Patent ID: 7526369
Filing Date: 2009-04-28
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
1. A pedestrian detection device adapted for installation on a vehicle for detecting a collision between the vehicle and a pedestrian, comprising: an infrared ray sensor mounted on the vehicle for detecting a thermal energy resulting from heat rays radiated from a detection object approaching to or in contact with the vehicle to output temperature information related to the detection object; a physical quantity sensor mounted on the vehicle to detect a physical quantity of an impact force exerted by the detection object in collision with the vehicle for generating impact information related to the physical quantity; an impact information generation unit operative to make a first discrimination in response to the temperature information related to the detection object that the detection object is the pedestrian and a second discrimination in response to the impact information related to the physical quantity that the impact information is present, upon which the impact information generation unit generates pedestrian collision information indicative of the pedestrian encountered in the collision in the presence of both the first and second discriminations; the infrared ray sensor includes presence-direction detecting means for detecting a first direction, in which the detection object is present, for outputting presence-direction information related to the first direction in which the detection object is present; and the physical quantity sensor includes a plurality of physical quantity detecting means for detecting a second direction of the impact force exerted by the detection object to generate impact-direction information related to the second direction of the exerted impact force; wherein the impact information generation unit is also operative to make, in addition to the first and second discriminations, a third discrimination in response to the presence-direction information and the impact-direction information for generating the pedestrian collision information when the first and second directions fall in a substantially same direction.