Object detecting apparatus
An object detecting apparatus includes a sensor, a noise determining portion, a detected result determining portion and a warning portion. The sensor transmits an ultrasonic wave and receives a reflected wave reflected by an object. The noise determining portion determines existence or nonexistence of a noise signal received by the sensor for a plurality of detecting areas by using a different threshold value for each of the plurality of detecting areas. The detected result determining portion validates or invalidates an object detected result of the sensor for each of the detecting areas based on existence or nonexistence of the noise signal determined by the noise determining portion for each of the detecting areas. The warning portion warns about the object detected result for a detecting area that is validated by the detected result determining portion.
1. An object detecting apparatus comprising:
a sensor configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave and configured to receive a reflected wave reflected by an object;
a noise determining portion configured to determine existence or nonexistence of a noise signal received by the sensor for a plurality of detecting areas by using a different threshold value for each of the plurality of detecting areas at a time different from a time from when the sensor transmits the ultrasonic wave until when the sensor receives the reflected wave, each of the plurality of detecting areas having a different detecting distance;
a detected result determining portion configured to validate or invalidate an object detected result of the sensor for each of the plurality of detecting areas based on existence or nonexistence of the noise signal determined by the noise determining portion for each of the plurality of detecting areas; and
a warning portion configured to warn about the object detected result for a detecting area in the plurality of detecting areas that is validated by the detected result determining portion;
wherein the noise determining portion includes:
a noise determining circuit configured to detect the noise signal received by the sensor and configured to determine existence or nonexistence of the noise signal by comparing a level of the detected noise signal with the threshold value;
a first noise determining portion configured to set the threshold value of the noise determining circuit to be a first threshold value and configured to determine existence or nonexistence of the noise signal for a first detecting area in the plurality of detecting areas; and
a second noise determining portion configured to set the threshold value of the noise determining circuit to be a second threshold value different from the first threshold value and configured to determine existence or nonexistence of the noise signal for a second detecting area in the plurality of detecting areas.
2. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the second detecting area has a detecting distance shorter than the first detecting area;
the second threshold value is greater than the first threshold value;
the detected result determining portion validates the object detected result for the first detecting area and the object detected result for the second detecting area when the first noise determining portion determines that there is no noise signal; and
the detected result determining portion validates the object detected result for the second detecting area when the first noise determining portion determines that there is a noise signal and the second noise determining portion determines that there is no noise signal.
3. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
the noise determining circuit detects the level of the noise signal with a sensitivity set by the first noise determining portion and the second noise determining portion;
the first noise determining portion sets the sensitivity of the noise determining circuit to be a first sensitivity and determines the level of the noise signal; and
the second noise determining portion sets the sensitivity of the noise determining circuit to be a second sensitivity lower than the first sensitivity and determines the level of the noise signal.
4. An object detecting apparatus comprising:
a sensor configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave and configured to receive a reflected wave reflected by an object;
a noise determining portion configured to determine existence or nonexistence of a noise signal received by the sensor for a plurality of detecting areas by using a different threshold value for each of the plurality of detecting areas at a time different from a time from when the sensor transmits the ultrasonic wave until when the sensor receives the reflected wave, each of the plurality of detecting areas having a different detecting distance;
a detected result determining portion configured to validate or invalidate an object detected result of the sensor for each of the plurality of detecting areas based on existence or nonexistence of the noise signal determined by the noise determining portion for each of the plurality of detecting areas; and
a warning portion configured to warn about the object detected result for a detecting area in the plurality of detecting areas that is validated by the detected result determining portion;
wherein the noise determining portion includes:
a first noise determining circuit configured to detect the noise signal received by the sensor and configured to determine existence or nonexistence of the noise signal for a first detecting area in the plurality of detecting areas by comparing a level of the noise signal with a first threshold value;
a second noise determining circuit configured to detect the noise signal received by the sensor and configured to determine existence or nonexistence of the noise signal for a second detecting area in the plurality of detecting areas by comparing a level of the noise signal with a second threshold value different from the first threshold value;
a first noise determining portion configured to determine existence or nonexistence of the noise signal for the first detecting area based on a determination result of the first noise determining circuit; and
a second noise determining portion configured to determine existence or nonexistence of the noise signal for the second detecting area based on a determination result of the second noise determining circuit.
5. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein:
the second detecting area has a detecting distance shorter than the first detecting area;
the second threshold value is greater than the first threshold value;
the detected result determining portion validates the object detected result for the first detecting area and the object detected result for the second detecting area when the first noise determining portion determines that there is no noise signal; and
the detected result determining portion validates the object detected result for the second detecting area when the first noise determining portion determines that there is a noise signal and the second noise determining portion determines that there is no noise signal.
6. The object detecting apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein:
the first noise determining circuit detects the level of the noise signal with a sensitivity set by the first noise determining portion;
the second noise determining circuit detects the level of the noise signal with a sensitivity set by the second noise determining portion;
the first noise determining portion sets the sensitivity of the first noise determining circuit to be a first sensitivity and determines the level of the noise signal; and
the second noise determining portion sets the sensitivity of the second noise determining circuit to be a second sensitivity lower than the first sensitivity and determines the level of the noise signal.