Method and apparatus for detecting vehicle running in blind spot, and method and apparatus for giving warning in changing cruising lane

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9589470-B2
Application number	US-201314028826-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2013
Priority date	Sep 18, 2012
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus for detecting a vehicle running in a blind spot detects, with a predetermined accuracy, a first target position of a target which is present in a first detection area that extends obliquely rearward of the vehicle, detects, with an accuracy lower than the predetermined accuracy, a second target position related to a target which is present in a second detection area adjacent to the first detection area; calculates a first estimated position that corresponds to a subsequent position of the target that has been detected by the detection section as the first target position; and adopts the first estimated position as a position of the target when the first estimated position is included in a predetermined range centering on the second target position, adopts the second target position as a position of the target when the first estimated position is outside the predetermined range.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle detection apparatus comprising:
a detection section of the vehicle detection apparatus which is mounted to a vehicle and detects, with a predetermined accuracy, a first target position of a target when the target is present in a first detection area that extends obliquely rearward of the vehicle, and also detects, with an accuracy lower than the predetermined accuracy, a second target position of the target when the target is present in a second detection area different from and immediately adjacent to the first detection area, the adjacent first and second detection areas being simultaneously set and used; and
a controller comprising:
an estimation section which is mounted to the vehicle and calculates a first estimated position based on the detected first target position, the first estimated position corresponding to a first subsequent position of the target; and
a determination section which is mounted to the vehicle and adopts the first estimated position as a position of the target when the first estimated position is included in a predetermined range centering on the second target position, and adopts the second target position as the position of the target when the first estimated position is outside the predetermined range; wherein
the second detection area is configured as a range in which a desired detection accuracy is ensured;
the second target position and the first estimated position have a degree of error compared to an actual position of the target;
the degree of error of the first estimated position becomes larger in proportion to the time elapsed from a start of the estimation;
the degree of error of the second target position is constant, irrespective of the time elapsed from the start of the estimation but is larger than the degree of error of the first estimated position before expiration of a predetermined time from the start of the estimation;
when the first estimated position is included in the predetermined range centering on the second target position, the first estimated position has a first degree of error and the first estimated position is adopted as the position of the target;
when the first estimated position is outside the predetermined range, the second target position has a second degree of error larger than the first degree of error and the second target position is adopted as the position of the target.

2. The vehicle detection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the determination section, when the detection section has detected the target's potion in the second detection area and the first estimated position is not available, adopts the second target's position as the position of the target.

3. The vehicle detection apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the determination section, even though the determination section could not detect the target in the first detection area and the second detection area, when the first estimated position is available, adopts the first estimated position as the position of the target.

4. The vehicle detection apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the estimation section further calculates a second estimated position based on the detected second target position, the second estimated position corresponding to a second subsequent position of the target detected by the detection section, based on the detected second target position; and
the determination section, when the first estimated position cannot be available, adopts the second estimated position as the position of the target.

5. The vehicle detection apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the detection section detects a plurality of sampling points which belong to the target; and
the apparatus further comprises a calculation section which is mounted to the vehicle and calculates the target's representable position on the basis of the sampling points previously acquired by the detection section.

6. A warning apparatus comprising:
a vehicle detection apparatus comprising:
a detection section of the vehicle detection apparatus which is mounted to a vehicle and detects, with a predetermined accuracy, a first target position of a target when the target is present in a first detection area that extends obliquely rearward of the vehicle, and also detects, with an accuracy lower than the predetermined accuracy, a second target of the target when the target is present in a second detection area different from and immediately adjacent to the first detection area, the adjacent first and second detection areas being simultaneously set and used; and
a controller comprising:
an estimation section which is mounted to the vehicle and calculates a first estimated position based on the detected first target position, the first estimated position corresponding to a first subsequent position of the target; and
a determination section which is mounted to the vehicle and adopts the first estimated position as a position of the target when the first estimated position is included in a predetermined range centering on the second target position, and adopts the second target position as the position of the target when the first estimated position is outside the predetermined range,

a judgment section which is mounted to the vehicle and judges whether or not information adopted by the determination section meets a warning condition; and
a warning section which is mounted to the vehicle and generates an alarm in a case where the judgment section has judged that the warning condition is satisfied;

wherein
the second detection area is configured as a range in which a desired detection accuracy is ensured;
the second target position and the first estimated position have a degree of error compared to an actual position of the target;
the degree of error of the first estimated position becomes larger in proportion to the time elapsed from a start of the estimation;
the degree of error of the second target position is constant, irrespective of the time elapsed from the start of the estimation but is larger than the degree of error of the first estimated position before expiration of a predetermined time from the start of the estimation;
when the first estimated position is included in the predetermined range centering on the second target position, the first estimated position has a first degree of error and the first estimated position is adopted as the position of the target;
when the first estimated position is outside the predetermined range, the second target position has a second degree of error larger than the first degree of error and the second target position is adopted as the position of the target.

7. The warning apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the alarm is performed by any one of sound, light or vibration, or combination thereof.

8. A vehicle detection method comprising:
detecting, by a detection section of a vehicle detection apparatus mounted to a vehicle, with a predetermined accuracy, a first target position of a target when the target is present in a first detection area that extends obliquely rearward of the vehicle;
detecting, by the detection section, with an accuracy lower than the predetermined accuracy, a second target position of the target when the target is present in a second detection area different from and immediately adjacent to the first detection area, the adjacent first and second detection areas being simultaneously set and used;
calculating, by an estimation section of a controller mounted to the vehicle, as a first estimated position based on the detected first target position, the first estimated position corresponding to a first subsequent position of the target;
adopting, by a determination section of the controller mounted to

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Kuwabara Tatsuru

Classifications

• G08G1/167 Primary

  Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection · CPC title