Patent ID: 8810445

Claim:
An object recognition apparatus that recognizes presence of an object to be detected based on the results of sequentially emitting probe waves along a predetermined scan direction so that the probe waves are adjacently juxtaposed, the apparatus comprising: location acquiring means that acquires a measured-distance datum indicating the location of an object, the measured-distance datum being generated for each emission of the probe wave based on a reflected wave from the object, the reflected wave being obtained as a result of emitting the probe wave; image acquiring means that acquires an image datum that is an image of an area at least including a scan area of the probe waves; candidate detecting means that detects a candidate area in which measured-distance datums are grouped as belonging to the same group, based on the measured-distance datums acquired by the location acquiring means, the grouped measured-distance datums being included in an area formed by those measured-distance datums which are spaced apart by a distance of not more than a predetermined allowable value; special candidate area determining means that determines a special candidate area in the candidate area detected by the candidate detecting means, the special candidate area having a probability of including at least two or more objects to be detected which are adjacently located along a predetermined direction; range detecting means that recognizes an object by subjecting the image datum acquired by the image acquiring means to an image recognition process and detects a range of measured-distance datums in which the objects to be detected reside, the objects being imaged in an area on the image datum, the area corresponding to the special candidate area; and candidate dividing means that divides the special candidate area at a border position between objects, the border position corresponding to an end of the range of the measured-distance datums detected by the range detecting means.