JP2009230611A - Object detector for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an object detector for a vehicle constituted so as to detect an object such as other vehicle with low reflectance of electromagnetic waves without preliminarily acquiring external world information. <P>SOLUTION: The object detector for the vehicle is provided with: an electromagnetic wave transmitting/receiving means consisting of a radar and a radar output processing ECU which transmit the electromagnetic waves around the self-vehicle (vehicle) and receive a reflected signal obtained by being reflected on the object, determines a type of the object based on a received result of the electromagnetic wave transmitting/receiving means (S10, S12), and when it is judged that the object is a disk wheel Wn of the vehicle (other vehicle), estimates length in the front and back direction of the vehicle, more specifically, a vehicle shape estimated value mgn1_1, 2, 3; mgn1_1, 2', 3; mgn1_1", 2", 3" based on the determined disk wheel Wn (S14-S32). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an object detection device for a vehicle, and more particularly to an apparatus that detects an obstacle such as a vehicle, that is, another vehicle around the vehicle.

It is often performed to detect an object that becomes an obstacle such as another vehicle by transmitting electromagnetic waves to the periphery of the own vehicle, and examples thereof include the technique described in Patent Document 1 below. The technique described in Patent Document 1 stores the position data of a fixed object in a monitoring area such as a railroad crossing, stores the position data of a moving object that has entered the area, and measures the distance from the position data of the fixed object. The scanning position in the monitoring area where the value is indicated is extracted, and the scanning position where no light is received is selected from the position data of the object that has entered the monitoring area corresponding to the scanning position for each extracted scanning position. Based on this, the position of an object having a low electromagnetic wave reflectance is detected.
JP 2007-1226025 A

  In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the position of an object that has entered the monitoring area such as a railroad crossing and has a low surface reflectance such as a glossy black or dark blue vehicle that has entered the monitoring area such as a railroad crossing. However, in order to do so, it is necessary to obtain external information about fixed objects such as fences existing in the railroad crossing in advance. When installed, the effect cannot be expected.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and provide a vehicle object detection device that detects an object such as another vehicle having a low electromagnetic wave reflectivity without acquiring external information in advance. There is.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned object, in claim 1, an electromagnetic wave transmitting / receiving means for transmitting an electromagnetic wave to the periphery of the own vehicle and receiving a reflection signal obtained by reflecting the object on an object, and an electromagnetic wave transmitting / receiving means An object determination unit that determines a type of the object based on a reception result; and a vehicle that estimates a longitudinal length of the vehicle based on the determined disk wheel when the object is determined to be a disk wheel of the vehicle. And a length estimation means.

  In the vehicle object detection device according to claim 2, when the object determination unit determines that the object is one disc wheel, the vehicle length estimation unit calculates the longitudinal length of the vehicle, It is configured to estimate the sum of a first predetermined distance extending in the front direction of the vehicle and a second predetermined distance extending in the rear direction around the determined disc wheel.

  In the vehicle object detection device according to claim 3, when the object determination unit determines that the object is at least one disc wheel and an object other than the disc wheel, the vehicle length estimation unit includes the determination. The disc wheel and the object that are made are parts of the same vehicle, and it is determined whether the determined disc wheel is the front wheel of the same vehicle. The sum of the first predetermined distance extending in the forward direction of the vehicle and the third predetermined distance extending in the rearward direction with the determined disc wheel as the center is estimated.

  In the vehicle object detection device according to claim 4, when the object determination unit determines that the object is at least two disc wheels, the vehicle length estimation unit includes the at least two disc wheels. When it is determined whether or not they are parts of the same vehicle and the result is affirmative, the longitudinal length of the vehicle is estimated based on the distance between the at least two disc wheels.

  In the vehicle object detection device according to claim 5, the object determination unit has a correlation value including at least one of the width, movement speed, and reflectance of the object obtained from the reception result of the electromagnetic wave transmission / reception unit. An object having a threshold value or more is determined to be a disc wheel, and the vehicle length estimating means determines that the distance between the disc wheels is a first distance when the object determining means determines that the object is at least two disc wheels. When the value is less than a predetermined value of 1, it is determined that it is a part of the same vehicle.

  In the vehicle object detection device according to claim 6, the vehicle length estimation means has a distance between the at least two disc wheels that is less than a second predetermined value that is smaller than the first predetermined value. Determining whether there is a third disc wheel in a range greater than the first predetermined value and less than a third predetermined value, and when affirmed, the at least two disc wheels and the third disc wheel The disc wheel is constructed so as to be judged as a part of the same vehicle.

  In the vehicle object detection device according to claim 7, the vehicle length estimation means has a distance between the at least two disc wheels that is less than a second predetermined value that is smaller than the first predetermined value. When it is determined whether a third disc wheel is present in a range greater than the first predetermined value and less than a third predetermined value, and if not, the distance between the at least two disc wheels is determined The third predetermined value is corrected.

  In the first aspect, when the object is determined to be a disc wheel of the vehicle based on the reception result of the electromagnetic wave transmission / reception means, the longitudinal length of the vehicle is estimated based on the determined disc wheel. Even if the vehicle has a low emission rate of electromagnetic waves and a black body, the length of the vehicle in the front-rear direction can be estimated based on the disc wheel. It is possible to reliably detect a vehicle that crosses. That is, since the disc wheel has a higher electromagnetic wave reflectance than the vehicle body, the vehicle (other vehicle) can be reliably detected by detecting the disc wheel.

  In the vehicle object detection device according to claim 2, when the object is determined to be one disc wheel, the length of the vehicle in the front-rear direction is determined with the determined one disc wheel as the center. Since the configuration is such that the sum of the first predetermined distance extending in the forward direction and the second predetermined distance extending in the rear direction is estimated, in addition to the effects described above, the disc wheel is that of the front wheel (front wheel) in the forward direction. Even if it is that of the rear wheel (rear wheel) in the rear direction, the longitudinal length of the vehicle can be estimated.

  In the vehicle object detection device according to claim 3, when the object is determined to be at least one disc wheel and the other object, they are parts of the same vehicle, and the disc wheel is the vehicle. A first predetermined distance extending in the front direction of the vehicle around the disc wheel and a third predetermined distance greater than the second predetermined distance extending in the rear direction. Since it is configured to be estimated as the total value, in addition to the above-described effects, it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the longitudinal length of the vehicle on the rear wheel side in the rear direction.

  In the vehicle object detection device according to claim 4, when the object is determined to be at least two disc wheels, it is determined whether the two disc wheels are parts of the same vehicle, and affirmative Since the configuration is such that the estimation is based on the distance between the two disc wheels (wheelbase length), in addition to the above-described effects, the estimation accuracy of the longitudinal length of the vehicle can be further increased.

  In the vehicle object detection device according to claim 5, an object having a correlation value composed of at least one of the width, the moving speed, and the reflectance of the object obtained from the reception result of the electromagnetic wave transmission / reception means is equal to or greater than a threshold value. When the object is determined to be a disc wheel and the distance between the disc wheels is less than a first predetermined value when the object is determined to be at least two disc wheels, it is determined to be a part of the same vehicle. Therefore, in addition to the above-described effects, by setting the first predetermined value to a value indicating the wheel base length of various vehicles, it is possible to accurately determine whether the two disc wheels are parts of the same vehicle. Therefore, the estimation accuracy of the longitudinal length of the vehicle can be increased.

  In the vehicle object detection device according to claim 6, when the distance between at least two disc wheels is less than the second predetermined value smaller than the first predetermined value, it is larger than the first predetermined value. It is determined whether or not the third disc wheel exists within a range less than the third predetermined value. When the result is affirmative, it is determined that the two disc wheels and the third disc wheel are parts of the same vehicle. In addition to the above-described effects, the second predetermined value is set to the rear side even in a vehicle having one front wheel (front wheel) and two rear wheels (rear wheels) like a truck. By setting it to a value that can determine the presence or absence of two rear wheels, and setting the third predetermined value to a value that can determine the presence or absence of a front wheel arranged at a position farther from the passenger car than the front rear side. Of the track Even vehicle Una can improve the estimation accuracy of the longitudinal direction length.

  In the vehicle object detection device according to claim 7, when the distance between at least two disc wheels is less than the second predetermined value smaller than the first predetermined value, it is larger than the first predetermined value. Since it is determined whether or not the third disc wheel is present within the range less than the third predetermined value, and if not, the distance between the two disc wheels is corrected to the third predetermined value. In addition to the effect described in claim 6, when the presence of the front wheel on the front side cannot be determined, it is assumed that the front wheel on the front side exists, and similarly, the length of the vehicle in the front-rear direction is estimated. The accuracy can be increased.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The best mode for carrying out a vehicle object detection device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view generally showing a vehicle object detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a host vehicle (vehicle, specifically a passenger car), and a four-cylinder internal combustion engine (shown as “ENG” in FIG. 1, hereinafter referred to as “engine”) 12 is mounted on the front side thereof. Is done. The output of the engine 12 is input to an automatic transmission (shown as “T / M” in FIG. 1) 14. The output of the engine 12 is appropriately shifted by the automatic transmission 14 and transmitted to the left and right front wheels (front wheels) 16, and the left and right rear wheels (rear wheels) 20 are driven while driving the left and right front wheels 16. The vehicle 10 is caused to travel.

  Both the front wheel 16 and the rear wheel 20 are composed of a rubber tire and a disc wheel for fixing the rubber tire to the host vehicle 10 made of metal such as steel, aluminum, and magnesium mounted near the center thereof.

  An alarm device 22 including an audio speaker and an indicator is provided in the driver's seat of the own vehicle 10, and the driver is warned by voice and vision. A brake pedal 24 disposed on the driver's seat floor of the host vehicle 10 has brakes (discs) mounted on the left and right front wheels 16 and rear wheels 20 via a master back 26, a master cylinder 30 and a brake hydraulic mechanism 32, respectively. Brake) 34.

  When the driver operates (depresses) the brake pedal 24, the depressing force (depressing force) is increased by the master back 26, and the master cylinder 30 generates a braking pressure with the increased depressing force, via the brake hydraulic mechanism 32. Then, the brakes 34 attached to the front wheel 16 and the rear wheel 20 are operated to decelerate (brake) the host vehicle 10. A brake switch 36 is disposed in the vicinity of the brake pedal 24 and outputs an ON signal when the driver operates the brake pedal 24.

  The brake hydraulic mechanism 32 includes an electromagnetic solenoid valve group inserted in an oil passage connected to a reservoir, a hydraulic pump, and an electric motor (all not shown) that drives the hydraulic pump. The electromagnetic solenoid valves are connected to an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 40 via a drive circuit (not shown), and thus the four brakes 34 are separated from the operation of the brake pedal 24 by the driver. The ECU 40 is also configured to operate independently of each other.

  A radar (laser scan radar) 42 is provided in front of the host vehicle 10. The radar 42 transmits laser light (electromagnetic wave (carrier wave)) at a predetermined interval toward the periphery of the host vehicle 10, more specifically, in the traveling direction, and the host vehicle 10 is crossed in front of the host vehicle 10 or a T-shaped road. An object (another vehicle) is detected by receiving a reflected wave obtained by reflecting a laser beam on an object such as a vehicle (another vehicle) approaching to cross the road. Reference numeral 42a indicates a detection area (scan range).

  The output of the radar 42 is sent to a radar output processing ECU (electronic control unit) 44 composed of a microcomputer. The radar output processing ECU 44 recognizes a line segment constituting the contour of the object based on an array of point clouds obtained by projecting the reflection points onto a two-dimensional plane, and determines an end point of the object based on the recognized line segment. Extract and detect the shape (length and width) and arrangement (height) of the object. Further, the orientation of the object is detected from the incident direction of the reflected wave to obtain two-dimensional information of the object, and the reflectance and the reflection intensity are calculated.

  The radar output processing ECU 44 measures the time from when the laser light is emitted until the reflected light at the extracted end point is received, calculates the relative distance (relative position) to the object, and further differentiates the relative distance. To find the relative speed with the object.

  The output of the radar output processing ECU 44 is sent to an ECU (electronic control unit) 40. Although illustration is omitted, the ECU 40 is constituted by a microcomputer including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an input / output circuit, and the like.

  A speed sensor 46 is disposed in the vicinity of the front wheel 16 and the rear wheel 20, and outputs a pulse signal for each predetermined rotation angle of each wheel. A steering angle sensor 52 is disposed in the vicinity of the steering wheel 50 provided in the driver's seat of the host vehicle 10 and generates an output proportional to the steering angle of the steering wheel 50 input by the driver. Further, a yaw rate sensor 56 is disposed near the center position of the host vehicle 10, and an output corresponding to the yaw rate (angular velocity) around the gravity axis of the host vehicle 10 is generated. The output of the sensor group described above is also sent to the ECU 40.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle object detection device shown in FIG. The illustrated program is executed in the ECU 40 every predetermined time, for example, every 100 msec.

  In the following, the output of the radar output processing ECU 44 that processes the output of the radar 42 is captured in S10. As described in the description of the radar 42, the present invention detects an object such as a vehicle (another vehicle) approaching the vehicle 10 so that it crosses the traveling path of the vehicle 10 at a cross road or T-shaped road ahead of the vehicle 10. This is the issue.

  Next, the process proceeds to S12, and the type of the detected object is determined from its shape (length and width), arrangement (height), and reflectance (or reflection intensity), and the process proceeds to S14, where the detected object is a disc wheel, Then, it is determined whether or not it is determined as a metal disc wheel to be attached to a rubber tire constituting the front wheel or the rear wheel. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the processing of FIG. 2, in which the widths of the disk wheels are indicated as L1 and L2.

  To explain this, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, by acquiring external information about a fixed object such as a fence existing in a crossing that is a monitoring area in advance, the surface is smooth and glossy black or dark blue. Although it is configured to accurately detect the position and shape of objects with low electromagnetic wave reflectivity, such as colored vehicles, there is a disadvantage that the effect cannot be expected when mounted on a vehicle moving anywhere . Therefore, the inventor made the present invention paying attention to the fact that the disc wheel has a higher reflectivity with respect to the radar light than the body of the vehicle 10.

  When the result in S14 is negative, the subsequent processing is skipped. When the result is affirmative, the process proceeds to S16, and it is determined whether or not the number of disc wheels determined is one. When the result is affirmative, the process proceeds to S18. It is determined whether an object other than a wheel (for example, a door handle; hereinafter referred to as “A”) is detected.

  When the result in S18 is negative, the program proceeds to S20, and more accurately, the vehicle shape estimation amount mgn1_1, 2, 3 is added to the detected disc wheel (referred to as “W1”) at the center thereof to determine the longitudinal length of the vehicle. Is estimated. mgn means a margin and is set to a relatively small value, for example, mgn1_1: 50 cm, mgn1_2: 50 cm. mgn1_3: Set to 1m.

  Referring to FIG. 3, when only one disc wheel is detected, as shown in FIG. 3 (1), it is unknown whether it is that of the front wheel of the vehicle (other vehicle) or that of the rear wheel. Therefore, as shown in the drawing, the longitudinal length of the vehicle (other vehicle) is determined by mgn1_1 (first predetermined distance) extending forward of the vehicle around the disc wheel W1 determined and mgn1_2 (second And the height is estimated to be mgn1_3.

  On the other hand, when it is affirmed in S18 and it is determined that the object A other than the disc wheel is detected, the process proceeds to S22, and the determined moving speed V1 of the disc wheel W1 and the moving speed V2 of the object A are the same, more precisely. It is determined whether or not the distance (distance) between the two is less than the threshold value L3.

  When the result in S22 is negative, W1 and A are determined as objects of different vehicles, and the process proceeds to S20. The threshold value L3 means the distance from the front wheel to the rear end of the vehicle, and is set to 3 m, for example.

  On the other hand, when the result in S22 is affirmative, the process proceeds to S24 to determine whether W1 can be determined as that of the front wheel. Specifically, this determination is made by determining whether or not the interval between W1 and A is equal to or greater than the rear overhang (distance from the rear wheel of the vehicle to the rear end of the vehicle). The disc wheel of the front wheel of the other vehicle is determined.

  That is, since it is determined that the moving speeds of W1 and A are the same in S22, it can be estimated that W1 and A are parts of the same vehicle. Further, the front-rear relationship in the traveling direction of W1 and A can also be determined by taking in the output of the radar output processing ECU 44 over time, and the interval between W1 and A is also determined to be less than the distance from the front wheel to the rear end of the vehicle. Has been.

  Accordingly, if the distance between W1 and A is equal to or greater than the rear overhang, in other words, if W1 is not the rear wheel and A is not the rear end portion of the vehicle, W1 is the front wheel disc. It can be determined as a wheel.

  When the result in S24 is negative, the process proceeds to S20. When the result is affirmative, the process proceeds to S26, and the vehicle shape estimation amount mgn1_1, 2 ', 3 is added to the detected disc wheel. In the estimated vehicle shape, mgn1_2 ′ is 2 m, and the remaining value is the same as that of S20.

  Referring to FIG. 3, as shown in (2), when the front wheel side can be determined, the longitudinal length of the vehicle (other vehicle) extends in the front direction of the vehicle to the determined disc wheel W1. The sum of mgn1_1 (first predetermined distance) and mgn1_2 ′ (third predetermined distance) extending in the rearward direction is estimated, and the height is estimated as mgn1_3.

  As apparent from (2) of FIG. 3, mgn1_2 '(third predetermined distance) extending in the rearward direction of the vehicle is larger than mgn1_2 (second predetermined distance). This is because, in the case of (2), W1 can be estimated as the front wheel, so that the longitudinal length of the vehicle can be determined more specifically.

  On the other hand, when the result of S16 is negative and the number of disc wheels determined is determined to be two or more, the routine proceeds to S28, where the disc wheel identity is judged.

  FIG. 4 is a sub-routine flowchart showing the processing.

  First, in S100, disk wheels having the same detection width or moving speed are grouped while taking into account the reflectance (or reflection intensity). As a result, at least two disc wheels including W1 and W2 are grouped.

  Specifically, the processing of S100 compares the correlation value consisting of at least one of the width, moving speed, and reflectance of the object with a threshold value, and determines that the object exceeding the threshold value is a disc wheel and performs grouping. means.

  Next, in S102, it is determined whether or not the interval (distance) between the disk wheels W1 and W2, more precisely, the interval (distance) between the centers of W1 and W2 is less than the first predetermined value L3a. As shown in (3) of FIG. 3, the first predetermined value L3a is set to the distance between the wheels of the four-wheeled vehicle, that is, the greatest common divisor of the wheel base length, for example, 2.5 m. There are four-wheeled vehicles ranging from mini vehicles to trucks, and the wheelbase length is not the same depending on the vehicle type, but the greatest common divisor value common to them is obtained and set to 2.5 m, for example.

  When the result in S102 is negative, the program proceeds to S104, where it is determined that the disc wheels W1 and W2 are from different vehicles.

  On the other hand, when the result in S102 is affirmative, the routine proceeds to S106, where it is determined whether or not the interval between W1 and W2 is less than a second predetermined value L4. That is, as shown in FIG. 3 (4), in the case of a large truck, the rear side may be provided with two rear wheels. The second predetermined value 14 is set to a value indicating the interval between the two rear wheels, more precisely the interval between the centers.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 4, if S106 is negative, in other words, if it is determined that W1 and W2 are not the two rear wheels on the rear side, the process proceeds to S108, and the disc wheels W1 and W2 are of the same vehicle. judge.

  On the other hand, when the result in S106 is affirmative, the process proceeds to S110, and it is determined whether or not the third disc wheel W3 other than W1 and W2 exists within the third predetermined value (distance) L5. Then, W1, W2, and W3 are determined for the same vehicle. As shown in (4) of FIG. 3, the third predetermined value L5 is set to a value corresponding to the wheelbase length of the front wheel of a large truck having two wheels on the rear side.

  Accordingly, when the result in S110 is affirmative, the program proceeds to S112, in which it is determined that the vehicle is a large truck as shown in (4) of FIG. 3, and that W1, W2, and W3 are all of the same vehicle.

  On the other hand, negative in S110, in other words, if the third disc wheel cannot be detected within the third predetermined value L5, the process proceeds to S114, W1 and W2 are determined to be of the same vehicle, and the wheel base is corrected.

  That is, the interval between W1 and W2 is less than the wheelbase length of the passenger car, but the third disc wheel is not detected on the front side, not for the two rear wheels continuous on the rear side. Is not a passenger car but a vehicle having a relatively long wheelbase length, such as a truck as shown in FIG. 3 (4), and corrects the wheelbase length. Specifically, instead of a passenger car, the wheelbase length of the truck It correct | amends so that it may replace with 3rd predetermined value L5 which shows.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 2, the process proceeds to S30, in which it is determined whether or not it is determined that at least two disc wheels belong to the same vehicle. In the flow chart of FIG. 4, the determination in S30 is affirmed except when the process proceeds to S104.

  When the result in S30 is affirmative (when the process proceeds to S108, S112, S114 in the flow chart of FIG. 4), the process proceeds to S32, where the wheelbase length is detected and detected as shown in (5) of FIG. A vehicle shape estimation amount mgn1_1 ″, 2 ″, 3 ″ corresponding to the wheelbase length is added. The vehicle shape estimation amounts mgn1_1 ″, 2 ″, 3 ″ are values larger than those of S20 and S26.

  In FIG. 4 flow chart S108 and S112, the wheelbase length differs depending on the difference between the four-wheeled vehicle and the six-wheeled vehicle. In S114, the wheelbase length is corrected for the reason described above. The length of the vehicle in the front-rear direction according to the wheelbase length is estimated.

  On the other hand, when the result in S30 is negative (when the process proceeds to S104 in the flowchart of FIG. 4), the two disc wheels are not determined to be the same, and the process proceeds to S18 and thereafter.

  If an object such as another vehicle is detected in accordance with the processing of the flow chart of FIG. 2, then the possibility of contact with it is determined, and contact avoidance support comprising the alarm device 22 and the brake hydraulic mechanism 32 (and the brake 34). The means will be operated, but this point has no direct relationship with the present invention and the gist thereof, and the description thereof will be omitted.

  In this embodiment, as described above, an electromagnetic wave transmitting / receiving means (radar 42, radar output processing ECU 44) for transmitting an electromagnetic wave to the periphery of the own vehicle (vehicle) 10 and receiving a reflection signal obtained by reflection on the object, When the object determination means (ECU 40, specifically S10, S12) for determining the type of the object based on the reception result of the electromagnetic wave transmission / reception means and the object is determined to be the disc wheel Wn of the vehicle (other vehicle), Based on the determined disc wheel Wn, the longitudinal length of the vehicle, more specifically, the estimated vehicle shape mgn1_1,2,3; mgn1_1,2 ', 3; mgn1_1 ", 2", 3 "is estimated Vehicle length estimation means (ECU 40, specifically, S12 to S32), so that even a vehicle having a body with a low emission rate of electromagnetic waves, such as black, has a body of black based on the disc wheel. Before and after The direction length can be estimated, and thus a vehicle (other vehicle), particularly a vehicle crossing the front in a T-junction, etc., can be reliably detected, that is, the disc wheel has a higher electromagnetic wave reflectance than the body of the vehicle 10. Therefore, it is possible to reliably detect the vehicle (other vehicle) by detecting through this.

  When the object determining means determines that the object is one disc wheel, the vehicle length estimating means (ECU 40) determines the length of the vehicle in the front-rear direction to determine the determined one disc wheel W1. In addition to the above-described effects, the disc is estimated to be the sum of the first predetermined distance mgn1_1 extending in the forward direction of the vehicle and the second predetermined distance mgn1_2 extending in the rearward direction (S16 to S20). Whether the wheel is a front wheel (front wheel) in the front direction or a rear wheel (rear wheel) in the rear direction, the longitudinal length of the vehicle can be estimated.

  When the object determining means (ECU 40) determines that the object is at least one disk wheel W1 and an object A other than the disk wheel (S22), the vehicle length estimating means (ECU 40) determines the determination. It is determined whether the disc wheel and the object are parts of the same vehicle, and the determined disc wheel is a front wheel of the same vehicle (S24). When the result is affirmative, the longitudinal length of the vehicle is determined. The sum of the first predetermined distance mgn1_1 extending in the forward direction of the vehicle centered on the determined disc wheel and the third predetermined distance mgn1_2 ′ extending in the rearward direction and larger than the second predetermined distance mgn1_2 is estimated. (S26) Since it is configured as described above, in addition to the above-described effects, it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the longitudinal length of the vehicle on the rear wheel side in the rear direction. Kill.

  Further, when the object determining means (ECU 40) determines that the object is at least two disc wheels W1, W2 (S100), the vehicle length estimating means is for the vehicle having the same at least two disc wheels. It is determined whether or not it is a part (S102). When the result is affirmative, the longitudinal length of the vehicle is estimated based on the distance (interval) between the at least two disc wheels (S28, S106 to S114). Since it comprised as mentioned above, in addition to the above-mentioned effect, the estimation precision of the front-back direction length of a vehicle can be raised further.

  The object determination means (ECU 40) has a correlation value comprising at least one of object widths L2 and L2, movement speeds V1 and V2, and reflectance obtained from the reception result of the electromagnetic wave transmission / reception means equal to or greater than a threshold value. Are determined to be disc wheels (S28, S100), and the vehicle length estimation means (ECU 40) determines that the object determination means determines that the object is at least two disc wheels between the disc wheels. If the distance (interval) is less than the first predetermined value L3a, it is determined that it is a part of the same vehicle (S102, S108). By setting to a value indicating the wheelbase length of the vehicle, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the two disc wheels are parts of the same vehicle. It is possible to increase the estimation accuracy of both the front and rear direction length.

  Further, the vehicle length estimation means (ECU 40) is configured such that when the distance (interval) between the at least two disc wheels is less than a second predetermined value L4 smaller than the first predetermined value L3a, the first It is determined whether or not the third disc wheel W3 exists in a range less than the third predetermined value L5 that is greater than the predetermined value L3a (S106, S110). When the result is affirmative, the at least two disc wheels W1, Since W2 and the third disc wheel W3 are determined to be parts of the same vehicle (S112), in addition to the above-described effects, there are one front wheel (front wheel) and two like a truck. Even if the vehicle has a rear wheel (rear wheel), the second predetermined value is set to a value that can determine the presence or absence of the two rear wheels, and the third predetermined value is set to the front. By setting it to a value that can determine the presence or absence of the front wheel located at a position farther away from the passenger car from the rear side, it is possible to improve the accuracy of estimating the length in the front-rear direction even for a vehicle such as a truck it can.

  Further, when the distance (interval) between the at least two disc wheels W1, W2 is less than a second predetermined value L4 smaller than the first predetermined value L3a, the vehicle length estimation means (ECU 40) It is determined whether or not the third disk wheel W3 exists in a range that is larger than the first predetermined value L3a and less than the third predetermined value L5 (S106, S110), and when negative, the at least two disks are determined. Since the configuration is such that the distance between the wheels W1 and W2 is corrected to the third predetermined value L5, in addition to the above-described effects, even when the presence of the front wheel on the front side cannot be determined, it is assumed that the front wheel on the front side exists. Similarly, the estimation accuracy of the longitudinal length of a vehicle such as a truck can be increased.

  In the above description, the object is detected from the output of the laser radar. However, instead of or in addition to this, a millimeter wave radar may be used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the process of FIG. FIG. 3 is a sub-routine flow chart showing identity determination processing of the disc wheel of FIG. 2. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle (own vehicle), 12 engine (internal combustion engine), 16 front wheel, 20 rear wheel, 22 alarm device, 34 brake, 36 brake switch, 40 ECU (electronic control unit), 42 radar, 44 radar output processing ECU

Claims (7)

  An electromagnetic wave transmitting / receiving means for transmitting an electromagnetic wave to the periphery of the vehicle and receiving a reflected signal obtained by reflecting on the object; an object determining means for determining a type of the object based on a reception result of the electromagnetic wave transmitting / receiving means; A vehicle object detection device comprising vehicle length estimation means for estimating a longitudinal length of the vehicle based on the determined disc wheel when the object is determined to be a disc wheel of a vehicle. .   When the object determination unit determines that the object is one disc wheel, the vehicle length estimation unit determines the length of the vehicle in the front-rear direction with respect to the determined one disc wheel. The vehicle object detection device according to claim 1, wherein a sum of a first predetermined distance extending in the forward direction and a second predetermined distance extending in the rear direction is estimated.   When the object determining means determines that the object is at least one disc wheel and an object other than the disc wheel, the vehicle length estimating means is configured such that the determined disc wheel and the object are parts of the same vehicle. It is determined whether or not the determined disc wheel is a front wheel of the same vehicle, and when the result is affirmative, the longitudinal length of the vehicle is set to the front direction of the vehicle with the determined disc wheel as a center. 3. The vehicle object detection device according to claim 2, wherein a sum of a first predetermined distance that extends and a third predetermined distance that extends rearward and is greater than the second predetermined distance is estimated.   When the object determining means determines that the object is at least two disc wheels, the vehicle length estimating means determines whether the at least two disc wheels are parts of the same vehicle, and when affirmed The vehicle object detection device according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal length of the vehicle is estimated based on a distance between the at least two disc wheels.   The object determining means determines an object having a correlation value of at least one of a width, a moving speed, and a reflectance of an object obtained from the reception result of the electromagnetic wave transmitting / receiving means as a disc wheel, and When the distance between the disc wheels is less than a first predetermined value when the object determination unit determines that the object is at least two disc wheels, the vehicle length estimation unit uses the same vehicle component. The vehicle object detection device according to claim 4, wherein the vehicle object detection device is determined to be present.   The vehicle length estimation means has a third predetermined value larger than the first predetermined value when a distance between the at least two disc wheels is less than a second predetermined value smaller than the first predetermined value. Determine whether there is a third disc wheel in the range of less than, and when affirmed, determine that the at least two disc wheels and the third disc wheel are parts of the same vehicle The vehicle object detection device according to claim 5.   The vehicle length estimation means has a third predetermined value larger than the first predetermined value when a distance between the at least two disc wheels is less than a second predetermined value smaller than the first predetermined value. A determination is made as to whether or not a third disc wheel exists within a range of less than the range, and when the result is negative, the distance between the at least two disc wheels is corrected to the third predetermined value. Item 6. The vehicle object detection device according to Item 5.

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