Radar apparatus

• US 9,689,975 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2015
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Itoh, Jun, Ishimori, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Bendidi, Rachid
• Application Number:
  US14/693,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20150309169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/04 Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/345 using triangular modulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/726 Multiple target tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• 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 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/41 using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section

Abstract

A radar apparatus is configured to set a first target to be a non-output object with respect to a control apparatus of a host vehicle in a case where the first target (1) has a fore-and-aft distance from the host vehicle that is larger than a fore-and-aft distance from the host vehicle of a second target and (2) has a predetermined dependency to be an accessory portion which belongs to a same vehicle as the second target. The radar apparatus includes a signal processor configured to: determine whether or not the second target is present in an own lane of the host vehicle; determine whether or not the second target is changing a lane; and set the first target to be an output object with respect to the control apparatus of the host vehicle in a case where the second target is changing the lane from the own lane.

Claims

1. A radar apparatus configured to set a first target to be a non-output object with respect to a control apparatus of a host vehicle in a case where the first target (1) has a fore-and-aft distance from the host vehicle that is larger than a fore-and-aft distance of a second target from the host vehicle and (2) has been determined to be an accessory portion which belongs to a same vehicle as the second target, the radar apparatus comprising a signal processor configured to:

determine whether or not the second target is present in an own lane of the host vehicle;

determine whether or not the second target is changing a lane; and

set the first target, which previously had been determined to be the accessory portion which belongs to the same vehicle as the second target, to be an output object with respect to the control apparatus of the host vehicle and part of a different vehicle than the vehicle associated with the second target in a case where the second target is changing the lane from the own lane,

wherein in a case where the first target (i) is determined to be present within a determination range in which the presence or absence of the accessory portion is determined and (ii) is in a vicinity of a position farthest from a position of the second target, the signal processor sets the first target as the output object with respect to the control apparatus of the host vehicle.

2. The radar apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

in a case where a time during which (i) the fore-and-aft distance of the second target becomes a minimum among all sensed targets in the own lane and (ii) a lateral distance of the second target becomes a predetermined lateral distance or smaller, exceeds a predetermined time, the signal processor determines that the second target is present in the own lane.

3. The radar apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

in a case where the first target is determined to be present in the own lane and not to be the accessory portion with respect to the second target in any one of a plurality of times of performance of a target detection process, the signal processor sets the first target as the output object with respect to the control apparatus of the host vehicle even though the first target subsequently has the been determined to be the accessory portion in the target detection process.

4. A vehicle control system comprising:

a radar apparatus configured to set a first target to be a non-output object with respect to a control apparatus of a host vehicle in a case where the first target (1) has a fore-and-aft distance from the host vehicle that is larger than a fore-and-aft distance of a second target from the host vehicle and (2) has a been determined to be an accessory portion which belongs to a same vehicle as the second target, the radar apparatus comprising a signal processor configured to;

determine whether or not the second target is present in an own lane of the host vehicle;

determine whether or not the second target is changing a lane; and

set the first target, which previously had been determined to be the accessory portion which belongs to the same vehicle as the second target, to be an output object with respect to the control apparatus of the host vehicle and part of a different vehicle than the vehicle associated with the second target in a case where the second target is changing the lane from the own lane; and

a control apparatus configured to control the host vehicle on the basis of target information on the periphery of the host vehicle derived by the radar apparatus,

wherein in a case where the first target (i) is determined to be present within a determination range in which the presence or absence of the accessory portion is determined and (ii) is in a vicinity of a position farthest from a position of the second target, the signal processor sets the first target as the output object with respect to the control apparatus of the host vehicle.

5. A signal processing method that sets a first target to be a non-output object with respect to a control apparatus of a host vehicle in a case where the first target (1) has a fore-and-aft distance from the host vehicle that is larger than a fore-and-aft distance of a second target from the host vehicle and (2) has been determined to be an accessory portion which belongs to a same vehicle as the second target, the signal processing method comprising:

(a) determining, with a signal processor, whether or not the second target is present in an own lane of the host vehicle;

(b) determining, with the signal processor, whether or not the second target is changing a lane;

(c) setting, with the signal processor, the first target, which previously had been determined to be the accessory portion which belongs to the same vehicle as the second target, to be an output object to the control apparatus of the host vehicle and part of a different vehicle than the vehicle associated with the second target in a case where the second target is changing the lane from the own lane; and

(d) controlling the host vehicle with the control apparatus based on target information on the periphery of the host vehicle, the target information including information about the first target set in (c),

wherein in a case where the first target (i) is determined to be present within a determination range in which the presence or absence of the accessory portion is determined and (ii) is in a vicinity of a position farthest from the position of the second target, the signal processor in (c) sets the first target as the output object with respect to the control apparatus of the host vehicle.

6. The signal processing method according to claim 5, wherein

in a case where a time during which (i) the fore-and-aft distance of the second target becomes a minimum among all sensed targets in the own lane and (ii) a lateral distance of the second target becomes a predetermined lateral distance or smaller, exceeds a predetermined time, the signal processor in (a) determines that the second target is present in the own lane.

7. The signal processing method according to claim 5, wherein

in a case where the first target is determined to be present in the own lane and not to be the accessory portion with respect to the second target in any one of a plurality of times of performance of a target detection process, the signal processor in (c) sets the first target as the output object with respect to the control apparatus of the host vehicle even though the first target subsequently has been determined to be the accessory portion in the target detection process.