Patent application EP20181020A (EP), filed 2020-06-19
Publication number: EP3754370A1
Title: OBJECT DETECTION DEVICE
Abstract: [0001]    An object detection device (200, 201, 202, 203, 204) includes: a transmission unit (411) transmitting a first transmission wave; a reception unit (421) receiving a first reception wave reflected by an object; a signal processing unit (426) sampling a first processing target signal according to the first reception wave and acquiring a difference signal based on a difference between the first processing target signal for at least one sample at a certain detection timing, and the first processing target signal for a plurality of samples in at least one of first and second periods; a threshold setting unit (428) setting a threshold as a comparison target with the value of the difference signal, based on variation in the values of the first processing target signal for the plurality of samples; and a detection unit (429) detecting information about the object at the detection timing based on a comparison result between the value of the difference signal and the threshold.
IPC codes: G01S  13/    28            A I
G01S  13/    87            A I
G01S  13/   931            A I
G01S  15/    10            A I
G01S  15/   931            A I
G01S  17/    26            A I
G01S  17/   931            A I
G01S   7/   292            A I
G01S   7/    41            A I
G01S   7/    48            A I
G01S   7/   487            A I
G01S   7/   527            A I
G01S   7/   539            A I
Claims: number: 1
text: An object detection device (200, 201, 202, 203, 204) comprising:
number: 2
text: The object detection device according to claim 1, wherein
the signal processing unit is configured to selectively execute, according to settings, a plurality of types of constant false alarm rate (CFAR) processing which include
number: 3
text: The object detection device according to claim 2, wherein,
the threshold setting unit is configured to, when the signal processing unit executes the CA-CFAR processing, set the threshold based on a standard deviation as an indicator indicating variation in the values of the first processing target signal for the plurality of samples according to the first reception wave received in both the first period and the second period, and
the threshold setting unit is configured to, when the signal processing unit executes the GO-CFAR processing, set the threshold based on a standard deviation corresponding to the larger one of the average values among a standard deviation as an indicator indicating the variation in the values of the first processing target signal for the plurality of samples according to the first reception wave received in the first period and a standard deviation as an indicator indicating the variation in the values of the first processing target signal for the plurality of samples according to the first reception wave received in the second period.
number: 4
text: The object detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
the transmission unit is configured to transmit the first transmission wave after encoding the first transmission wave so as to include predetermined identification information, and
the signal processing unit is configured to use a correlation value signal based on a correlation value indicating a degree of similarity of identification information between the first transmission wave and the first reception wave as the first processing target signal to acquire the difference signal.
number: 5
text: The object detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
the transmission unit is configured to transmit a second transmission wave before transmitting the first transmission wave,
the reception unit is configured to receive a second reception wave as the second transmission wave reflected by and returned from a road surface as the object before receiving the first reception wave,
the object detection device further comprises a setting value acquisition unit (430) configured to estimate a shape of the road surface based on information about a second processing target signal according to the second reception wave and to acquire a setting value according to the shape of the road surface based on the estimation result, and
the signal processing unit is configured to acquire the difference signal based on a difference between the value of the first processing target signal for the at least one sample according to the first reception wave received at the detection timing and a larger one of the average value of the values of the first processing target signal for the plurality of samples according to the first reception wave received in at least one of the first period and the second period and the setting value.
number: 6
text: The object detection device according to claim 5, wherein
the setting value acquisition unit is configured to estimate the shape of the road surface, based on encoded information indicating whether or not the second transmission wave and the second reception wave are encoded, an average characteristic based on a moving average of the values of the second processing target signal, and variation in a difference between a value of a signal expressed by an empirical formula that most closely approximates the second processing target signal among the plurality of empirical formulas set in advance and the value of the second processing target signal, as the information about the second processing target signal, and to acquire the setting value based on the estimation result.
number: 7
text: The object detection device according to claim 6, wherein
the setting value acquisition unit is configured to
number: 8
text: The object detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein
the transmission unit and the reception unit are integrally configured as a transmission and reception unit including a single vibrator capable of transmitting and receiving sound waves.
number: 9
text: The object detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein
the detection unit is configured to detect a distance to the object as information about the object.
Office action: search_report, dated 2020-12-23
Rejection reasons: inventive_step_epc_56
Prior art cited: ref_id: EP3382419A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: US5798728A
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: DE102010033384A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: WO2017125472A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: US5798728
ref_type: patent
severity: obviousness
ref_id: DE102010033384
ref_type: patent
severity: obviousness
ref_id: WO2017125472
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: EP3382419
ref_type: patent
severity: obviousness
Final disposition: pending (2020-12-23)