Obstacle detection apparatus and obstacle detection program

• US 9,097,801 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2012
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Elesys Co., Ltd. (Nidec Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Honda Elesys Co., Ltd. (Nidec Corporation)
• Inventors: Kambe, Takeshi, Sekine, Kazuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr
• Application Number:
  US13/523,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20130002470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 342/27, 342/28, 342 52- 55, 342 70- 72, 342/165, 342173-176, 342/179, 342192-197, 342 89- 93, 701/1, 701/36, 701/45, 701/300, 701/301, 348/61, 348/143, 348/148, 348/149, 382/100, 382/103, 382/104, 382/106, 356/399, 340901-904, 340/425.5, 340/435, 340/436, 340/437
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/345 using triangular modulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/462 using multipath signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 Controlling the steering
• 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 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles

Abstract

An obstacle detection apparatus includes a transmission antenna transmitting radio waves, a reception antenna receiving radio waves transmitted to and reflected by an obstacle, an obstacle detection unit configured to detect the obstacle based on the received radio waves, a false detection determination unit configured to determine presence or absence of a false detection characteristic, which is set in advance, with regard to the detected obstacle, a camera capturing an image, and an obstacle existence determination unit configured to determine, based on the image captured by the camera, presence or absence of the obstacle on which it is determined that the false detection characteristic is present.

Claims

1. An obstacle detection apparatus comprising:

a transmission antenna transmitting radio waves;

a reception antenna receiving radio waves transmitted to and reflected by an obstacle;

an obstacle detection unit configured to detect the obstacle based on the received radio waves;

a false detection determination unit configured to determine presence or absence of a false detection characteristic, which is set in advance, with regard to the detected obstacle;

a camera capturing an image; and

an obstacle existence determination unit configured to determine, based on the image captured by the camera, presence or absence of the obstacle on which it is determined that the false detection characteristic is present.

2. The obstacle detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein as the false detection characteristic, a characteristic that the intensity of the radio waves received by the reception antenna is lower than a predetermined threshold value is used.

3. The obstacle detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein as the false detection characteristic, a characteristic that a consecutive number or frequency of extrapolation data exceeds a predetermined threshold value with regard to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit is used.

4. The obstacle detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein as the false detection characteristic, a characteristic that a value of a spatial horizontal angle or a one-time variation of the spatial horizontal angle value exceeds a predetermined threshold value with regard to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit is used.

5. The obstacle detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein as the false detection characteristic, a characteristic of detecting that the obstacle is an elevation-view structure by a technique which determines that the obstacle is an elevation-view structure in a case where the intensity of the radio waves received by the reception antenna decreases as a distance from the obstacle decreases is used.

6. The obstacle detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein as the false detection characteristic, a characteristic of detecting that the obstacle is a downward-view structure by a technique which calculates electric power of the radio waves received by the reception antenna as a function of a distance from the obstacle, calculates the area of a region which is defined using a curve indicating the function as one boundary in a predetermined distance section, and determines that the obstacle is a downward-view structure based on the calculated area is used.

7. The obstacle detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein as the false detection characteristic, a characteristic of detecting that the obstacle is a downward-view structure by a technique which calculates electric power of the radio waves received by the reception antenna as a function of time, calculates the area of a region which is defined using a curve indicating the function as one boundary in a predetermined time section, and determines that the obstacle is a downward-view structure based on the calculated area is used.

8. The obstacle detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein as the false detection characteristic, a characteristic of detecting that the obstacle is an elevation-view structure by a technique which acquires the radio waves received by the reception antenna at a predetermined time interval, calculates electric power of the radio waves as a function of the number of acquisition times of the radio waves, and determines that the obstacle is an elevation-view structure which is disposed at a position higher than an optical axis of the reception antenna based on a plurality of representative points extracted from the function is used.

9. The obstacle detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein in a case where it is determined by the obstacle existence determination unit that the obstacle is present, information relating to the obstacle based on the radio waves received by the reception antenna is output to an external control unit.