Determining objects of interest for active cruise control

1. An object-detection system suitable for use on an autonomous vehicle, said system comprising:

a camera that detects a travel-lane of a roadway traveled by a host-vehicle;

a radar-sensor that detects targets in a field-of-view of the radar-sensor, said field-of-view including the roadway, wherein the roadway defines a boundary of the roadway detected by the radar-sensor; and

a controller in communication with the camera and the radar-sensor, wherein the controller determines that a collection of targets is a stationary-object that defines a line, classifies the stationary-object as an overpass when the line extends beyond the boundary of the roadway, and classifies the stationary-object as an impediment when the line overlays a portion of the travel-lane traveled by the host-vehicle and does not extend beyond the boundary of the roadway, wherein the impediment is an other-vehicle.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the boundary of the roadway is defined by a plurality of the stationary-objects arranged in a string parallel to and outside the travel-lane.

3. The system in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the stationary-objects include guard-rails, sign-posts, fencing, power-poles, lamp-posts, and distance-markers.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the radar-sensor is a two-dimensional radar-sensor.

5. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the overpass crosses the roadway at an angle perpendicular to the roadway.

6. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the overpass crosses the roadway at an obtuse angle.

7. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the other-vehicle is a combination truck and trailer.

8. A method for detecting an object suitable for use in an automated vehicle, said method comprising:

detecting, with a camera, a travel-lane of a roadway traveled by a host-vehicle;

detecting, with a radar-sensor, targets in a field-of-view of the radar-sensor, said field-of-view including the roadway, wherein the roadway defines a boundary of the roadway detected by the radar-sensor; and

determining, with a controller in communication with the camera and the radar-sensor, that a collection of targets is a stationary-object that defines a line, classifies the stationary-object as an overpass when the line extends beyond the boundary of the roadway, and classifies the stationary-object as an impediment when the line overlays a portion of the travel-lane traveled by the host-vehicle and does not extend beyond the boundary of the roadway, wherein the impediment is an other-vehicle.

9. The method in accordance with claim 8 , wherein the boundary of the roadway is defined by a plurality of the stationary-objects arranged in a string parallel to and outside the travel-lane.

10. The method in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the stationary-objects include guard-rails, sign-posts, fencing, power-poles, lamp-posts, and distance-markers.

11. The method in accordance with claim 8 , wherein the radar-sensor is a two-dimensional radar-sensor.

12. The method in accordance with claim 8 , wherein the overpass crosses the roadway at an angle perpendicular to the roadway.

13. The method in accordance with claim 8 , wherein the overpass crosses the roadway at an obtuse angle.

14. The method in accordance with claim 8 , wherein the other-vehicle is a combination truck and trailer.

15. An object-detection system comprising:

a camera;

a radar-sensor; and

a controller in communication with the camera and the radar-sensor, wherein the controller determines that a collection of targets is an overpass when a line defined by the collection of targets extends beyond a boundary of a roadway, and determines that a stationary impediment exists when the line overlays a portion of a travel-lane and does not extend beyond the boundary of the roadway, wherein the stationary impediment is an other-vehicle.