Object detection device

• US 10,295,666 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2015
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Takuma
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US15/509,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20170285168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 701301, 701400, 701411, 700250, 700253
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/00 Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles B60R22/00; devices, apparatus or methods for life-saving in general A62B; safety devices for propulsion unit control specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles B60K28/00; seats constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats, B60N2/42; energy-absorbing arrangements for hand wheels for steering vehicles B62D1/11; energy-absorbing arrangements for vehicle steering columns B62D1/19; harnessing in aircraft B64D25/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/878 wherein transceivers are operated, either sequentially or simultaneously, both in bi-static and in mono-static mode, e.g. cross-echo mode
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/93 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/22 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/28 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

An object detection device of the present disclosure includes three reception units for receiving reflected waves resulting from reflection of a transmission wave by an object within a detection range, and a determination unit for determining presence or absence of an object to be avoided based on outputs of the three reception units. The determination unit calculates first coordinates and second coordinates at which an object is estimated to be present, based on reception times from when a transmission wave is transmitted until reflected waves are received by the three reception units, and determines whether or not the object needs to be avoided, based on a distance between the first coordinates and the second coordinates.

Claims

1. An object detection device comprising:

a transmitter that transmits a transmission wave to a detection range;

a first receiver that receives a reflected wave resulting from reflection of the transmission wave transmitted from the transmitter by at least one object within the detection range;

a second receiver that receives a reflected wave resulting from reflection of the transmission wave transmitted from the transmitter by the at least one object within the detection range;

a third receiver that receives a reflected wave resulting from reflection of the transmission wave transmitted from the transmitter by the at least one object within the detection range; and

a micro controller that determines presence or absence of an object to be avoided, based on outputs of the first receiver, the second receiver, and the third receiver,

wherein the micro controller

calculates first coordinates at which the at least one object is estimated to be present, based on a first reception time from when the transmitter transmits a transmission wave until a reflected wave is received by the first receiver, and a second reception time from when the transmitter transmits a transmission wave until a reflected wave is received by the second receiver,

calculates second coordinates at which the at least one object is estimated to be present, based on the second reception time, and a third reception time from when the transmitter transmits a transmission wave until a reflected wave is received by the third receiver, and

compares a distance between the first coordinates and the second coordinates with a prescribed reference distance, determines that the at least one object includes the object to be avoided in a case where the distance between the first coordinates and the second coordinates is less than the reference distance, and determines that the at least one object does not include the object to be avoided in a case where the distance between the first coordinates and the second coordinates is equal to or larger than the reference distance.

2. The object detection device according to claim 1, wherein the second receiver is used as the transmitter.

3. The object detection device according to claim 1, wherein

the micro controller

calculates third coordinates at which the at least one object is estimated to be present, based on the second reception time, and a fourth reception time from when the transmitter transmits a transmission wave until a prescribed number of two times or more of reflected waves are received by the third receiver,

and determines that the at least one object includes the object to be avoided in a case where a distance between the third coordinates and the first coordinates is less than the reference distance, even in the case where the distance between the first coordinates and the second coordinates is equal to or larger than the reference distance.

4. The object detection device according to claim 1, wherein

the micro controller derives a reference threshold at which a strength of a reflected wave in the object to be avoided is estimated to exceed, by using at least one of the first reception time, the second reception time, and the third reception time, and

the micro controller determines that the at least one object includes the object to be avoided, in a case where a strength of a reflected wave received by the first receiver, a strength of a reflected wave received by the second receiver, and a strength of a reflected wave received by the third receiver are all equal to or higher than the reference threshold, even in the case where the distance between the first coordinates and the second coordinates is equal to or larger than the reference distance.

5. The object detection device according to claim 1, wherein the first receiver and the third receiver are disposed at mutually different heights.