Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-04
2001-05-01
Chin, Gary (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
C701S096000, C701S301000, C342S455000, C340S436000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06226571
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a surroundings monitoring apparatus for an automotive vehicle having a monitoring means such as a radar, and more particularly to a surroundings monitoring apparatus for an automotive vehicle for detecting a road geography such as a road radius of curvature in accordance with positions of vehicles around the subject vehicle detected by the radar of the moving vehicle.
For instance, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-68398 discloses a conventional apparatus. In case of this conventional apparatus, the road geography is predicted in accordance with the movement and the relative position of the vehicles that are travelling continuously in line with the subject vehicle.
In the conventional apparatus, since the road geography (road radius of curvature) is predicted in accordance with the movement and the relative position of the plurality of vehicles that are travelling continuously in line, it is necessary to detect the plurality of the vehicles and it is also necessary to detect the movement of the vehicles, disadvantageously.
Also, the movement of the vehicles does not always follow the road geography. In some cases, the vehicles may take a movement different from the road geography due to the lane change.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing defects, an object of the present invention is to provide a surroundings monitoring apparatus for an automotive vehicle, which may readily predict the road geography if at least one vehicle is present.
Also, another object of the present invention is to provide a surroundings monitoring apparatus for an automotive vehicle, which may further enhance the prediction precision in the case where a plurality of vehicles are present.
Also, still another object of the present invention is to provide a surroundings monitoring apparatus for an automotive vehicle, which may reduce the process since it is unnecessary to detect the movement of the vehicle.
Also, yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a surroundings monitoring apparatus for an automotive vehicle, which may exactly predict the road geography even when the vehicle changes lanes in combination with an apparatus for detecting the movement of the subject vehicle.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a surroundings monitoring apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising: a monitoring means for detecting objects that are present around a subject vehicle and for outputting positional information of the vehicle in a predetermined detection coordinate system; a vehicle identifying means for classifying vehicles travelling on the road and objects other than the vehicle out of the objects; and a road geography predicting means for predicting a road geography on the basis of a position of the travelling vehicle and lane information in accordance with an output of the monitoring means and an output of the vehicle identifying means.
According to a second aspect of the invention, in the surroundings monitoring apparatus of the first aspect of the invention, if a plurality of vehicles travelling on the road are present around the subject vehicle, the road geography predicting means predicts the road geography for each vehicle, and excludes values that are largely different among the predicted values.
According to a third aspect of the invention, in the surroundings monitoring apparatus of the first aspect of the invention, the monitoring means includes a subject vehicle movement detecting means for detecting a movement of the subject vehicle, the road geography predicting means predicts the road geography, along which the subject vehicle travels, in accordance with the movement of the subject vehicle, and the prediction value of the road geography along which the subject vehicle travels is compared with the prediction value of the road geography based upon the lane information and the position of the travelling vehicle.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the surroundings monitoring apparatus of the first aspect of the invention, the road geography predicting means judges that the vehicle changes its lanes when the prediction value of the road geography along which the subject vehicle travels is different from the prediction value of the road geography based upon the lane information and the position of the travelling vehicle for a predetermined period of time and by a constant amount.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5285523 (1994-02-01), Takahashi
patent: 5467283 (1995-11-01), Butsuen et al.
patent: 5479173 (1995-12-01), Yoshioka et al.
patent: 5487116 (1996-01-01), Nakano et al.
patent: 5745870 (1998-04-01), Yamamoto et al.
patent: 5757949 (1998-05-01), Kinoshita et al.
patent: 5878361 (1999-03-01), Sekine et al.
patent: 5999874 (1999-12-01), Winner et al.
patent: 6018308 (2000-01-01), Shirai
patent: 6-68398 (1994-03-01), None
Chin Gary
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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