Obstacle detection method and system, particularly for systems for assisting the parking of vehicles

• US 7,385,487 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: META Systems (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: META Systems (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Simonazzi, Giuseppe
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout; Brent A.
• Application Number:
  US11/226,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20060087414A1
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: 340/903, 340/435, 340/904, 340/932.2, 340/943, 340/933, 340/436, 367/99, 342/118
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/932 for parking operations

Abstract

An obstacle detection system, particularly for assisting car parking that comprises a control unit and a plurality of sensors, which comprise emitters-receivers for emitting an ultrasonic signal and for receiving an echo signal reflected by at least one obstacle and an evaluator for the parametric evaluation of the received echo signals, the evaluator comprising a polling module suitable to determine, for each sensing, the number of times for which the received signals are repeated and to reject the signals that are repeated for a number of times that is lower than a preset number.

Claims

1. An obstacle detection method, comprising the steps of:

a) for each sensor that belongs to an activation cycle, determining a power to be radiated, emitting corresponding ultrasound signals, and receiving echo signals reflected by at least one obstacle;

b) depending on the echo signals received, determining distances of corresponding sensors from the obstacle and amplifying the received echo signals according to corresponding distances;

c) selecting threshold values with which signals amplified according to said distances determined by b) are to be compared;

d) determining, at each sensor cycle, a number of times for which signals that exceed a respective selected threshold value are repeated, and, if said number is higher than a preset value, generating a warning signal;

e) determining an order of priority of the sensors according to the distances determined in step b);

f) determining an activation sequence of the sensors according to the order priority determined in step e);

g) adapting a sensing cycle of the sensors according to an activation sequence determined in step f);

wherein the sending cycle adapted in step g) excludes, for a preset number of cycles that is greater than zero, sensors that in step a) have not received an echo signal; and

wherein said step e) of determining the order of priority comprises the steps of;

- associating with each sensor a value of the distance from the obstacle detected by the sensor;

- determining a value that corresponds to a mininum detected distance and replacing said determined value with a value equal to a sum of said minimum distance value and of a priority threshold value; and

- assigning to the sensor that detected said minimum distance a priority status.

2. The obstacle detection method of claim 1, wherein said step e) for determining the order of priority further comprises the steps that consist in:

- at each sensing cycle, determining whether at least one of the detected distances is shorter than the sum of the minimum distance value and the priority threshold value; and

- assigning to the sensor that detected said shorter distance a priority status in addition to sensors that already have a priority status.

3. The obstacle detection method of claim 2, wherein the sensing cycle adapted in step g) provides for the more frequent activation of the sensors having a priority status with respect to the sensors that do not have a priority status.