JPS587581A - Optical radar type passage discriminator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To accurately discriminate possibility of passage between obstacles by determining the presence of the obstacles within a specified distance of a vehicle with a light radar with a sharp light transmission beam being emitted in the forward direction of the vehicle parallel to the side thereof. CONSTITUTION:Lights distributed with a light distributor 3 of a light radar X are propagated to a light transmitters Tr and Tl each on both sides of the front of a vehicle through optical fibers f2 and f4. A sharp light transmission beam is emitted in the forward direction of the vehicle parallel to the side thereof from the light transmitters Tr and Tl. Reflected beam from an obstacle or the like is received and fed to the radar X via the optical fiber f3. An information processing circuit 6 generates a discrimination signal to indicate whether or not the distance from an obstacle is within a specified range therefrom thereby enabling accurate discrimination of possibility of passage between obstacles without visual observation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention is an optical radar-type passing system that emits a sharp light beam in the direction in which the vehicle is traveling and detects the presence or absence of the reflected light beam to determine the possibility of the vehicle passing through. This invention relates to a discrimination device.

The conventional way to judge this type of passing is to check the distance between obstacles in front of the vehicle and judge the possibility of passing through based on driving experience and intuition.

However, in this conventional method of determining passability, the possibility of passing through is determined by visually measuring the distance between obstacles. or cause damage to the vehicle body.

■ Contributing more time to passing through or making the flow of traffic congested rather than judging the possibility of passing through.

There was a problem.

This invention was made by focusing on these conventional problems, and it emits two sharp beams of light that are parallel to the vehicle's traveling direction from both sides of the vehicle body. The purpose of this system is to solve the above problem by determining that there is no obstacle in the path of the vehicle if the reflected light beam from the obstacle cannot be captured within a predetermined time from the time the beam is emitted. .

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the principle of this invention. A flat, sharp light beam Btr+s is emitted onto the path ahead from light transmitters Tv-Ts mounted on both ends of the front of the vehicle V. Light beam B*r #8@1 After a predetermined time T has elapsed from the emission time, light beam B is transmitted.

If S is a straight plane (orthogonal to the road i [and the vehicle's direction of travel) at a distance Rk from the front of the vehicle that the tip of the light beam Jy reaches, the outer surface on the right side of the transmitted light beam Jy is located at a distance Rk from the front of the vehicle. , the right side maximum width plane 0. (The outer surface of the second side is the vehicle■,
It is almost the same plane as the maximum width plane Ds on the left side (see Fig. 2), and the beam width of each transmitted light beam B@y + 8@H is approximately a constant value W at 5 images above the front of the vehicle V. has
The beam divergence angle in the vertical direction is -. Therefore, the outer width of both light beams ~eB@t is W, which is the same as the width of the vehicle, and these light beams Btr, s, & serve as the course of the vehicle V. The divergence angle θ is determined so that the height of the transmitted light beams Btr*a, J on the S plane is the same height K as #tPt, the height h of the front surface of the vehicle V. In the 1st II,
Obstacle oB on the right side of the path sends its -m to beam Eb
It is assumed that the left obstacle OB3 is close to the outside of the transmitted light beam Big.

In addition, the receiving beam 8 of the receiving light m- is mounted at the center of the front of the vehicle V. There are 8 light beams near the 3rd surface.

It is set wide enough to completely envelop an 8u.

gzsst 1st II light transmitting/receiving beam A 9 @y * B
ss * By, light transmission 1) T, , TJ, light reception II
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between RI and vehicles v and ty:+. The transmitters T and eTt are placed at both ends of the bumper.
The light receiver 111R is mounted in the center. Light transmitter Ty
= Ts Odate Saha is t! lXn.

The height from the road surface and the magnitude of light reception 1) R are 0φ.

The height from the road surface is g'. Light beam sty
The light transmission area S,* and the light transmission beam B,1 on the S plane of
The light transmitting area S on the S plane of , both has a width W and a height h.
So, the lower limit is slightly lower than the road surface (mold/m~10am)
Only floating. The outer distance of the light transmitting area S 4 aS is approximately equal to the vehicle width WK, and the light receiving area S on three sides of the light receiving beam Bt is a large area that can encompass the vehicle metal body.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. Next, an overview of the configuration and functions of this embodiment! will be explained, and the details of the action will be described later.

X is a former radar, which includes a pulse modulator 19, a light emitting element 2°, an optical distributor 3. Light receiving element 4. Pulse amplifier S and information 461
The light λa emitted from the five light-emitting elements 2 consisting of one circuit 6 is divided into equal parts from the optical fiber L through the optical distribution SS and sent to the optical fiber sL by the optical fiber F, fa and VC.

Supplies TiK and sends it out in the forward direction, sending light beam acr
Form e etl. The receiver R0 receives the received beam B,
The reflected light from obstacles inside the fiber is captured and focused.
This will lead you to Party Radar X. Check the reflected light beam with the light beam X and output an output to determine whether it is possible to pass through.

In this I, FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of the above-mentioned transmitter jtliT and a method of forming the transmitted light beam.

An optical fiber is inserted into the dark box 21.

The aperture surface of the optical fiber is connected to the lens Ll inserted in front of the dark box 21 (having a convex lens effect in the X-axis direction and having no lens effect in the y-axis direction). On the optical axis G (passing through the center O of the lens) of the lens),
And the focal point FK of the lens Ll is set. Note that the optical axis G is parallel to two axes in the traveling direction of the vehicle. Assuming that the aperture of the optical fiber f is a light source P, the light that spreads from the light source P in the X-axis direction reaches the edge of the lens Ls Ml-M* tl-
After passing through, the rays Ji, J* parallel to the optical axis G become SNK
Collide. Letting this intersection point be ICl-km, then k
, medium W medium lens L + F) @ l grave, source beam B.

The expansion in the X-axis direction (vehicle width direction) is at maximum W, and is limited by II m IIC of lens L.

In addition, since the light source P spreads in the y-axis direction (height direction from the road surface) and passes through the upper and lower edges of the lens L, N>-Ns, it continues straight, resulting in a ray U+-Us, and these rays and If the intersection with the 5th plane is Vl,,i, then 111. It becomes kih-d. The spread of the transmitted light beam Ilr in the y-axis direction is the spread angle θ.

The maximum flame in the vertical direction of the transmitted beam is determined by .

h-d=2R-tanθ ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
・・・・・・・・・・・・(2) is given.

Note that the aperture surface of the optical fiber f1 is processed into a spherical lens so that the light beam sent out from the optical fiber f1 is expanded sharply. Light transmission 1! T
g is similarly constructed.

FIG. S is a diagram showing details of the pulse variation 11161 of the embodiment of FIG. 3. The transistors Q, ,Q, are connected to the negative power supply -vl via the constant current source. .

Note that R1 to R4 are resistors, Vm is a power supply, and 20 is a Zener diode.

FIG. 6 shows information IIIJIIIWA path 6 of the embodiment of FIG.
FIG. This information I & 11 circuit - includes Kutsk pulse generation set, differentiation circuit @2. High speed humpator 63. Waveform shaper @4. MNDgl bribe S.

Retriggerable monostable multivibrator @6° Loads such as lamps and buzzers I7. ) Langista. Late.

It consists of a resistor R, and a volume (variable resistance) of 37 tatami. In addition, 8c is the thick pulse generator 6 described above.
This is a switch that controls the operation of 1.

Next, the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 will be explained with reference to No. sm, FIG. 6, and No. 7s showing the signal waveform of the strip. Note that the symbols ``■'' to ``■'' in each circuit diagram correspond to ``■'' to ``■'' in FIG. 117.

In Fig. 6 kC, a synchronization T clock signal (2) is generated from a ripple pulse generator 61, a differential signal (2) is generated in addition to the differential circuit 62, and a side control setting knob (1) provided on the front side of the discrimination device The volume R set at the driver's will by
The differential signal ■ is added to the high-speed comparator 63 which inputs the reference voltage v1 determined according to V, and one period T2. Pulse Radiation T.

(Tly variable by volume ay K = 20
ns to 100n (settable) is generated.

A modulation current that applies a pulse signal ■ to the pulse modulator 1 to change the bias current of the light emitting element 2 in a pulsed manner! to occur.

That is, in FIG. 5, when the pulse signal ■ changes from @0 level to 1llll level and rises from Ov to 5V, transistor Q changes from OFF to ON, transistor Q changes from 0N4OFF, and the collector of F transistor Q changes.・
A current I=IO flows between the vines and drives one light emitting element 2 (light emitting diode, laser diode, etc.) to reach the peak wavelength λ. When the light emitting output λte is sent out and the pulse signal ■ returns from the ``l level to the 10'' level, the silane resistor Q is turned ON→
OF7、、）U7JISl Q * is OFF, ONK
As a result, the voltage of the transistor Q and Vm becomes 611=O, and the light emitting output λ of the light emitting element 2 is set to be OK. Therefore, the electric current I flowing through 1 light-emitting element 2! ■ and luminous output λ
, changes in synchronization with the pulse signal ■, and its pulse width is equal to TE, 0 light emission output λ! is divided into equal parts by an optical fiber fty and an optical splitter S (using a half-mirror 1 optical directional coupling lB, a source splitting path, etc.) K, one part is sent to the original fiber flK to the light @T, and the other part is sent to @T by the original fiber flK. Optical fiber <(f
In the transmitter T described above, the aperture surface of the optical fiber fs is fixed at the focal point F1 k of the lens L1 attached to the front surface of the optical fiber fs, and the transmitted beam 8. , form. Further, the aperture surface of the optical fiber 4 is fixed at the focal point of the lens Ls of the light transmission 11Tt, and a light transmission beam B1 is similarly formed.

At the 11iI, the distance R to Sw and the light emission output λ! The pulse width dW is Tw=”♂ ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
(3) C: Given in relation to the speed of light. Assuming that the distance tr is from the vehicle to the obstacle OB that is irradiated with the transmitted light beam Bly, the reflected light λ from the obstacle OB1 is captured in the receiver beam B, and the lens L- of the receiver R0 is Focus the light at the center wavelength λ*
, 34B Remove unnecessary backlight through a passing 11 optical filter FL (interference filter group) with width Ba < 100 mm,
JJt, fiber? Luo's ΩwK focuses. The reflected light λ1 is passed through a photodetector fs to a light receiving element 4 (an avalanche photodiode, a PIN photodiode, a photodiode, etc. can be used) and photoelectrically converted.

In Fig. 7 VC, the reflected light λWisteria's overconfident light λ! τ is the propagation delay time of the distance r from the vehicle to the obstacle oB1.

τ=10 ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
・・・・・・・・・River ＊＊＠ @・-(4) Given by the relationship.

The detection output of the light-receiving element 4 is 141 bud width BW 2-10 MHz
Pulse amplification and waveform shaping at a predetermined level @
In addition to @4, a pulse signal ■ is generated. When the pulse signal ■ and the pulse signal ■ are input as an ANDil path -sK and the logical product is taken, R>r, that is, 7w>f, and the society NDlt is obtained.
Obtain the S power pulse signal ■. The pulse signal ■ has a metastable time T, which is Te1〉T.

Resiliggable monostable multivibrator with
When added to [@l' level 411ji! Get an output ■. Based on this judgment result (I), the F transistor Q$ is ON (I), and the load 6T (lamp, buzzer, etc.) is driven to indicate that passing through is impossible.

The ANDI circuit S is! 11 party departure lambda tube launch time T
! Maybe the reflected light λ from the interstitial obstruction for a predetermined time Tw! This device passes the detected output of the vehicle (G) 1g road, and this device transmits the light beam B on both sides of the vehicle's path. , Bl), and whether or not there is an obstacle within a predetermined set distance of 3 is determined and displayed as 1.

The set distance can be adjusted by operating the volume R.
The distance can be varied from 3 to 18 meters, and can be set to an appropriate value according to the driver's skill or preference, or depending on the road congestion situation.

As another embodiment of the present invention, in FIG. 3, a switch switch ate is inserted in the middle of the switch fiber f4, and a switch switch s1 is inserted in the middle of the switch fiber f4.

It may also be possible to electrically control the conduction and interruption of the knob Z in response to the operation of a knob Z provided on the operation surface of the device. According to this embodiment, when the device displays that it is impossible to pass through one pass, by turning on and off the party switch Sv-Ss, an obstacle on either the left or right side of the traveling direction becomes an obstacle to the traveling direction. It is possible to determine whether

As yet another embodiment, a switch S for controlling the operation of the Tarock pulse generator @1 is provided on the operation surface of the device, and the Tarock pulse generator @1 is operated only when necessary by the driver's operation, thereby causing the Tarock pulse generator @1 to be activated. According to this embodiment, it is possible to stop the display of warnings and the like on busy roads to prevent such troublesomeness. Ru.

In the above embodiment, light transmitters were provided on the left and right sides 11 of the vehicle V, but this is necessary! <It may be provided on either side depending on the situation.

As explained above, according to the present invention, the configuration is such that a sharp light beam is emitted parallel to the side surface in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the reflected light beam is detected within a predetermined distance from the vehicle. Since it is determined whether or not there are any obstacles on the route, it is possible to accurately determine the possibility of passing between obstacles. Therefore, the decision to pass through the vehicle instantly makes it easier to drive to the destination, and collision accidents caused by the decision to pass through the vehicle are reliably prevented. It is also possible to reduce traffic congestion caused by hesitation in deciding when to pass through.
e. Furthermore, it is effective in preventing accidents involving oncoming vehicles, vehicles traveling alongside pedestrians, and pedestrians.

Furthermore, other embodiments each have the following effects in addition to the above-mentioned common effects. That is, if optical switches are provided to control the left and right light transmitters, it is possible to determine which of the left and right obstacles is obstructing passage. In addition, by operating a switch, the possibility of passing through can be determined only when necessary, thereby eliminating the trouble of warning displays in situations such as congestion sketches.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the vehicle's course and the transmitting and receiving light beams to provide a detailed explanation of the invention, Figure #I2 is a diagram showing how the transmitter and receiver are mounted on the vehicle, and Figure 3 is the invention. 411 is a partially broken perspective view showing an example of light transmission in the embodiment of FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the information mstgi path, and FIG. 7 is a signal waveform diagram of each part of FIGS. 3, 5, and 6. In the figure, mV is the vehicle, T, and number 7 is the light transmission6. R0 is a light receiver, X is an optical radar, f, ~4 are optical fibers S L
-H to L are lenses *Btre 8@J is the transmitting beam, B is the receiving beam, $ is the plane o ays 844
The party switch, S, is a switch. Applicant Metal Industry Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] h) A light transmitter that emits a light beam in the traveling direction of the vehicle that is parallel to the right side maximum width surface of the vehicle and whose outer surface is in the same plane as the right side maximum width surface; is parallel to the right side maximum width plane, and the outer surface is parallel to the right side maximum width plane.
at least one of the light transmitters that emits a flat light beam in the traveling direction of the vehicle; the light beam is transmitted on a straight plane at a predetermined distance from the front barrel of the vehicle; A light receiver having a width that includes the light beam transmitted from the light transmitter is provided; furthermore, the light is emitted from the light transmitter, and the reflected light obtained thereafter is received by the light receiver within a predetermined time from the time of said emission. An optical radar-type street planting identification device is provided, which determines and displays reflected light from obstacles within the predetermined distance depending on whether the light is reflected from an obstacle within the predetermined distance; (2) Light transmitters are provided on both sides of the vehicle, and each light transmitter is equipped with an optical switch for intermittent light transmission. The one without is a discriminator.