Patent ID: 7924215

Claim:
A radar apparatus comprising: a transmitting and receiving unit that transmits a transmission signal, receives a reflection signal of the transmission signal, and outputs a detection signal; and an object detecting unit that detects a distance of an object from the radar apparatus and a relative velocity of the object based on the detection signal; wherein the object detecting unit computes a distance of closest approach r of the object at two timing points based on a change in the distance of the object from the radar apparatus and a change in a component of the relative velocity of the object in a radar-apparatus direction acquired from the detection signal, and wherein the distance of closest approach r of the object is calculated as follows: r = L ⁢ ⁢ 1 · L ⁢ ⁢ 2 · ( V ⁢ ⁢ mod ⁢ ⁢ 1 2 - V ⁢ ⁢ mod ⁢ ⁢ 2 2 ) V ⁢ ⁢ mod ⁢ ⁢ 1 2 · L ⁢ ⁢ 1 2 - V ⁢ ⁢ mod ⁢ ⁢ 2 2 · L ⁢ ⁢ 2 2 wherein L 1 denotes a distance detected at a first timing point of the two timing points, Vmod 1 denotes a component of the relative velocity in the radar-apparatus direction at the first timing point, L 2 denotes a distance detected at a second timing point of the two timing points, and Vmod 2 denotes a component of the relative velocity in the radar-apparatus direction at the second timing point.