JP4305412B2 - Obstacle detection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an obstacle detection apparatus for detecting obstacles around a vehicle by a plurality of sensors and capable of shortening the time until the detection is confirmed.

  As an obstacle detection device for detecting obstacles around the vehicle, for example, a device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. In this conventional apparatus, a plurality of ultrasonic sensors are arranged on the front and rear bumpers of the vehicle, and these ultrasonic sensors are caused to perform a transmission / reception operation in association with any one of a plurality of types of operation timings repeated at a predetermined cycle. I have to. This transmission / reception operation is an operation of transmitting an ultrasonic burst wave (reflection wave) reflected in the detection area while transmitting an ultrasonic burst wave toward the detection area assigned to each.

When an obstacle enters the detection area, the reflected wave is received by the ultrasonic sensor in charge of the detection area, thereby confirming the obstacle detection in the assigned detection area. A notification operation for notification is performed. Here, since the ultrasonic sensor may receive a signal other than the reflected wave, that is, noise, in order to eliminate this, the above-described notification operation is performed when the signal is continuously received a plurality of times.
Japanese Patent No. 3221821

  By the way, it is desirable that the obstacle detection be confirmed as early as possible while eliminating erroneous detection due to noise. For this purpose, it is necessary to perform subsequent transmission / reception operations of the ultrasonic sensor that receives the reflected wave a plurality of times in a short period of time. On the other hand, for the ultrasonic sensor in charge of the detection area where the obstacle detection is confirmed, the driver has already been notified of the presence of the obstacle, so that it is less necessary to perform the transmission / reception operation in a short period of time. Rather, the ultrasonic sensor that has received the reflected wave should be preferentially operated for transmitting and receiving to determine other obstacle detections at an early stage.

  However, in the above-described conventional apparatus, each ultrasonic sensor is operated to transmit and receive at a predetermined cycle regardless of whether the obstacle detection is confirmed, so that the obstacle to be confirmed can be detected at an early stage. There was a problem that I could not.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, The objective is to provide the obstruction detection apparatus which can detect the obstruction which should be decided at an early stage.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the detection signal is transmitted toward the detection area assigned to each, and a plurality of detection means for performing a transmission / reception operation for receiving the reflected signal from the detection area, and each detection means are predetermined. An operation control means for causing a plurality of detection means to sequentially perform transmission / reception operations in association with at least one of a plurality of types of operation timing repeated at a period of, and counting the number of continuous receptions of reflected signals in each detection means Then, in the obstacle detection device comprising the determination means for confirming the detection of the obstacle in the detection area assigned to the detection means in which the number of continuous receptions is a predetermined number or more, the operation control means includes one detection means. When the reflected signal is received, the obstacle detection of the detection means that performs transmission / reception operation at an operation timing different from that of the one detection means is ensured. When the reflected signal continues to be received, the subsequent period of the operation timing associated with the one detection unit is controlled to be shorter than the predetermined period, and the one detection is performed. An obstacle detection apparatus characterized by controlling a period of operation timing different from the operation timing associated with the means to be longer than the predetermined period.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the reflection signal is received by one detection means, the obstacle detection of the detection means having a different operation timing from this is confirmed, and the reflection signal When reception continues, the transmission / reception operation cycle of the one detection unit is controlled to be shorter than a predetermined cycle, and the operation timing of the detection unit in which the obstacle detection is confirmed is controlled to be longer than the predetermined cycle. I did it. In this way, it is possible to detect an obstacle at an early stage by preferentially operating the ultrasonic sensor that has received the reflected wave to transmit and receive the wave.

  In addition, for example, when the main purpose is to shorten the fixed time until detection or when the main purpose is to eliminate the influence of noise, the cycle of the operation timing can be changed according to each main purpose.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the detection signal is transmitted to the detection area assigned to each of the detection areas, and a plurality of detection means for performing a transmission / reception operation for receiving a reflection signal from the detection area, and each detection means are predetermined. An operation control means for causing the plurality of detection means to sequentially perform transmission / reception operations in association with at least any one of a plurality of types of operation timing repeated at a cycle of: and a number of continuous receptions of reflected signals in each detection means. In the obstacle detection device, the operation control means is one detection means including a determination means for counting and determining detection of an obstacle in a detection area assigned to the detection means for which the number of continuous receptions is a predetermined number or more. When the reflected signal is received, the failure of all detection means that perform transmission / reception operations at an operation timing different from that of the one detection means. When the object detection is confirmed and the reception of the reflected signal is continued, the subsequent cycle of the operation timing associated with the one detection unit is controlled to be shorter than the predetermined cycle, and The operation timing period different from the operation timing associated with the one detection unit is controlled to be longer than the predetermined period.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when a reflected signal is received by one detection means, obstacle detection of all the detection means having different operation timings from this is confirmed, and reflection is performed. When reception of the signal is continued, the transmission / reception operation cycle of the one detection unit is controlled to be shorter than a predetermined cycle, and the operation timing of the detection unit in which the obstacle detection is confirmed is longer than the predetermined cycle. I tried to control it. In this way, it is possible to detect an obstacle at an early stage by preferentially operating the ultrasonic sensor that has received the reflected wave to transmit and receive the wave.

  In addition, for example, when the main purpose is to shorten the fixed time until detection or when the main purpose is to eliminate the influence of noise, the cycle of the operation timing can be changed according to each main purpose.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the reception of the reflected signal is interrupted before the number of continuous receptions reaches the predetermined number, the operation control unit returns the cycle of the operation timing associated with the detection unit to the predetermined cycle. It is characterized by controlling as follows.

  When the number of continuous receptions is less than or equal to the predetermined number, the detection unit may receive noise. In such a case, since there is no obstacle, it is not necessary to shorten the cycle of the transmission / reception operation. On the other hand, if the cycle of the transmission / reception operation is kept short, it is easy to be affected by continuous noise, so it is desirable to shorten the cycle only when necessary. In this configuration, when the conditions are as described above, the period of the transmission / reception operation is returned, so that the influence of noise can be reliably removed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the operation control means controls to return the period of the operation timing associated with the detection means that has received the reflected signal to a predetermined period when the number of continuous receptions reaches a predetermined number. It is said.

  When the number of consecutive receptions reaches the predetermined number, the obstacle detection is confirmed and the driver is informed so, so the role of recognizing the presence of obstacles in the detection area has ended. Therefore, the necessity for shortening the cycle of the transmission / reception operation is reduced. On the other hand, if the cycle of the transmission / reception operation is kept short, it is easy to be affected by continuous noise, so it is desirable to shorten the cycle only when necessary. In this configuration, when the conditions are as described above, the period of the transmission / reception operation is returned, so that the influence of noise can be reliably removed.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the detection signal is transmitted toward the detection area assigned to each, and a plurality of detection means for performing a transmission / reception operation for receiving a reflected signal from the detection area, and each detection means are predetermined. An operation control means for causing a plurality of detection means to sequentially perform transmission / reception operations in association with at least one of a plurality of types of operation timing repeated at a period of, and counting the number of continuous receptions of reflected signals in each detection means Then, in the obstacle detection device comprising the determination means for confirming the detection of the obstacle in the detection area assigned to the detection means in which the number of continuous receptions is a predetermined number or more, the operation control means includes one detection means. When the reflected signal is received, the obstacle detection of the detection means that performs transmission / reception operation at a timing different from that of the one detection means is confirmed. When the reflected signal continues to be received, the subsequent cycle of the operation timing associated with the one detection unit is controlled to be shorter than a predetermined cycle, and the one detection unit is associated with It is characterized in that control is performed such that an operation timing different from the given operation timing is delayed by a predetermined time.

  According to the invention of claim 5, when the reflection signal is received by one detection means, the obstacle detection of the detection means having a different operation timing from this is confirmed, and the reflection signal When the reception is continued, the operation timing of the detection means for which the obstacle detection is confirmed is delayed for a predetermined time, and the transmission / reception operation of one detection means is performed during the delay time. In this way, it is possible to detect an obstacle at an early stage by preferentially operating the ultrasonic sensor that has received the reflected wave to transmit and receive the wave.

  The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the detecting means is an ultrasonic sensor for transmitting an ultrasonic signal based on the operation timing and receiving the ultrasonic signal reflected by the detection area. In this way, the timing of the transmission / reception operation can be easily changed.

<First Embodiment>
An example in which the obstacle detection device according to the present invention is applied to an obstacle detection device around a vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. The obstacle detection device of the present embodiment is an ultrasonic sensor 20 (20FR, 20FL, 20RR, 20RL, which is disposed on the front and rear bumpers or the like of the vehicle body 10. When referring to all ultrasonic sensors or one of the ultrasonic sensors. Is described as “ultrasonic sensor 20”) and ECU 30, and each ultrasonic sensor 20 is connected to ECU 30 via a bus.

  Among these ultrasonic sensors 20FR, 20FL, 20RR, and 20RL, the sensors 20FR and 20FL are attached to the right end and the left end of the front bumper, respectively, and the sensors 20RR and 20RL are attached to the right end and the left end of the rear bumper, respectively. Each of the sensors 20FR, 20FL, 20RR, and 20RL transmits an ultrasonic burst wave (transmitted wave) toward the detection areas AFR, AFL, ARR, and ARL assigned to each sensor, and there is an obstacle in each detection area. When doing so, a transmission / reception operation of receiving an ultrasonic burst wave (reflected wave) reflected by the obstacle and transmitting a reflected signal corresponding to the reflected wave to the ECU 30 is performed.

  The ECU 30 is mainly composed of a microcomputer, and includes a well-known CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, and a bus line for connecting them. The ECU 30 selectively transmits a plurality of types of operation timing signals S1 and S2 instructing the transmission timing of the transmission wave to each of the ultrasonic sensors 20FR, 20FL, 20RR, and 20RL, and the ultrasonic sensors 20FR and 20FL. , 20RR, and 20RL based on the reflected signals, the obstacles in the detection areas AFR, AFL, ARR, ARL are detected.

  Here, the ECU 30 measures the time from the transmitted wave transmission to the reflected wave reception of each ultrasonic sensor 20 within a predetermined detection time T0 (see FIG. 2) after transmitting the operation timing signals S1 and S2, Calculate the distance to the obstacle from time and speed of sound. Further, the number of continuous receptions of the reflected waves of each ultrasonic sensor 20 is counted, and when the number of continuous receptions of one ultrasonic sensor 20 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (three in the present embodiment), the ultrasonic wave is received. The presence of an obstacle to the driver is confirmed by confirming the detection of the obstacle in the detection area handled by the sensor 20 and, for example, by sounding a buzzer provided in the vehicle or displaying the fact on the display screen. Is notified.

  In the present embodiment, in order to eliminate the influence of noise, obstacle detection is determined on condition that the reflected wave is continuously received a plurality of times.

  By the way, the operation timing signals S1 and S2 output from the ECU 30 each have a predetermined period T1, and are different in phase from each other so that the phase difference is equal to or longer than the detection time T0. As a result, S1 and S2 are alternately output as the operation timing signal.

  Among these operation timing signals S1 and S2, the sensors 20RL and 20FR are associated with the operation timing signal S1, and the sensors 20RR and 20FL are associated with the operation timing signal S2. Therefore, the sensors 20RL and 20RR perform transmission / reception operations alternately, and the transmission / reception operations of the sensors 20FR and 20FL are performed in synchronization with the sensors 20RL and 20RR (see FIG. 2A). In FIG. 2, “A” indicates the operation timing of the sensors 20RL and 20FR, and “B” indicates the operation timing of the sensors 20RR and 20FL.

  The configuration of the present embodiment is as described above, and the operation will be described next. The ECU 30 selectively transmits operation timing signals S1 and S2 to the ultrasonic sensors 20FR, 20FL, 20RR, and 20RL. As a result, each of the ultrasonic sensors 20FR, 20FL, 20RR, and 20RL transmits and receives a reflected wave by transmitting a transmission wave toward the detection area assigned to itself. When none of the ultrasonic sensors 20 receives a reflected wave, the sensors are transmitted and received at a cycle T1, as shown in FIG.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2 (B), when the ultrasonic sensor 20RL receives the reflected wave (dark colored portion in the figure), the ECU 30 starts counting the number of times the ultrasonic sensor 20RL receives the wave. Then, the buzzer and the display are operated on the condition that the number of continuous receptions has reached three, and the driver is notified that there is an obstacle in the detection area.

  On the other hand, when the ultrasonic wave sensor 20RR receives the reflected wave, the reception of the reflected wave at the sensor 20RL is continued after the obstacle detection in the detection area in charge of the ultrasonic sensor 20RL is confirmed. The ECU 30 controls the period of the operation timing signal S2 associated with the sensor 20RR so as to be shorter than the predetermined period T1, and the period of the operation timing signal S1 associated with the ultrasonic sensor 20RL. Is controlled to have a period T3 longer than the predetermined period T1 (see FIG. 2B).

  When the number of continuous receptions in the sensor 20RR reaches 3, the detection of obstacles in the detection area in charge of this is confirmed and the buzzer and display are operated to notify the driver that there are obstacles. To do. In this way, it is possible to detect an obstacle at an early stage by preferentially operating the ultrasonic sensor that has received the reflected wave to transmit and receive the wave.

  When the number of continuous receptions reaches 3, the control is performed so that the period is returned to the predetermined period T1 (see FIG. 2B). In such a case, since the obstacle detection is confirmed and the driver is informed so, the role of recognizing the presence of the obstacle in the detection area is finished, and the cycle of the transmission / reception operation is changed. The need for shortening is reduced. On the other hand, if the period of the transmission / reception operation is kept short, it becomes easy to be affected by noise, so it is desirable to shorten the period when necessary. In the present embodiment, when the conditions are as described above, the period of the transmission / reception operation is returned, so that the influence of noise can be reliably removed.

  Also, when the reception of the reflected wave is interrupted before the number of continuous receptions reaches 3, the control is performed so that the period is returned to the predetermined period T1. For example, when the sensor 20RR receives the reflected wave and then the reception of the reflected wave is interrupted, as a result, if the number of continuous receptions does not reach three, the subsequent period is set to a predetermined period T1. Control is performed so as to return (see FIG. 2C). This may be the case where the ultrasonic sensor 20 receives noise. In such a case, since there is no obstacle, it is not necessary to shorten the cycle of the transmission / reception operation. On the other hand, if the cycle of the transmission / reception operation is kept short, it is likely to be affected by continuous noise. In the present embodiment, when the conditions are as described above, the period of the transmission / reception operation is returned, so that the influence of noise can be reliably eliminated.

  Further, the period of the operation timing signal may be changed as shown in FIG. This is so that the immediately following cycle of the operation timing signal S1 associated with the ultrasonic sensor 20RR that has received the reflected wave is controlled to be a cycle T2 shorter than the predetermined cycle T1, and the subsequent cycle is set to a predetermined cycle. Control is made to return to the period T1.

  Alternatively, the cycle of the operation timing signal may be changed as shown in FIG. This is controlled such that one cycle immediately after the operation timing signal S1 associated with the ultrasonic sensor 20RR that receives the reflected wave is T1, and the subsequent cycle is a cycle T2 shorter than the predetermined cycle T1. Control to be

  In addition, when the ultrasonic sensor receives the reflected wave, the operation timing signals S1 to S3 may be selected according to the traveling state of the vehicle or the traveling environment around the vehicle. In order to detect the driving state and driving environment of the vehicle, for example, a vehicle speed sensor, a shift sensor that detects a shift position, a steering angle sensor that detects a steering angle of a steering wheel, a rain sensor that detects raindrops, operation information of conlite, etc. There is.

  For example, when the main purpose is to determine obstacle detection at an early stage such as when the traveling speed of the vehicle is relatively high or when it is difficult to see the obstacle, the operation timing as shown in FIG. The period of the signal may be controlled. When the main purpose is to eliminate the influence of noise such as reflected waves from raindrops, the period of the operation timing signal may be controlled as shown in FIGS.

  In addition, when an ultrasonic sensor placed on the steering direction side of a vehicle receives a reflected wave, there is a high possibility that an obstacle exists on the planned route, and detection is confirmed early and the driver is notified. In such a case, the cycle of the operation timing signal associated with the ultrasonic sensor on the steering direction side is controlled as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the ultrasonic sensor arranged on the side opposite to the steering direction side of the vehicle receives the reflected wave, there is a high possibility that an obstacle exists at a position deviating from the planned course. A) The period of the operation timing signal may be controlled as shown in (B).

  In addition, when the distance to the obstacle calculated from the first wave reception at the ultrasonic sensor 20RR is shorter than the distance to the obstacle at the ultrasonic sensor 20RL, the operation timing as shown in FIG. While controlling the period of the signal, when the distance to the obstacle calculated from the first wave reception by the ultrasonic sensor 20RR is longer than the distance to the obstacle in the ultrasonic sensor 20RL, FIG. The period of the operation timing signal may be controlled as shown in B).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the transmission / reception operation of the sensor that receives the reflected wave is preferentially performed, the obstacle detection can be confirmed at an early stage. In addition, when the main purpose is to shorten the time until the obstacle detection is confirmed, the operation timing cycle is changed according to the case where the main purpose is to eliminate the influence of noise. Obstacle detection can be confirmed at an early stage while eliminating the influence of the above.

  For example, when the ultrasonic sensor 20RR receives the reflected wave, the reception of the reflected wave at the sensor 20RL is continued after the obstacle detection in the detection area in charge of the ultrasonic sensor 20RL is confirmed. As shown in FIG. 4, the ECU 30 controls the operation timing signal S1 associated with the sensor 20RR so that the cycle of the operation timing signal S1 is shorter than the predetermined cycle T1, and the ultrasonic sensor 20RL corresponds. The attached operation timing signal S2 may be delayed by a time T4 longer than a predetermined period T1. In this case, the delay time T4 can be set to an arbitrary time.

Second Embodiment
A second embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part same as the said embodiment, the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted, and only a different point is demonstrated.

  Four ultrasonic sensors 20A to 20D are installed on the rear bumper of the vehicle body 10, and perform a wave transmission / reception operation in the detection areas Aa to Ad assigned to them.

  Of the operation timing signals S1 and S2 output from the ECU 30, the operation timing signal S1 is associated with the sensors 20A and 20C (group A), and the operation timing signal S2 is associated with the sensors 20B and 20D (group B). Therefore, each sensor is grouped into two, and the sensors 20A to 20D are sequentially transmitted and received in units of groups based on the operation timing signals S1 and S2 (FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7A). reference).

  For example, when the ultrasonic sensor 20D (or 20B) belonging to the group B receives the reflected wave, after the obstacle detection in the detection area in charge of any of the ultrasonic sensors 20 belonging to the group A is confirmed. When reception of the reflected wave by the sensor 20 continues, the ECU 30 controls the cycle of the operation timing signal S2 associated with the group B so as to be a cycle T2 shorter than the predetermined cycle T1. At the same time, the cycle of the operation timing signal S1 associated with the group A is controlled to be a cycle T3 longer than the predetermined cycle T1 (see FIG. 7B).

  Here, when the number of continuous receptions in the sensor 20D (or 20B) reaches 3, the obstacle detection in the detection area in charge of this is confirmed, and the buzzer and the display are operated so that there is an obstacle. Inform the driver that he / she will. Further, when the number of continuous receptions reaches three times or when the number of continuous receptions is less than three, control is performed so that the periods of both signals S1 and S2 are returned to a predetermined period T1. Further, the above control is also applied to the sensor 20C in FIG. 7B.

  Alternatively, when the ultrasonic sensor 20 belonging to the group B receives the reflected wave, these sensors are detected after the obstacle detection in the detection area in charge of all the ultrasonic sensors 20 belonging to the group A is determined. When receiving the reflected wave at 20 continues, the ECU 30 controls the cycle of the operation timing signal S1 associated with the sensor 20B so as to be a cycle T2 shorter than the predetermined cycle T1. The period of the operation timing signal S2 associated with the sensor A may be controlled to be a period T3 longer than a predetermined period T1 (see FIG. 7C). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, when the sensor 20D receives the reflected wave, the above control is not performed because only the sensor 20A has confirmed the obstacle detection. On the other hand, when the sensor 20B receives the reflected wave, both the sensors 20A and 20C are in a state where the obstacle detection is confirmed, and thus the above control is performed at this time.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.

  In the above embodiment, the obstacle detection is determined on the condition that the number of times of continuous reception has reached three times. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be two times or three times or more. Further, although the number of continuous receptions that is a condition for determining obstacle detection is the same for each ultrasonic sensor, the number of continuous receptions may be set individually for each sensor.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the structure which attached the ultrasonic sensor 20 to the front-back bumper was supported, it is good also as a structure attached to parts other than bumpers, such as a fender and a door, for example.

  In the second embodiment, the configuration in which each ultrasonic sensor 20 is associated with any one operation timing signal has been described. However, one ultrasonic sensor 20 may be associated with two or more operation timing signals. Good. That is, one ultrasonic sensor 20 may belong to a plurality of groups.

  In the second embodiment, two ultrasonic sensors 20 belong to each group. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of ultrasonic sensors 20 belonging to the group may be one or three or more. . Further, the positional relationship between the ultrasonic sensors 20 belonging to the same group is not limited, and for example, adjacent ultrasonic sensors 20 may belong to the same group.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of an obstacle detection apparatus. (A) is the time chart which showed the period of the wave transmission / reception operation when each ultrasonic sensor is not receiving the reflected wave. (B) and (C) are time charts showing the period of the wave transmission / reception operation when the ultrasonic sensor receives the reflected wave. It is the time chart which showed the period of wave transmission / reception operation when an ultrasonic sensor receives a reflected wave. It is the time chart which showed the period of wave transmission / reception operation when an ultrasonic sensor receives a reflected wave. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the obstruction detection apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the transmission / reception operation | movement object of the ultrasonic sensor in each group. (A) is the time chart which showed the period of the transmission / reception operation when each sensor is not receiving the reflected wave. (B) and (C) are time charts showing the period of the wave transmission / reception operation when the ultrasonic sensor receives the reflected wave.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle body 20FR, 20FL, 20RR, 20CR, 20CL, 20RL ... Ultrasonic sensor 30 ... ECU

Claims (6)

A plurality of detection means for transmitting and receiving a detection signal toward the detection area assigned to each, and performing a transmission / reception operation for receiving a reflected signal from the detection area;
An operation control means for causing the plurality of detection means to sequentially perform a transmission / reception operation in association with at least any one of a plurality of types of operation timings that are repeated at a predetermined cycle;
A fault provided with a determination means for counting the number of continuous receptions of the reflected signal in each detection means and determining detection of an obstacle in a detection area assigned to the detection means for which the continuous reception count is a predetermined number or more In the object detection device,
The operation control means is configured such that when one detection means receives the reflected signal, obstacle detection of the detection means that performs transmission / reception operation at an operation timing different from that of the one detection means is determined, and the reflected signal Is continuously controlled so that the subsequent period of the operation timing associated with the one detection means is shorter than the predetermined period, and the operation timing associated with the one detection means The obstacle detection device is characterized in that the period of different operation timing is controlled to be longer than the predetermined period. A plurality of detection means for transmitting and receiving a detection signal toward the detection area assigned to each, and performing a transmission / reception operation for receiving a reflected signal from the detection area;
An operation control means for causing the plurality of detection means to sequentially perform a transmission / reception operation in association with at least any one of a plurality of types of operation timings that are repeated at a predetermined cycle;
A fault provided with a determination means for counting the number of continuous receptions of the reflected signal in each detection means and determining detection of an obstacle in a detection area assigned to the detection means for which the continuous reception count is a predetermined number or more In the object detection device,
The operation control means is such that when one detection means receives the reflected signal, obstacle detection of all detection means that perform transmission / reception operations at an operation timing different from that of the one detection means is determined, and When the reception of the reflected signal continues, the subsequent cycle of the operation timing associated with the one detection unit is controlled to be shorter than the predetermined cycle, and the one detection unit is associated An obstacle detection apparatus that controls a period of operation timing different from the operation timing to be longer than the predetermined period. The operation control means controls the detection means to return the associated operation timing period to the predetermined period when reception of the reflected signal is interrupted before the continuous reception number reaches the predetermined number. The obstacle detection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by: The operation control means controls to return the period of operation timing associated with the detection means that receives the reflected signal to the predetermined period when the number of continuous receptions reaches a predetermined number. The obstacle detection device according to claim 1 or 2. A plurality of detection means for transmitting and receiving a detection signal toward the detection area assigned to each, and performing a transmission / reception operation for receiving a reflected signal from the detection area;
An operation control means for causing the plurality of detection means to sequentially perform a transmission / reception operation in association with at least any one of a plurality of types of operation timings that are repeated at a predetermined cycle;
A fault provided with a determination means for counting the number of continuous receptions of the reflected signal in each detection means and determining detection of an obstacle in a detection area assigned to the detection means for which the continuous reception count is a predetermined number or more In the object detection device,
The operation control means is configured such that when one detection means receives the reflected signal, obstacle detection of the detection means that performs transmission / reception operation at an operation timing different from that of the one detection means is determined, and the reflected signal When the one detection means is associated, the subsequent average period of the operation timing associated with the one detection means is controlled to be shorter than the predetermined period, and the operation timing associated with the one detection means An obstacle detection device that controls an operation timing different from that for a predetermined time. 6. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1, wherein the detection means is an ultrasonic sensor that transmits an ultrasonic signal based on the operation timing and receives an ultrasonic signal reflected from the detection area. Obstacle detection device according to the above.

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