JP2003107154A - On-vehicle radar device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle radar device capable of reliably capturing a preceding vehicle to be followed even on a road having continuous corners curving in different directions. SOLUTION: A corner radius estimation part 5 estimates a running locus radius of a vehicle with the device at predetermined intervals based on, for example the running speed of the vehicle obtained from a speed sensor 11 and information concerning yaw rate of the vehicle obtained by a yaw rate sensor 12. The radiuses estimated during a past given period is held in a corner information storage part 6. A corner passing area determination part 7 determines which portion of a corner the vehicle is running in based on changes in history of estimated running locus radium held in the corner information storage part 6. In contrast, based on the result of corner running determination by the corner passing area determination part 7 and information concerning the distance from the preceding vehicle to be followed, a detection area modification part 8 determines the size of an object detection area. When there exists an object moving within the size-determined object detection area, a distance measurement part 4 continuously recognizes the object as a preceding vehicle to be followed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an on-vehicle radar device mounted on a vehicle, and more particularly to an on-vehicle radar device for detecting an object existing around the vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a radar device which emits an electromagnetic wave (radar wave) in front of a vehicle is provided, and the electromagnetic wave is used to capture a vehicle (following preceding vehicle) traveling immediately in front of the vehicle. There has been proposed a vehicle control device that maintains a constant vehicle distance. As a method of recognizing a following vehicle in this device, for example, the traveling locus area of the own vehicle is estimated from the speed, yaw rate, and steering angle information of the own vehicle, and the vehicle is present in the traveling locus area and travels at the shortest distance. A method of recognizing a preceding vehicle as a following preceding vehicle has been considered. Further, a radar device for capturing a preceding vehicle has been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-134036 for the purpose of ensuring a safe inter-vehicle distance and performing automatic follow-up traveling control by such a vehicle control device. There is something. In this device, the difference between the steering angle of the preceding vehicle and the steering angle of the own vehicle obtained by the communication means is calculated, and if the difference between the steering angles is equal to or more than a predetermined value and the own vehicle is not traveling in the corner, Based on the steering angle of the running vehicle, the radar device is turned to direct the electromagnetic waves toward the preceding vehicle to capture the preceding vehicle. If so, the radar device is rotated based on the steering angle of the host vehicle to capture the preceding vehicle.
According to this, when the preceding vehicle enters the corner first while the host vehicle is traveling on a straight road, the radar device is controlled to rotate based on the steering angle of the preceding vehicle, and the host vehicle turns the corner. If the preceding vehicle escapes from the corner while traveling, the control of the rotation of the radar device based on the steering angle of the host vehicle can reliably capture the preceding vehicle.

[0003]

However, in the conventional vehicle-mounted radar device as described above, the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle equipped with the vehicle-mounted radar device are constituted by a straight road and a simple corner. When traveling on a road, it is possible to catch the preceding vehicle, but on a road where corners that turn in different directions are continuous (for example, an S-shaped corner), there is a possibility that the preceding vehicle may be lost at the change point of that corner. was there. That is, at the corner change point, the direction of the corner where the own vehicle and the following vehicle ahead run differs, and as a result, the operation of losing or re-detecting the following preceding vehicle is repeated There is a possibility that hunting may occur in securing a safe inter-vehicle distance and automatic follow-up traveling control by the vehicle control device. Therefore, in order not to lose sight of the preceding vehicle at the corner change point of the S-shaped corner, the traveling locus area of the host vehicle is simply expanded, and the preceding vehicle traveling at the shortest distance is present in the traveling locus area. Although it can be controlled so that it can be recognized as a following vehicle, the preceding vehicle can be captured at the corner change point of the S-shaped corner, but the following vehicle leaves the lane in which the vehicle is traveling on a straight road. Therefore, there is a problem that the timing for canceling the acquisition of the preceding vehicle as the following preceding vehicle is delayed when the vehicle moves to an adjacent lane.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a vehicle-mounted radar device capable of reliably capturing a following vehicle in front even on a road where corners that turn in different directions are continuous. With the goal.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an on-vehicle radar device according to the invention of claim 1 is a transmitting means for transmitting an electromagnetic wave to a predetermined area (for example, transmitting section 2 of the embodiment). And a receiving unit that receives a reflected wave generated by the electromagnetic wave transmitted from the transmitting unit being reflected by an object existing in an object detection area provided in the predetermined area (for example, the receiving unit of the embodiment). 3)
And a distance measuring unit (for example, the distance measuring unit 4 of the embodiment) that measures the distance from the reflected wave received by the receiving unit to the object, and is mounted on a vehicle and is used as an in-vehicle radar. In the apparatus, the corner radius estimating means (for example, the corner radius estimating section 5 of the embodiment) for estimating the curving direction and the corner radius of the traveling path on which the vehicle is traveling at predetermined intervals, and the corner radius estimating means. From the change of the history of the information stored in the corner information storage unit (for example, the corner information storage unit 6 of the embodiment) that stores information about the curving direction and the corner radius of the traveling path, Corner passing area determining means for determining the traveling position in the corner of the vehicle (for example, the corner passing area determining unit 7 of the embodiment) And a detection area changing unit that changes the object detection area when the corner passing area determining unit determines that the vehicle is traveling near the corner end point (for example, the detection area changing unit 8 in the embodiment). ) And are provided.

With the above-described structure, in the on-vehicle radar device, the corner passage area determining means determines that the vehicle is turning at the corner based on the change in the bending direction and the corner radius of the traveling path estimated by the corner radius estimating means at every predetermined time. Determine which position you are traveling. When it is determined that the vehicle is traveling near the corner end point, the detection area changing unit changes the object detection area provided in the predetermined area where the electromagnetic waves are transmitted. Therefore,
The in-vehicle radar device can change the object detection area at the corner end point in preparation for the road ahead.

A vehicle-mounted radar device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the vehicle-mounted radar device according to the first aspect.
It is characterized in that the detection area changing means expands the object detection area in a direction opposite to the curving direction of the traveling path estimated by the corner radius estimating means. With the above configuration, the on-vehicle radar device expands the object detection area at the corner end point in the curving direction opposite to the direction in which the vehicle is currently traveling, and detects the object in the direction of the road ahead. It becomes possible to do.

A vehicle-mounted radar device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the vehicle-mounted radar device according to the second aspect.
The detection area changing unit changes the enlargement amount of the object detection area according to the value of the corner radius of the traveling path estimated by the corner radius estimating unit. With the above configuration, the in-vehicle radar device is compatible with a plurality of corners having different corner radii, and by changing the size of the object detection area according to the value of the corner radii, at any corner end point. ,
It is possible to appropriately expand the object detection area in the curving direction opposite to the direction in which the vehicle is currently traveling.

A vehicle-mounted radar device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle-mounted radar device according to the second or third aspect, wherein the detection area changing means is measured by the distance measuring means. It is characterized in that the enlargement amount of the object detection area is changed according to the distance to the object. With the above configuration, the in-vehicle radar device estimates the distance of the object in the direction of the road ahead of the corner end point based on the distance between the object and the vehicle currently measured by the distance measuring means. It is possible to change the expansion amount of the object detection area by the detection area changing means.

An on-vehicle radar device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the on-vehicle radar device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the corner radius estimating means is
A traveling speed of the vehicle acquired from a speed sensor (for example, the speed sensor 11 according to the embodiment) mounted on the vehicle,
It is characterized in that a bending direction and a corner radius of the traveling road are estimated by using a yaw rate of the vehicle acquired from a yaw rate sensor (for example, the yaw rate sensor 12 of the embodiment) mounted on the vehicle. With the above configuration, the in-vehicle radar device can accurately determine the traveling state of the vehicle directly from the speed and yaw rate of the vehicle, and estimate the bending direction and the corner radius of the traveling path on which the vehicle travels.

An on-vehicle radar device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the on-vehicle radar device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the corner radius estimating means comprises:
Based on a steering angle signal of the vehicle acquired from a steering angle sensor (for example, the steering angle sensor 13 of the embodiment) mounted on the vehicle, a bending direction and a corner radius of the traveling road are estimated. . With the above configuration, the on-vehicle radar device can accurately determine the traveling state of the vehicle directly from the magnitude of the steering angle of the vehicle and estimate the bending direction and the corner radius of the traveling path on which the vehicle travels. .

An on-vehicle radar device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the on-vehicle radar device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the corner radius estimating means is
A current position detecting means (for example, navigation of the embodiment) mounted on the vehicle to detect the current position of the vehicle by including map information storage means (for example, the map information database 14a of the embodiment) that stores map information. Device 1
From 4), the position information of the vehicle and the map information of the traveling road are acquired, and the bending direction and the corner radius of the traveling road are estimated. With the above configuration, the vehicle-mounted radar device can directly acquire the bend direction and the corner radius of the traveling road described in the map information of the traveling road on which the vehicle is traveling.

An on-vehicle radar device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the on-vehicle radar device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the on-vehicle radar device is mounted on the vehicle to capture an image of the surroundings of the vehicle. A traveling road detecting means for detecting the traveling road from an image acquired by the image capturing means (for example, the CCD camera 15 of the embodiment), and the corner radius estimating means converts the signal acquired from the traveling road detecting means. Based on the above, the bending direction and the corner radius of the traveling road are estimated. With the above configuration, the in-vehicle radar device directly acquires the information of the traveling path of the vehicle as an image, and from the information of the traveling path shown in the image,
It is possible to estimate the curving direction and the corner radius of the traveling path on which the vehicle travels.

An on-vehicle radar device according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle-mounted radar device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, further comprising a traveling locus estimating means for estimating a traveling locus of the vehicle, The detection area changing means,
The object detection area is changed based on the traveling locus estimated by the traveling locus estimating means. With the above configuration, the in-vehicle radar device determines which position of the corner the vehicle is traveling from the traveling locus of the vehicle, and at the same time, it is estimated from the traveling locus of the vehicle and the direction of the curve of the traveling road on which the vehicle travels. It is possible to change the object detection area based on the corner radius.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An on-vehicle radar device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, the in-vehicle radar device 1 according to the present embodiment is
A transmitting unit 2 that transmits the electromagnetic wave of the radar to a predetermined area in order to detect an object existing around the vehicle, and a transmitting unit 2
The receiving unit 3 which receives the reflected wave generated by the electromagnetic wave transmitted from the object being reflected by the object, and the object detection area is set within the arrival range (radar reaching area) of the electromagnetic wave transmitted by the transmitting unit 2, and the transmitting unit When the electromagnetic wave transmitted from 2 is received by the receiving unit 3 as a reflected wave reflected by an object existing in the object detection area, a distance measuring unit that measures the distance between the vehicle and the object from the time difference. It is equipped with 4. FIG. 2 shows the relationship between the radar arrival area 20 transmitted by the transmission unit 2 and the object detection area 21 set in the radar arrival area 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the object detection area 21 is an area set within the radar arrival area 20, and a vehicle 50 equipped with the in-vehicle radar device 1 of the present embodiment up to the distance reached by the radar.
Areas having a width of W on both sides, with the center line along the traveling direction of 1 as the target axis.

Further, the on-vehicle radar device 1 estimates the curving direction and the corner radius of the road on which the vehicle 50 is currently traveling by the corner radius estimating section 5 and the corner radius estimating section 5 which estimate the curve radius at every predetermined time. A corner information storage unit 6 for storing the curving direction and the corner radius of the traveled road,
A corner passage area determination unit 7 that determines a corner passage area of the vehicle 50 based on changes in the curving direction of the traveling path and the history of the corner radius stored in the corner information storage unit 6;
A detection area changing unit 8 that changes the object detection area set by the distance measuring unit 4 when the corner passing area determination unit 7 determines that the vehicle 50 is traveling near the corner end point is provided. Further, the on-vehicle radar device 1 includes a traveling locus estimation unit 9 that estimates a traveling locus of the vehicle 50 from changes in the history of the bending direction of the traveling road and the corner radius stored in the corner information storage unit 6, and the vehicle 50. The vehicle includes a traveling road detection unit 10 that detects a traveling road on which the vehicle 50 travels from the surrounding image and analyzes the traveling road.

Further, the corner radius estimating section 5 is mounted on the vehicle 50 for measuring and outputting the traveling speed of the vehicle 50 necessary for estimating the corner radius,
And also the vehicle 5 needed to estimate the corner radius
A yaw rate sensor 12 mounted on the vehicle 50 that measures and outputs a yaw rate of 0 and a steering angle sensor 13 mounted on the vehicle 50 that measures and outputs the steering angle of the steering of the vehicle 50 are connected. Furthermore, the corner radius estimation unit 5 is connected to a navigation device 14 equipped with a map information database 14a that stores map information and mounted on the vehicle 50 to detect the current position of the vehicle 50. In addition, the traveling road detecting unit 10 includes the traveling road detecting unit 1
In order to supply an image of the traveling path on which the vehicle 50 travels to 0, an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 50 is taken and a CCD camera 15 mounted on the vehicle 50 is connected.

Next, the operation of the vehicle-mounted radar device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the on-vehicle radar device 1. In FIG. 3, first, the corner radius estimation unit 5 receives the vehicle 5 obtained from, for example, the speed sensor 11 at predetermined time intervals.
From the traveling speed of 0 and the yaw rate information of the vehicle 50 acquired from the yaw rate sensor 12, the traveling locus radius of the vehicle 50 (own vehicle) traveling on the traveling road is estimated (step S
1), the information is stored in the corner information storage unit 6 and the past fixed time is held (step S2). Next, the corner passage area determination unit 7 determines from the change in the history of the estimated traveling locus radius stored in the corner information storage unit 6 that the vehicle 50 is traveling in the corner, or if it is traveling further in the corner. It is determined which part of the corner is running (step S3).

In order to estimate the traveling locus radius in step S1, the vehicle 5 acquired from the speed sensor 11 is used.
In addition to the travel speed of 0, the yaw rate of the vehicle 50 acquired from the yaw rate sensor 12, the steering angle of the steering of the vehicle 50 acquired from the steering angle sensor 13, and the map of the traveling path on which the vehicle 50 acquired from the navigation device 14 travels. Information or vehicle 50 taken by CCD camera 15
The information such as the result of analyzing the image of the traveling road on which the vehicle travels by the traveling road detecting unit 10 may be used alone or in combination.

On the other hand, when the corner traveling judgment result by the corner passing area judging unit 7 is obtained, the detection area changing unit is based on the judgment result and the distance information if the preceding vehicle has been recognized by then. 8 determines the size of the object detection area 21 (step S4). And the distance measuring unit 4
However, as a result of detecting the object according to the determined size of the object detection area 21, the moving object is detected as the object detection area 2
If it exists within 1, the vehicle is continuously recognized as a following vehicle in advance, or is recognized as a new following vehicle in advance, and the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle is measured. If no object is detected in the object detection area 21, the distance measurement unit 4 cancels the designation of the vehicle following the vehicle ahead (step S5).

Next, the details of the own vehicle corner state determination processing in step S3 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing details of the own vehicle corner state determination processing in step S3 described above. Here, the own vehicle corner state determination value is set to three states of "non-corner state", "in corner turning", and "state before and after exiting corner". The initial value is set to the non-corner state, and the previous state value is always held. In FIG. 4, first, the corner passage area determination unit 7 determines the previous corner state determination value (corn).
erZ1) is checked (step S11). next,
It is determined whether or not the previous corner state determination value (cornerZ1) is the non-corner state (= 0) (step S1).
2). In step S12, when the previous corner condition determination value (cornerZ1) is the non-corner condition (= 0) (YES in step S12), the vehicle 50 is traveling in a corner having a radius equal to or less than a predetermined value for a predetermined time or more. It is determined whether or not (step S13).

In step S13, if the vehicle 50 is traveling in a corner having a radius equal to or less than a predetermined value for a predetermined time or longer (YES in step S13), it is determined that the vehicle is cornering, and the present determination value is "1". (Corner = 1:
(While driving in a corner) (step S14). Further, the information on the bending direction and the size (radius) of this traveling path is held (step S15). Then, the present judgment value is saved (cornerZ1 = corner) (step S1).
6) Then, the own vehicle corner state determination process is ended. Also,
In step S13, when the vehicle 50 is not traveling in a corner having a radius equal to or less than the predetermined value for a predetermined time or longer (NO in step S13), the previous determination value is held as it is (corner = cornerZ1) (step S1).
7) Then, the process proceeds to step S16, and the present judgment value is saved (cornerZ1 = corner) (step S1).
6) Then, the own vehicle corner state determination process is ended.

On the other hand, in step S12, when the previous corner state determination value (cornerZ1) is not the non-corner state (= 0) (NO in step S12),
It is determined whether or not the previous corner state determination value (cornerZ1) is during cornering (= 1) (step S1).
8). In step S18, when the previous corner state determination value (cornerZ1) is cornering (= 1) (YES in step S18), the vehicle 50 is traveling in a corner having a radius equal to or greater than a predetermined value for a predetermined time or more. It is determined whether or not (step S19).

In step S19, if the vehicle 50 has been traveling in a corner having a radius equal to or greater than a predetermined value for a predetermined time or longer (YES in step S19), it is determined that the vehicle is traveling near the corner end point, and the present determination value is determined. To "2" (co
rner = 2: before exiting the corner. The state after the escape) is set (step S20). Then, the process proceeds to step S16,
This time the judgment value is saved (cornerZ1 = corn
er) (step S16), the own vehicle corner state determination process ends. In step S19, the vehicle 5
When 0 is not traveling in a corner having a radius equal to or larger than a predetermined value for a predetermined time or longer (NO in step S19), the previous determination value is held as it is (corner = corner).
Z1) (step S21), the process proceeds to step S16, and the present judgment value is saved (cornerZ1 = corne).
r) (step S16), the own vehicle corner state determination process ends.

Furthermore, in step S18, when the previous corner state determination value (cornerZ1) is not during cornering (= 1) (NO in step S18),
It is determined whether or not the vehicle 50 maintains the state before and after exiting the corner for a predetermined time or more (step S22). In step S22, when the vehicle 50 maintains the state before and after exiting the corner for a predetermined time or more (step S22).
22 YES), it is determined that the vehicle is traveling in a non-corner, and the determination value is “0” this time (corner = 0: traveling in a non-corner)
(Step S23). Then, the process proceeds to step S16, and the present judgment value is saved (cornerZ1 = c
owner) (step S16), the own vehicle corner state determination processing is ended. Also, in step S22,
When the vehicle 50 has not maintained the state before and after exiting the corner for a predetermined time or longer (NO in step S22), the previous determination value is held as it is (corner = cornerZ
1) (step S24), the process proceeds to step S16, the present judgment value is saved (cornerZ1 = corne).
r) (step S16), the own vehicle corner state determination process ends.

Next, the details of the object detection area determination processing in step S4 shown in FIG. 3 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing details of the object detection area determination processing in step S4 shown in FIG. First, the detection area changing unit 8 determines whether the vehicle 50 is traveling near the corner end point based on the corner traveling determination result by the corner passage area determining unit 7 (step S41). Step S
In 41, when the vehicle 50 is traveling near the corner end point (YES in step S41), the turning direction element K of the corner (running road) is determined from the information on the corner stored in the corner information storage unit 6. Yes (step S42). Next, the corner size element and the radius R are determined from the corner information stored in the corner information storage unit 6 (step S43). Further, the distance element M from the preceding vehicle is determined based on the information from the distance measuring unit 4 (step S44).

Then, the enlargement ratio (Z) of the object detection area is determined by the corner bending direction element K, the corner size element radius R, and the distance element M from the preceding vehicle (step S45). When the enlargement ratio (Z) of the object detection area is obtained, the object detection area is finally determined by reflecting the object detection area enlargement ratio (Z) on the basic object detection area (step S46). On the other hand, when the vehicle 50 is not traveling near the corner end point in step S41 (NO in step S41), the enlargement ratio Z of the object detection area is set to Z = 1 (step S47), and step S4 is performed.
6, the object detection area is finally determined by reflecting the object detection area enlargement ratio Z = 1 on the basic object detection area.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the series of operations described above. In FIG. 6, when the vehicle 50 travels from a straight line to the S-shaped corner 51, it is assumed that the result of estimating the corner radius at the first point is R = 200 [m] (reference numeral 52). If the result of estimating the corner radius at the next point is R = 1000 [m] (reference numeral 53), the end point of the corner is reached by moving from the point where the corner radius is small to the point where the corner radius is large. It is determined by the corner passage area determination unit 7 that the vehicle is approaching. When the corner passing area determination unit 7 determines that the vehicle 50 is before and after exiting the corner, the object detection area 21 is moved to the side opposite to the curving direction of the traveling path on which the vehicle 50 travels rather than the basic area. The enlarged setting (reference numeral 54) is set.

For example, S from the left corner to the right corner
In the case of the character-shaped corner, when the vehicle following the trailing vehicle reaches the S-shaped corner switching point 55, the vehicle following the trailing vehicle deviates to the right in the traveling direction of the object detection area 21. Therefore, when it is determined that the vehicle 50 is traveling in the left corner and before and after exiting the corner, only the right side of the object detection area 21 is enlarged in order to recognize the following vehicle. As shown in FIG. 6, a trajectory prediction line 56 in which the vehicle 50 is traveling in the S-shaped corner 51 (trajectory traced by the center line along the traveling direction of the vehicle)
Change 57 in the object detection area 21 corresponding to
The right side of the object detection area 21 is enlarged only when is determined to be before exiting the corner and after exiting the corner. This allows S
At the character corner switching point 55, it becomes possible to recognize the following vehicle in front of the vehicle that is moving to the right of the object detection area 21. Further, when the vehicle 50 is traveling in the right corner, at the S-shaped corner switching point 55, in order to recognize the following vehicle in front of the vehicle, which is approaching to the left of the object detection area 21, You only have to enlarge the left side.

When the vehicle following the vehicle deviates from the object detection area in the vicinity of the S-shaped corner switching point 55, the way it deviates differs depending on the size of the corner radius and the distance from the vehicle following the vehicle. For example, the smaller the corner radius, the greater the distance that the preceding vehicle follows the object detection area, and the larger the corner radius, the smaller the distance the preceding vehicle follows the object detection area. On the other hand, the greater the distance to the following vehicle is, the greater the distance the preceding vehicle is outside the object detection area, and the smaller the distance to the following vehicle is the distance that the following vehicle is outside the object detection area. Becomes smaller.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b), when the corner radius is large, when the distance to the preceding vehicle is short, when the corner radius is small, or when the preceding vehicle is When the distance of is long, the magnification of the object detection area is changed, and when the corner radius is small or the distance to the vehicle in front of the follower is long, the larger object detection area is set to It becomes possible to easily capture the preceding vehicle.

As described above, the on-vehicle radar device 1 of the present embodiment determines that the vehicle 50 has reached the S-shaped corner switching point 55, and determines the traveling path along which the vehicle 50 travels in the object detection area. By enlarging the vehicle in the direction opposite to the curving direction, it becomes possible to easily capture the following vehicle in front. In addition, by changing the enlargement ratio of the object detection area according to the size of the corner radius and the distance to the following vehicle in front, it is possible to continue following without losing the vehicle in front. Become. Furthermore, by preventing the trailing preceding vehicle from being lost only at the corner switching point, it does not affect the timing of de-designation of the following preceding vehicle, which is in a trade-off relationship with this, and the preceding preceding vehicle once captured is not affected. You will be able to continue to follow without losing sight.

[0033]

As described above, according to the invention as set forth in claim 1, when the vehicle-mounted radar device determines that the vehicle is traveling near the corner end point by the corner passage area determination means, It is possible to change the object detection area provided in a predetermined area where electromagnetic waves are transmitted in preparation for the preceding traveling path, at the corner end point by the detection area changing means. Therefore, at the end point of the corner, it is possible to set the object detection area in the direction in which the preceding vehicle traveling on the traveling road ahead exists, and obtain the effect of being able to capture the preceding vehicle without losing sight of the preceding vehicle. To be

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the on-vehicle radar device can expand the object detection area at the corner end point in the bending direction opposite to the direction in which the vehicle is currently traveling. Become. Therefore, at the end point of the corner, the object detection area can be expanded in a direction in which there may be a preceding vehicle traveling on a traveling path that bends in a different direction ahead, and the object can be captured without losing the preceding vehicle. The effect is obtained.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the on-vehicle radar device corresponds to a plurality of corners having different corner radii, and changes the size of the object detection area according to the value of the corner radii. Is possible. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the effect that the vehicle in front can be captured without losing sight of the vehicle in front of the vehicle, regardless of the combination of corners.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the vehicle-mounted radar device detects the object by the detection area changing means at the corner end point based on the distance between the object and the vehicle currently measured by the distance measuring means. It is possible to change the expansion amount of the area. Therefore, at the end point of the corner, it is possible to appropriately expand the object detection area in the direction and distance in which the preceding vehicle traveling on the road ahead will be present and can be captured without losing the preceding vehicle. The effect is obtained.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the on-vehicle radar device directly determines the traveling state of the vehicle from the vehicle speed and yaw rate, and estimates the curving direction and the corner radius of the traveling path on which the vehicle travels. It becomes possible. Therefore, by estimating the curving direction and the corner radius of the traveling path on which the vehicle is traveling accurately from the traveling state of the vehicle directly, the probability of losing sight of the preceding vehicle can be reduced, and the preceding vehicle can be accurately captured. The effect is obtained.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the vehicle-mounted radar device directly determines the traveling state of the vehicle from the magnitude of the steering angle of the vehicle, and determines the bending direction and the corner radius of the traveling path on which the vehicle travels. It is possible to estimate. Therefore, by estimating the curving direction and the corner radius of the traveling path on which the vehicle is traveling accurately from the traveling state of the vehicle directly, the probability of losing sight of the preceding vehicle can be reduced, and the preceding vehicle can be accurately captured. The effect is obtained.

According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the in-vehicle radar device can directly obtain the bending direction and the corner radius of the traveling road described in the map information of the traveling road on which the vehicle is traveling. . Therefore, by obtaining the correct turning direction and the corner radius of the traveling path of the vehicle from the map information, it is possible to reduce the probability of losing the vehicle in front and keep the vehicle in front accurately. can get.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the vehicle-mounted radar device directly acquires the information of the traveling road on which the vehicle is traveling as an image, and the vehicle travels from the information of the traveling road reflected in the image. It is possible to estimate the bending direction and corner radius of the road. Therefore, by directly measuring the curving direction and the corner radius of the road on which the vehicle is traveling from the image in real time, the probability of losing the preceding vehicle can be reduced, and the effect of being able to accurately capture the preceding vehicle can be achieved. can get.

According to the ninth aspect of the invention, the on-vehicle radar device can change the object detection area by estimating the traveling locus of the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately set the object detection area according to the traveling locus of the vehicle, further reduce the probability of losing sight of the preceding vehicle, and continue to accurately capture the preceding vehicle.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle-mounted radar device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a relationship between a radar arrival area and an object detection area of the vehicle-mounted radar device according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the on-vehicle radar device according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a vehicle corner state determination processing operation of the vehicle-mounted radar device of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an object detection area determination processing operation of the vehicle-mounted radar device of the same embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the on-vehicle radar device according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an enlargement ratio of an object detection area of the vehicle-mounted radar device according to the same embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle-mounted radar device 2 Transmitter (transmitter) 3 Receiver (receiver) 4 Distance measurer (distance measurer) 5 Corner radius estimator (corner radius estimator) 6 Corner information memory (corner information memory) 7 Corner Passing Area Determining Unit (Corner Passing Area Determining Means) 8 Detection Area Changing Unit (Detecting Area Changing Means) 9 Running Trajectory Estimating Unit (Running Trajectory Estimating Means) 10 Running Road Detection Unit (Running Road Detection Means) 11 Speed Sensor 12 Yaw rate sensor 13 Rudder angle sensor 14 Navigation device (current position detection means) 14a Map information database (map information storage means) 15 CCD camera (imaging means)

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Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A transmitter that transmits an electromagnetic wave to a predetermined area, and an electromagnetic wave transmitted from the transmitter that is generated by being reflected by an object existing in an object detection area provided in the predetermined area. A vehicle-mounted radar device that is provided with a receiving unit that receives a reflected wave, and a distance measuring unit that measures a distance from the reflected wave received by the receiving unit to the object, and that is mounted on a vehicle and used. Corner radius estimating means for estimating the bending direction and the corner radius of the traveling road on which the vehicle travels at predetermined time intervals, and the corner information for storing the information regarding the bending direction and the corner radius of the traveling road estimated by the corner radius estimating means. From the change of the history of the information stored in the storage means and the corner information storage means, driving in the corner of the vehicle is performed. If the position and the corner passing area determining means for determining the vehicle by the corner passing area determining means is determined to be traveling in the vicinity of a corner end point,
An in-vehicle radar device, comprising: a detection area changing means for changing the object detection area. 2. The detection area changing means expands the object detection area in a direction opposite to a curving direction of the traveling path estimated by the corner radius estimating means. Automotive radar device. 3. The detection area changing unit changes the enlargement amount of the object detection area according to the value of the corner radius of the traveling path estimated by the corner radius estimating unit. The in-vehicle radar device according to 2. 4. The detection area changing means changes the enlargement amount of the object detection area according to the distance to the object measured by the distance measuring means, or The in-vehicle radar device according to claim 3. 5. The corner radius estimating means uses a traveling speed of the vehicle acquired from a speed sensor mounted on the vehicle and a yaw rate of the vehicle acquired from a yaw rate sensor mounted on the vehicle. The vehicle-mounted radar device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a bending direction and a corner radius of the traveling path are estimated. 6. The corner radius estimating means estimates a bending direction and a corner radius of the traveling path based on a steering angle signal of the vehicle acquired from a steering angle sensor mounted on the vehicle. The in-vehicle radar device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 7. The position of the vehicle is detected from the current position detecting means mounted on the vehicle to detect the current position of the vehicle, wherein the corner radius estimating means includes map information storing means for storing map information. 7. The in-vehicle radar device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-mounted radar device estimates the bending direction and the corner radius of the traveling road by acquiring information and map information of the traveling road. 8. A traveling road detecting means for detecting the traveling road from an image acquired by an imaging means mounted on the vehicle for capturing an image of the surroundings of the vehicle, wherein the corner radius estimating means comprises: The vehicle-mounted radar device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a bending direction and a corner radius of the traveling road are estimated based on a signal acquired from the traveling road detecting means. 9. A traveling locus estimating means for estimating a traveling locus of the vehicle, wherein the detection area changing means changes the object detection area based on the traveling locus estimated by the traveling locus estimating means. Is characterized by. The on-vehicle radar device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.