Patent ID: 7388474

Claim:
An obstacle detection system provided in a vehicle, comprising: a first sensor that detects which distance range an obstacle enters, of a plurality of distance ranges into which a detection zone is divided based on a distance from the vehicle, wherein the detection zone of the first sensor includes at least one of a zone facing a front side of the vehicle and a zone facing a front corner of the vehicle; a second sensor that detects which distance range an obstacle enters, of a plurality of distance ranges into which a detection zone is divided based on a distance from the vehicle, wherein the detection zone of the second sensor includes at least one of a zone facing a rear side of the vehicle and a zone facing a rear corner of the vehicle; a single warning unit that warns an occupant of the vehicle; a first warning control unit that causes, in a single-sensor detection condition where only one of the two sensors detects an obstacle entering in the detection zone, the warning unit to warn by using the warning unit in a primary warning pattern prepared for each of the distance ranges, based on the distance range entered by the detected obstacle; and a second warning control unit that causes, in a both-sensor detection condition where each of the two sensors detects an obstacle entering in the detection zone, the warning unit to warn by using the warning unit in a different warning pattern differentiated from the primary warning pattern in a first both-sensor detection condition, wherein at least one of the two sensors detects the obstacle entering a shortest distance range of the plurality of ranges, and in the primary warning pattern corresponding to the distance range entered by the obstacle that is closer to the vehicle of the obstacles detected by the two sensors in a second both-sensor detection condition, wherein the second both-sensor detection condition is different from the first both-sensor detection condition.