Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and methods for detecting vehicles and objects in the proximity of a host vehicle.
Vehicles are commonly equipped with sensors, such as radar systems, that are used to detect other vehicles and other objects located around a vehicle. When sensors are positioned toward the rear of the vehicle, the sensors cannot detect other vehicles and objects located around a complete perimeter of vehicle. Furthermore, adjusting a position of the sensors to detect objects closer to a front of a vehicle often reduces the ability of the sensors to detect objects closer to the rear of the vehicle. Furthermore, adding sensors to a vehicle increases the cost and complexity of the vehicle.
In one embodiment, the invention provides a detection system including a housing configured to be secured to a corner of a vehicle. A first antenna face associated with a first antenna is supported by the housing. A second antenna face associated with a second antenna is also supported by the housing. The external side of the second antenna face is positioned at a reflex angle with respect to an external side of the first antenna face.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a detection system including a housing configured to be secured to a corner of a vehicle. A first antenna face associated with a first antenna is supported by the housing. A second antenna face associated with a second antenna is supported by the housing. An external side of the second antenna face is positioned at a reflex angle with respect to an external side of the first antenna face. The detection system also includes an electronic control unit configured to receive signals from the first antenna and the second antenna. The signals represent an object detected around the vehicle and the first antenna and the second antenna output a signal to a vehicle controller providing information regarding the object.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.
It should be noted that a plurality of hardware and software based devices, as well as a plurality of different structural components may be used to implement the invention. In addition, it should be understood that embodiments of the invention may include hardware, software, and electronic components or modules that, for purposes of discussion, may be illustrated and described as if the majority of the components were implemented solely in hardware. However, one of ordinary skill in the art, and based on a reading of this detailed description, would recognize that, in at least one embodiment, the electronic based aspects of the invention may be implemented in software (e.g., stored on non-transitory computer-readable medium) executable by one or more processors. As such, it should be noted that a plurality of hardware and software based devices, as well as a plurality of different structural components may be utilized to implement the invention. For example, “control units” and “controllers” described in the specification can include one or more processors, one or more memory modules including non-transitory computer-readable medium, one or more input/output interfaces, and various connections (e.g., a system bus) connecting the components.
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To solve these and other problems, embodiments of the invention provide a detection system with two faces and methods for operating the same.
The housing 205 supports a first antenna face 215 and a second antenna face 220. In some embodiments, the housing 205 is formed as one or more manufactured pieces including the first antenna face 215 and the second antenna face 220. Alternatively, the first antenna face 215 and the second antenna face 220 can be formed as a layer (e.g., a contiguous layer) that is overlaid on and supported by the housing 205. The first antenna face 215 is associated with a first antenna 225, and the second antenna face 220 is associated with a second antenna 230 (see
The first antenna face 215 is positioned adjacent to the second antenna face 220. In particular, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, the signal generator 305 includes a radar signal generator. Accordingly, in these embodiments, the first antenna 225 and the second antenna 230 transmit the voltage pulses received from the signal generator 305 as radar signals and the signal generator receives voltage pulses from the first antenna 225 and the second antenna 230 based on reflected radar signals detected by the first antenna 225 and the second antenna 230. However, it should be understood that in addition to or as an alternative to using radar signals, the detection system 200 can use other types of signals for detecting objects located around a vehicle, including ultrasonic signals, light (ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared, infrared, etc.) signals, etc.
The ECU 310 communicates with one or more vehicle controllers either directly or over a network. For example, in some embodiments, the ECU 310 is connected to a communication controller 315, such as a controller area network (“CAN”) controller. The communication controller 315 is connected to network, such as a CAN bus, which connects to one or more vehicle controllers. It should be understood that the ECU 310 can be configured to connect to other types of vehicle communication networks or buses in addition to or as an alternative to a CAN bus, including a local interconnect network (“LIN”), an Ethernet bus, etc. Also, in some embodiments, the functionality of the communication controller 315 is performed by the ECU 310 (e.g., the ECU 310 includes an interface to a vehicle communication network).
The ECU 310 receives and analyzes signals received from the signal generator 305 and, based on the analyzed signals, provides information (e.g., on the CAN bus through the communication controller 315) regarding objects detected around the vehicle (e.g., position, speed, classification, etc.).
The ECU 310 includes a plurality of electrical and electronic components that provide power, operational control, and protection to the components within the ECU 310. In particular, as illustrated in
The memory 410 includes a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area and the data storage area can include combinations of different types of non-transitory memory (i.e., computer-readable medium), such as read-only memory (“ROM”) and random access memory (“RAM”). The processing unit 405 is connected to the memory 410 and fetches and executes instructions stored in the memory 410. As noted above, the instructions executed by the processing unit 405 can include instructions for exchanging information with the signal generator 305 and the communication controller 315 and processing information received from the signal generator 305 and the communication controller 315.
For example, the instructions can include instructions for controlling the signal generator 305, and, consequently, controlling the transmission of signals. In some embodiments, the first antenna 225 is configured to transmit a signal designed or optimized to detect objects in a near field (i.e., short-range), and the second antenna 230 is configured to transmit a signal that detects objects in a medium field (i.e., medium-range). This configuration can allow the ECU 310 to determine (1) whether a lane adjacent to a vehicle is clear through the first antenna 225 and (2) whether any objects, such as other vehicles, are rapidly approaching the vehicle through the second antenna 230, which has a further detection range. It should be understood that even if an antenna is configured with a medium range, the antenna can still detect objects close to the vehicle, such as posts, shopping carts, people, and animals.
As noted above, the ECU 310 can be configured to detect objects based on signals received form the signal generator 305. The ECU can also be configured to determine a position and a speed (e.g., relative to the vehicle) of detected objects. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the ECU 310 is configured to classify objects detected around a vehicle (e.g., post, vehicle, stationary object, person, etc.). The ECU 310 transmits all of this information to the communication controller 315. The communication controller 315 can be configured to forward the information to the CAN bus, where it can be used by other vehicle controllers (e.g., controllers performing automatic maneuvers). In some embodiments, the communication controller 315 is also configured to process the information received from the ECU310. For example, the communication controller 315 can be configured to perform all or a portion of the processing described above for the ECU 310 (e.g., object detection, position and speed determination, and/or object classification). Also, in some embodiments, the communication controller 315 can be configured to process the information received form the ECU 310 to determine whether a situation exists that other vehicle controllers should be alerted of. For example, if the information from the ECU 310 indicates that no objects have been detected around the vehicle, the communication controller 315 can be configured to not transmit information on the CAN bus or transmit an “ALL CLEAR” or similar message on the CAN bus. Alternatively, if an object has been detected, the communication controller 315 can transmit a message on the CAN bus providing information regarding the detected object and/or any hazardous situations associated with the detected object (e.g., position, speed, classification, or a combination thereof). The vehicle controllers receiving the messages can react to the message in various ways, including but not limited to activating braking systems, generating blind-spot warning systems, prefilling braking systems, and activating other alerts and safety systems.
It should be understood that, in some embodiments, the first antenna 225 and the second antenna 230 are each associated with a dedicated control unit as described above (e.g., the ECU 310). Similarly, in some embodiments, the first antenna 225 and the second antenna 230 can be associated with a dedicated signal generator, which are controlled by the same control unit (e.g., the ECU 310). In still other embodiments, the functionality of the signal generator 305 can be combined with the ECU 310.
The detection system 200 can be secured to a corner of a vehicle. In particular, the reflex angle formed between the external side of the first antenna face 215 and the second antenna face 220 makes the detection system 200 shaped for installation on a corner of a vehicle. For example, the corner (e.g., rear corner) of a vehicle can have a first surface or curve that generally aligns with the first antenna face 215 and a second surface or curve that generally aligns with the second antenna face 220.
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In some applications, a blind-spot 585 directly behind the rear bumper of the host vehicle 505 is outside of the combined field-of-view 590. The blind-spot 585 can be reduced or eliminated by increasing the width of the rear field-of-view 590. Reducing or eliminating the blind-spot 585 allows the systems 200 to detect objects (e.g., poles, bollards, pedestrians, etc.) located directly behind the host vehicle 505.
It should be understood that the detection system 200 can be positioned at various locations on a vehicle and, in some embodiments, can be secured to one or more corners of a vehicle. For example, as illustrated in
Thus, embodiments of the invention provide, among other things, a detection system for a vehicle including a first antenna face supporting a first antenna and a second antenna face supporting a second antenna. An external side of the first antenna face is positioned at a reflex angle with respect to an external side of the second antenna face. The first antenna and the second antenna provide a combined field-of-view that extends in a horizontal direction to detect objects positioned around a vehicle.
Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.