information acquisition unit for acquiring a current position of the vehicle;

a map data storage unit for storing map data;

a path guide unit for guiding a path for the vehicle by using the map data stored in the map data storage unit and the current position of the vehicle acquired by the position information acquisition unit; and

an informing unit for informing path guide of the path guide unit, and informing the object detected by the object detection device.

8. The object detection device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the receiving sensors is disposed on the reference plane different from the installed planes of the other ultrasonic sensors.