Patent ID: 7761236

Claim:
An object recognition apparatus for a vehicle comprising: radar means for transmitting a plurality of transmission waves throughout a predetermined angular range in each of vertical and horizontal directions of said vehicle, receiving a plurality of waves from a plurality of reflecting objects in response to the transmission, and detecting distances to the reflecting objects, angles of the reflected waves in the vertical and horizontal directions, and intensities of the reflected waves by using the reflected waves that have been received; decision means for i) determining that the plurality of reflecting objects causing the plurality of reflected waves satisfy a predetermined unity condition on the basis of the detected distances and ii) deciding that the plurality of reflecting objects constitute a unitary reflecting object when it is determined that the plurality of reflecting objects causing the plurality of reflected waves satisfy the predetermined unity condition; selection means for selecting the highest intensity among the intensities of the reflected waves from the reflecting objects decided to be the unitary reflecting object by the decision means; and recognition means for recognizing the reflecting objects on the basis of the distances and the angles and for enhancing a probability that the reflecting objects are recognized as a non-vehicle when the highest intensity selected by the selection means is lower than a predetermined reference intensity.