Peripheral monitor for monitoring periphery of vehicle

• US 7,023,331 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2003
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Kodama, Katsuhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US10/397,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20040075603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93275 in the bumper area
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4008 of transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4039 of sensor or antenna obstruction, e.g. dirt- or ice-coating

Abstract

The invention solves a problem of fluctuation in performance in the conventional peripheral monitor for monitoring periphery of a vehicle that measures a distance to other vehicle or any other object by transmitting radio waves and informs a driver of the distance due to variation in environmental conditions such as water drop sticking onto the cover. A peripheral monitor 1 including a transmission antenna 2 for radiating transmission waves through the cover, a receiving antenna 3 for receiving reflected waves through the cover, and a data processor for measuring a distance to any object are disposed together in a cover 7. A transmission frequency at which reflected wave quantity is minimized is detected by detecting a first reflected signal level from the cover 7, and this frequency is a command to a variable frequency oscillator to conduct a transmission at this frequency at all times.

Claims

1. A peripheral monitor for monitoring periphery of a vehicle comprising:

variable frequency oscillating means that oscillates high-frequency signals of a commanded frequency;

a transmitting antenna that is mounted inside of a cover disposed on a surface of the vehicle, and transmits high-frequency signals transmitting through the cover;

a receiving antenna that receives reflected waves of the transmitted waves from any object;

a receiving level analyzer that analyzes signal level of said reflected waves, discriminates between a first reflected signal of the transmitted waves reflected from the mentioned cover and a second reflected signal reflected from any object on the basis of the received reflected signals, and outputs data of receiving timing and a signal level of the first and second reflected signals respectively; and

a data processor that processes the data and computes a distance to the object, and detects a frequency at which level of the first reflected signal is minimized and commands the mentioned variable frequency oscillator to oscillate at this frequency.

2. The peripheral monitor for monitoring periphery of a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an operation mode controller performing a function of switching an operation mode between a monitoring mode in which signals of a commanded frequency are transmitted and a distance to said object is measured and an adjusting mode in which said frequency is changed and a frequency that minimizes the signal level of said first reflected signals is specified.

3. The peripheral monitor for monitoring periphery of a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said operation controller has a function of automatically switching the operation mode from said monitoring mode to said adjusting mode when signal level of said first reflected signals becomes higher than a predetermined level during operation of the peripheral monitor in said monitoring mode.

4. The peripheral monitor for monitoring periphery of a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

judging means that stores a level of said first reflected signals at a commanded frequency and said frequency, and judges whether or not there is any foreign substance sticking onto said cover on the basis of variation in frequency at which the level of said first reflected signals is minimized and in said reflected signal level at said frequency from said stored signal level and said stored frequency when said transmission frequency is varied; and

display means that displays results of said judgment for a driver.

5. The peripheral monitor for monitoring periphery of a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein said judging means judges kind of foreign substance sticking onto said cover on the basis of variation in frequency at which level of said first reflected signals is minimized and in signal level at said frequency from said stored signal level and said stored frequency.

6. The peripheral monitor for monitoring periphery of a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said kind of foreign substance sticking onto the cover includes at least one of water drop, water film, dirt of any foreign substance of a high content of water, and dirt of any dried-up foreign substance.