Vehicle-mounted device and vehicle-mounted ranging system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10139491-B2
Application number	US-201514843331-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2015
Priority date	Sep 4, 2014
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle-mounted device includes an interference determination unit and a sensor control unit. The interference determination unit determines whether an interference state where a first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor equipped to a first vehicle may receive a second transmission wave transmitted from a second electromagnetic wave sensor equipped to a second vehicle is present, based on transmission time frame information received by a first wireless communication device equipped to the first vehicle, and reception duration information indicating a reception duration during which a first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor equipped to the first vehicle may receive a first reflected wave. The sensor control unit controls transmission timing for transmitting the first transmission wave from the first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor and a reception duration, and changes the transmission timing and the reception duration to avoid the interference state, when the interference determination unit determines that the interference state is present.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle-mounted device mounted on a first vehicle, the first vehicle including: a first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor that successively transmits a first transmission wave as an electromagnetic wave, receives a first reflected wave produced when the first transmission wave is reflected off an object, and measures a distance to the object based on information of the first transmission wave and the first reflected wave; and a first wireless communication device that receives transmission time frame information indicating a time frame when a second electromagnetic wave ranging sensor that is a ranging sensor mounted on a second vehicle and transmits a second transmission wave that may be received by the first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor transmits the second transmission wave, by wireless communication with a second wireless communication device mounted on the second vehicle,
the vehicle-mounted device comprising:
an interference determination unit that determines whether or not an interference state where the first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor may receive the second transmission wave is present, based on the transmission time frame information received by the first wireless communication device, and reception duration information indicating a reception duration during which the first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor may receive the first reflected wave; and
a sensor control unit that controls transmission timing for transmitting the first transmission wave from the first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor and the reception duration, and changes the transmission timing and the reception duration so as to avoid the interference state, when the interference determination unit determines that the interference state is present, wherein
the first wireless communication device is adapted to receive a ranging end signal indicating an end of distance measurement in which the second electromagnetic wave ranging sensor transmits the second transmission wave, by communication with the second wireless communication device, and
the sensor control unit suspends transmission of the first transmission wave and reception of the first reflected wave, when the interference determination unit determines that the interference state is present, and resumes the transmission of the first transmission wave and the reception of the first reflected wave after the first wireless communication device receives the ranging end signal.

2. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1 , wherein
the transmission time frame information is transmission pattern information indicating a pattern of an interval to transmit the second transmission wave, and
the interference determination unit uses a pattern of an interval of the reception duration as the reception duration information, and determines whether or not the interference state is present, based on the transmission pattern information and the pattern of the interval of the reception duration.

3. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1 , wherein
the transmission time frame information is transmission time information indicating a time to transmit the second transmission wave, and
the interference determination unit uses a start time and an end time of the reception duration as the reception duration information, and determines whether or not the interference state is present, based on the transmission pattern information and the start time and the end time of the reception duration.

4. A vehicle-mounted device mounted on a first vehicle, the first vehicle including: a first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor that successively transmits a first transmission wave as an electromagnetic wave, receives a first reflected wave produced when the first transmission wave is reflected off an object, and measures a distance to the object based on information of the first transmission wave and the first reflected wave; and a first wireless communication device that receives transmission time frame information indicating a time frame when a second electromagnetic wave ranging sensor that is a ranging sensor mounted on a second vehicle and transmits a second transmission wave that may be received by the first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor transmits the second transmission wave, by wireless communication with a second wireless communication device mounted on the second vehicle,
the vehicle-mounted device comprising:
an interference determination unit that determines whether or not an interference state where the first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor may receive the second transmission wave is present, based on the transmission time frame information received by the first wireless communication device, and reception duration information indicating a reception duration during which the first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor may receive the first reflected wave; and
a sensor control unit that controls transmission timing for transmitting the first transmission wave from the first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor and the reception duration, and changes the transmission timing and the reception duration so as to avoid the interference state, when the interference determination unit determines that the interference state is present, wherein
the first vehicle includes a different-method ranging sensor that measures the distance to the object by a different method from the first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor, and
the sensor control unit uses the different-method ranging sensor to measure the distance to the object, when the interference determination unit determines that the interference state is present.

5. A vehicle-mounted ranging system to be mounted on a first vehicle, comprising:
a first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor that successively transmits a first transmission wave as an electromagnetic wave, receives a first reflected wave produced when the first transmission wave is reflected off an object, and measures a distance to the object based on information of the first transmission wave and the first reflected wave;
a first wireless communication device that receives transmission time frame information indicating a time frame when a second electromagnetic wave ranging sensor that is a ranging sensor mounted on a second vehicle and transmits a second transmission wave that may be received by the first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor transmits the second transmission wave, by wireless communication with a second wireless communication device mounted on the second vehicle; and
a vehicle-mounted device that includes:
an interference determination unit that determines whether or not an interference state where the first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor may receive the second transmission wave is present, based on the transmission time frame information received by the first wireless communication device, and reception duration information indicating a reception duration during which the first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor may receive the first reflected wave; and
a sensor control unit that controls transmission timing for transmitting the first transmission wave from the first electromagnetic wave ranging sensor and the reception duration, and changes the transmission timing and the reception duration so as to avoid the interference state, when the interference determination unit determines that the interference state is present, wherein

the first wireless communication device is adapted to receive a ranging end signal indicating an end of distance measurement in which the second electromagnetic wave ranging sensor transmits the second transmission wave, by communication with the second wireless communication device, and
the sensor control unit suspends transmission of the first transmission wave and reception of the

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Takasuka Naohito
• Funabashi Junichiro

Classifications

• G01S7/4804 Primary

  Auxiliary means for detecting or identifying lidar signals or the like, e.g. laser illuminators · CPC title

• G01S17/26 Primary

  wherein the transmitted pulses use a frequency-modulated or phase-modulated carrier wave, e.g. for pulse compression of received signals · CPC title

• G01S7/487

  Extracting wanted echo signals {, e.g. pulse detection} · CPC title

• G01S17/102 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic