Patent ID: 7721838
Filing Date: 2010-05-25
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
1. A collision obstacle discrimination device for a vehicle, comprising: at least one upper detection unit which is arranged between a bumper and side members of the vehicle, the upper detection unit detecting at least a component of a collision energy when an obstacle collides with the bumper, the component being in an extension direction of the side members; at least one lower detection unit which is disposed at a lower side of the upper detection unit with respect to a direction perpendicular to a ground, the lower detection unit detecting a collision energy which is closer to the ground than the component of the side-member extension direction of the collision energy detected by the upper detection unit; and a discrimination unit which sort-discriminates the obstacle by comparing the collision energy detected by the upper detection unit and the collision energy detected by the lower detection unit; wherein the discrimination unit determines that the obstacle is not fixed on the ground, in the case where the collision energy detected by the upper detection unit is larger than or equal to a threshold value; the discrimination unit determines that the obstacle is not fixed on the ground, in the case where the collision energy detected by the upper detection unit is smaller than the collision energy detected by the lower detection unit with a difference therebetween larger than or equal to a first threshold value during a first predetermined period and the collision energy detected by the lower detection unit is smaller than the collision energy detected by the upper detection unit with a difference therebetween larger than or equal to a second threshold value during a second predetermined period, and the second predetermined period being after the first predetermined period.