Patent ID: 7509217
Filing Date: 2009-03-24
Classification: G01S

Abstract:
1. A vehicle detecting method arranged to detect another vehicle existing in the vicinity of a host vehicle, the vehicle detecting method comprising: repeatedly radiating electromagnetic waves from the host vehicle in a predetermined range; detecting at least part of an object as a detection point by receiving electromagnetic waves reflected by the object in the predetermined range; determining that a group of a plurality of detection points detected with one radiating operation is a candidate to be a vehicle and setting a determining virtual window encompassing the group of detection points, if the group of detection points includes a predetermined or larger number of detection points in a predetermined area; determining that the group of detection points is still a candidate to be a vehicle if a change in the group of detection points with respect to a plurality of detection points obtained with a subsequent radiating operation is small; repeating detection and determination for each radiating operation, and determining that the group of detection points is still a candidate to be a vehicle if a change in the group of detection points with respect to a plurality of detection points obtained with each successive radiating operation remains small; and if a change in the group of detection points with respect to a plurality of detection points obtained with the subsequent radiating operation is small, causing the determining virtual window to move following a movement of the group of detection points in the determining virtual window, where a representative coordinate point in the group of detection points before the movement and a representative coordinate point in the group of detection points after the movement are calculated, and the determining virtual window is moved by the amount of movement of the representative coordinate point in the group of detection points after the movement relative to the representative coordinate point in the group of detection points before the movement to cause the determining virtual window to track the group of detection points.