IP Library Granted Patent US 10,371,810
Granted Patent B2
US 10,371,810 · App. 15/163,125 · Granted Aug 6, 2019

Radar device

Inventors: Hiroshi Iwai (Kanagawa, JP); Hirofumi Nishimura (Kanagawa, JP); Asako Hamada (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
G01S13/582G01S7/2921G01S7/415G01S13/42G01S13/931G01S2013/9375G01S2013/9385
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,371,810
App. No.
15/163,125
Granted
Aug 6, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

An object detection device that detects an obstacle in an object by transmitting a signal by a transmission unit, and using reflection signals by a receiving unit, the device including: a sidewall detection circuit that determines whether the vehicle is running on a road having the sidewall, based on an azimuth angle of the object, a distance from the vehicle to the object, Doppler velocities of the reflection signals, and intensities of the reflection signals; a multiple reflection position detection circuit that detects multiple reflection wave components from the reflection signals, based on the Doppler velocities, the azimuth angle, and the reflection intensities when the road is determined to have the sidewall; a detection exclusion range setting circuit that removes the detected multiple reflection wave components from the reflection signals; and an object detection circuit that detects the object using the reflection signals with the multiple reflection wave components removed.

Claims (26)

1. An object detection device to be mounted in a vehicle, the object detection device comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a transmission signal;

a receiver configured to receive a plurality of reflection signals that are the transmission signal reflected by a plurality of objects;

sidewall detection circuitry configured to determine whether or not the vehicle is running on a road having a sidewall based on a plurality of azimuth angles of the plurality of objects with respect to the vehicle, a plurality of reflection intensities of the plurality of reflection signals, and a plurality of Doppler velocities of the plurality of reflection signals;

multiple reflection position detection circuitry configured to detect a plurality of multiple reflection components among the plurality of reflection signals based on the plurality of azimuth angles of the plurality of objects with respect to the vehicle, the plurality of reflection intensities of the plurality of reflection signals, and the plurality of Doppler velocities of the plurality of reflection signals, when the sidewall detection circuitry determines that the vehicle is running on the road having the sidewall, the plurality of multiple reflection components being reflection signals caused by a multiple reflection between the sidewall and the vehicle;

detection exclusion range setting circuitry configured to remove the plurality of multiple reflection components from the plurality of reflection signals; and

object detection circuitry configured to detect a target based on the plurality of reflection signals removed of the plurality of multiple reflection components, wherein

the sidewall detection circuitry determines that the vehicle is running on the road having the sidewall in a case where:

(i) a first reflection signal with a Doppler velocity of 0 is present in the plurality of reflection signals in a direction perpendicular to a direction of running of the vehicle as a first azimuth angle, and a reflection intensity of the first reflection signal is higher than a predetermined intensity, and

(ii) a second reflection signal having a second azimuth angle, greater than the first azimuth angle, is present in the plurality of reflection signals, and a reflection intensity of the second reflection signal is lower than the reflection intensity of the first reflection signal.

2. The object detection device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the sidewall detection circuitry, when determining that the vehicle is running on the road having the sidewall, calculates the second azimuth angle of the sidewall with respect to the vehicle according to the second reflection signal, and a second distance from the vehicle to the sidewall according to the second reflection signal based on the first azimuth angle and a first distance from the vehicle to the sidewall according to the first reflection signal, and

the multiple reflection position detection circuitry calculates a first multiple reflection components according to the first reflection signal of the reflection signals by using the first azimuth angle and the first distance, and calculates a second multiple reflection components according to the second reflection signal of the reflection signals by using the second azimuth angle and the second distance.

3. An object detection method performed by object detection device to be mounted in a vehicle, the object detection method comprising:

transmitting a transmission signal;

receiving a plurality of reflection signals that are the transmission signal reflected by a plurality of objects;

determining whether or not the vehicle is running on a road having a sidewall based on a plurality of azimuth angles of the plurality of objects with respect to the vehicle, a plurality of reflection intensities of the plurality of reflection signals, and a plurality of Doppler velocities of the plurality of reflection signals;

detecting a plurality of multiple reflection components among the plurality of reflection signals based on the plurality of azimuth angles of the plurality of objects with respect to the vehicle, the plurality of reflection intensities of the plurality of reflection signals, and the plurality of Doppler velocities of the plurality of reflection signals, when, in the determining, determined that the vehicle is running on the road having the sidewall, the plurality of multiple reflection components being reflection signals caused by a multiple reflection between the sidewall and the vehicle;

removing the plurality of multiple reflection components from the plurality of reflection signals; and

detecting a target based on the plurality of reflection signals removed of the plurality of multiple reflection components, wherein:

determining whether or not the vehicle is running on the road having the sidewall includes determining that the vehicle is running on the road having the sidewall in a case where:

(i) a first reflection signal with a Doppler velocity of 0 is present in the plurality of reflection signals in a direction perpendicular to a direction of running of the vehicle as a first azimuth angle, and a reflection intensity of the first reflection signal is higher than a predetermined intensity, and

(ii) a second reflection signal having a second azimuth angle, greater than the first azimuth angle, is present in the plurality of reflection signals, and a reflection intensity of the second reflection signal is lower than the reflection intensity of the first reflection signal.

4. The object detection method according to claim 3 , wherein:

in the determining, when determining that the vehicle is running on the road having the sidewall, the second azimuth angle of the sidewall with respect to the vehicle according to the second reflection signal, and a second distance from the vehicle to the sidewall according to the second reflection signal are calculated based on the first azimuth angle and a first distance from the vehicle to the sidewall according to the first reflection signal, and

in the detecting of the plurality of multiple reflection components, a first multiple reflection components according to the first reflection signal of the reflection signals is calculated by using the first azimuth angle and the first distance, and a second multiple reflection components according to the second reflection signal of the reflection signals is calculated by using the second azimuth angle and the second distance.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 28, 2024
From: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 066703/0113 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 8, 2016
From: IWAI, HIROSHI; NISHIMURA, HIROFUMI; HAMADA, ASAKO
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 038851/0240 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2015-111270 · Jun 1, 2015 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20170212231A1 · Jul 27, 2017