Communications: electrical – External condition vehicle-mounted indicator or alarm – Transmitter in another vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-15
2001-06-05
Lee, Benjamin C. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
External condition vehicle-mounted indicator or alarm
Transmitter in another vehicle
C343S872000, C343S873000, C361S600000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06243024
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for monitoring surroundings of a vehicle, a particularly to, the device mounted on a door mounted exterior mirror for detecting existence of a passing-over vehicle, a translation vehicle, or the like over a range between a rear and sides of lanes adjacent to a lane where a driver's own vehicle runs, in order to judge, for example, whether or not it is safe to change or join a main track, and also to constantly monitor safety in this range and presence of obstacles, such as vehicles.
2. Discussion of Background
In a conventional technique, it is proposed that a radar device is widely used for a device for monitoring surroundings of a vehicle, a device for controlling following-on distance and so on, equipped in vehicles. The radar device equipped in the device for monitoring surroundings of a vehicle has a structure including a fender mounted exterior mirror and a fender, as disclosed in, for example, JP-A-54-45040.
However, in recent years, it is very rare that fender mounted exterior mirrors are equipped in generally manufactured passenger cars, and door mounted exterior mirrors are equipped in almost all of passenger cars.
Further, in the above JP-A-54-45040 utilizing the fender mounted exterior mirror, a radar is formed by an independent unit separated from the fender mounted exterior mirror, wherein a specific structure that the fender houses receiving the radar is required in a vehicle body, and therefore the structure becomes complicated.
In case that a single antenna is commonly used instead of a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna, it is necessary to provide an isolator in an electric circuit for preventing propagation of transmitted electromagnetic waves from directly turning toward a circuit of receiving system. In this, the isolator is a switch called a circulator, which is operated at a relatively high speed for separating reception from transmission in a time sequence.
Further, a visible range by a door mounted exterior mirror is generally about 25 degrees in horizontal directions, and it is well known that a range other than the visible range becomes a blind spot. Especially, in adjacent lanes within a point-blank range, an object vehicle positioned relatively close to lanes next to the adjacent lanes, namely, a position relatively apart from a driver's own vehicle, is physically and completely enclosed in a blind spot and such an object vehicle is not reflected in the door mounted exterior mirrors. Under such a situation, it is very dangerous that the driver's own vehicle changes lanes. Therefore, a driver is ordinarily instructed to directly observe the blind spot for confirming safety by swinging his head just before changing lanes.
Further, miniaturization is required for these kinds of on-vehicle equipments, in a first priority. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize an arrangement of an antenna and a radome in a device for miniaturization.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems inherent in the conventional technique and to provide a device for monitoring surroundings of a vehicle having a simplified, miniaturized and space-saving structure.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for monitoring surroundings of a vehicle comprising: a transmitting antenna having a predetermined directivity, an electromagnetic oscillating means for generating electromagnetic waves emitted from the transmitting antenna, a receiving antenna for receiving the electromagnetic waves reflected by an object, a means for receiving signals from the receiving antenna, measuring a range from the object based on a time difference between transmitting signals and receiving signals, and also measuring a relative velocity based on a Doppler frequency of the received electromagnetic waves, an operating means for judging a degree of a risk of a collision with the object based on the measurements by the above receiving and measuring means, and an alarm means for reporting the degree of the risk judged by the operating means.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the device for monitoring surroundings of a vehicle according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are a commonly used single antenna, or the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are separate and independent each other.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the device for monitoring surroundings of a vehicle according to the first or second aspect of the invention, wherein constitutional elements fabricating the device for monitoring surroundings of the vehicle are integrated.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the device for monitoring surroundings of vehicle according to the first, second, or third aspect of the invention, wherein all of constitutional elements or at least the transmitting and receiving antennas of the device for monitoring surroundings of the vehicle are equipped in an inside of a door mounted exterior mirror or at a periphery of the door mounted exterior mirror.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the device for monitoring surroundings of a vehicle according to the fourth aspect of the invention, wherein a range of emitting the electromagnetic waves from the transmitting antenna and receiving the waves reflected by the object in the receiving antenna includes a blind spot in a relatively point-blank range, where a driver cannot observe using the door mounted exterior mirror, and the range of emitting is a range of detecting the object, such as vehicles, approaching from a back of a driver's own vehicle in a relatively far range.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the device for monitoring surroundings of vehicle according to the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth aspect of the invention, wherein a radome is provided in fronts of the transmitting and receiving antennas; and at least one of intervals, between an emitting surface of the electromagnetic waves of the transmitting antenna and an inner surface of the radome and between a receiving surface of the electromagnetic waves of the receiving antenna and the inner surface of the radome, has a size corresponding to one wavelength or a half wavelength of a period of the generated electromagnetic waves.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4783666 (1988-11-01), Ast et al.
patent: 5325096 (1994-06-01), Pakett
patent: 5339075 (1994-08-01), Abst et al.
patent: 5517196 (1996-05-01), Pakett et al.
patent: 5786772 (1998-07-01), Schofield et al.
patent: 54-45040 (1979-04-01), None
Honma Shinichi
Yamabuchi Hiroshi
Lee Benjamin C.
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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