Abstract: An obstacle identification apparatus acquires an image that is captured by a camera mounted to a vehicle. The obstacle identification apparatus calculates a first gradient that is a gradient in a first direction of a luminance value of pixels in the image and a second gradient that is a gradient of the luminance value in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction of the first gradient. Based on the first gradient and the second gradient, the obstacle identification apparatus estimates an own-vehicle shadow boundary. Based on the estimated own-vehicle shadow boundary, the obstacle identification apparatus estimates an own-vehicle shadow. Based on a luminance value of the estimated own-vehicle shadow, the obstacle identification apparatus estimates an object shadow that is a shadow of an object differing from the own-vehicle shadow.

Abstract: A vehicle alert apparatus acquires an object distance between an object and a vehicle, presumes a predicted moving route of the vehicle when the object distance is shorter than or equal to a threshold object distance. The vehicle alert apparatus calculates a collision distance which the vehicle has moves along the predicted moving route until the vehicle collides with the object or the vehicle has moved to a position closest to the object when determining that the vehicle potentially collides with the object, based on the predicted moving route. The vehicle alert apparatus performs a first alert when the collision distance is larger than a threshold collision distance. The vehicle alert apparatus performs a second alert having a higher alert level of alerting the driver than the alert level of the first alert when the collision distance is shorter than or equal to the threshold collision distance.

Abstract: In an apparatus for identifying an obstacle around a vehicle, an acquirer is configured to acquire an image captured by a camera mounted to the vehicle. An extractor is configured to extract feature points of the image. A generator is configured to generate an optical flow that is a movement vector from each of the feature points of the image acquired before the current time to a corresponding feature point of the image acquired at the current time. A classifier configured to classify the optical flows into groups each corresponding to an object in the image based on pixel positions of the feature points. An identifier is configured to, for each of the groups that the optical flows are classified by the classifier into, identify whether an object corresponding to the group in the image is a stationary object or a moving object based on a degree of variability in lengths of the optical flows of the group.

Abstract: An obstacle recognition device of a vehicle provided with a camera capturing an image around the vehicle, includes an acquiring unit sequentially acquiring the image captured by the camera; a feature point extracting unit extracting a plurality of feature points of an object included in the image; a calculation unit calculating each motion distance of the plurality of feature points between the image previously acquired and the image currently acquired by the acquiring unit; a first determination unit determining whether each motion distance of the feature points is larger than or equal to a first threshold; a second determination unit determining whether each motion distance of the feature points is larger than or equal to a second threshold; and an obstacle recognition unit recognizing an obstacle.

Abstract: An alert apparatus of a vehicle generates an alert to a driver when an object is a target alert object that is is an object that is present in one of predetermined areas around the vehicle and that has object distance equal to or shorter than a first distance threshold. The alert apparatus sets each one or more of said predetermined areas to a high level alert area based on a current shift range, and set each of the rest of said predetermined areas to a low level alert area.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus for detecting an object around a moving object by transmitting a probe wave and receiving reflections of the probe wave from the object via the plurality of ranging sensors. In the apparatus, an interaction determiner is configured to, if an object position calculated by a position calculator is within a range of a moving-object's course, determine whether or not the detected object is likely to interact with the moving object based on a lateral position of the detected object and a degree of confidence of the object position calculated by the position calculator. The lateral position of the detected object is the object position calculated by the position calculator in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the moving object.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus includes a first detection unit that detects an object based on a reflected version of probing waves transmitted by a first distance sensor and received as direct waves by the first distance sensor, a second detection unit that detects the object based on a reflected version of the probing waves received as indirect waves by a second distance sensor, a position calculation unit that calculates position data of the object using a trilateration method, a counter update unit that updates a counter value of a reliability level determination counter by an update amount, and an update amount setting unit that variably sets the value of the update amount depending on which position within detection areas of the first and second distance sensors the position data calculated in the current detection cycle shows the object to be in.

Abstract: An object detecting apparatus includes a distance calculator that calculates a distance to the object, a wave height acquirer that acquires a respective peak value of the plurality of reflected waves, and multiple reflection determiner. When a reflected wave for which a first distance to the object is calculated to be the smallest in the reflected waves is defined as a first wave, and another reflected wave to which a second distance is calculated as twice or more integer times the first distance calculated for the first wave and a difference of the peak value relative to the first wave which is larger than a predetermined value is present in the reflected waves, the multiple reflection determiner determines that multiple reflection is occurring in a second wave or thereafter.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus includes a first acquisition unit that acquires, as a first direct wave group, reflected versions of first probing waves transmitted from and received at a first position, and acquires, as a first indirect wave group reflected versions of the first probing waves received at a second position, a second acquisition unit that acquires, as a second indirect wave group, reflected versions of second probing waves transmitted from the second position and received at the first position, and acquires, as a second direct wave group, reflected versions of the second probing wave received at the second position, and a determination unit that determines whether the object is a real object or a ghost in accordance with the receptions times of the first and second direct wave groups and the first and second indirect wave groups.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus is applied to a movable body including an object detection sensor which transmits a search wave and receives a reflected wave of the search wave as detection information of an object, and detects the object present around the movable body based on the detection information. The apparatus includes a frequency detection section which detects an occurrence frequency of a disturbance signal at the same time within a predetermined transmission time period determined with reference to a transmission period of the search wave, and a disturbance determination section which determines presence or absence of occurrence of disturbance based on the occurrence frequency detected by the frequency detection section.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus for detecting an object around a moving object carrying the apparatus by transmitting a probe wave and receiving reflections of the probe wave from the object via a plurality of ranging sensors attached to the moving object. In the apparatus, a tentative same-object determiner is configured to, if it is determined by a same-object determiner that the objects detected in the current and previous cycles are not the same, determine whether or not the objects detected in the current and previous cycles are likely to be the same. A determination suspender is configured to, if it is determined that the objects detected in the current and previous cycles are likely to be the same, suspend determining that the objects detected in the current and previous cycles are not the same.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus for detecting objects around the apparatus by transmitting a probe wave and receiving reflections from the objects. If it is determined that both first and second object positions can be calculated using a combination of first direct and indirect waves and a combination of second direct and indirect waves, respectively, and at least one of third and fourth object positions can be calculated using a combination of the second direct wave and the first indirect wave and a combination of the first direct wave and the second indirect wave, only the first object position is calculated. The second direct wave is received at a first location after receipt of the first direct wave at the first location. The second indirect wave is received at a second location away from the first location after receipt of the first indirect wave at the second location.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus for detecting an object around a moving object carrying the apparatus by transmitting a probe wave and receiving reflections of the probe wave from the object via a plurality of ranging sensors attached to the moving object. In the apparatus, a position determiner determines whether or not a position of the object calculated by a position calculator based on the reflections received by a pair of adjacent ranging sensors, from one of which is the probe wave is transmitted, is out of an overlapping range of ranges of object detection for the respective adjacent ranging sensors. A position invalidator is configured to, based on the determination made by the position determiner, determine that the object position calculated by the position calculator is invalid.

Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus is mounted in a vehicle and includes: an object detecting unit that detects an object in a travelling direction of the vehicle; and a suppressing unit that suppresses driving force of the vehicle when the object detecting unit detects the object. The suppressing unit performs a first process to gradually increase the driving force when a command to move in the travelling direction is issued and the vehicle is stopped in a state in which the driving force of the vehicle is suppressed, and after the vehicle starts to move from the stopped state, performs a second process to gradually increase the driving force with an amount of increase per time in the driving force that is less than that in the first process.

Abstract: A driving assistance apparatus operates a collision avoidance apparatus that is mounted in a vehicle based on a distance to an object that is positioned ahead of the vehicle in a travelling direction. The driving assistance apparatus includes: a resistance determining unit that determines whether or not running resistance that suppresses rolling of wheels forward in the travelling direction of the vehicle is present; an operation determining unit that determines whether or not an accelerator operation by a driver of the vehicle is being performed; and a distance setting unit that sets an operation distance that is a distance at which the collision avoidance apparatus is operated. When the resistance determining unit determines that the running resistance is present and when the operation determining unit determines that the accelerator operation is being performed, the distance setting unit sets the operation distance to a value that is less than that when the running resistance is not present.

Abstract: An object detecting apparatus that detects an object using a distance measuring sensor and is mounted in a moving body includes a position calculator that calculates a position of the object relative to the moving body, a speed detector that detects a speed of the moving body, a displacement calculator that calculates an distance moved by the moving body, a relative speed calculator that calculates a relative speed between the moving body and the object, a first determiner that determines whether a position calculation in the position calculator is possible, a second determiner that determines whether the moved distance calculation by the displacement calculator is possible, and an estimator that estimate the position of the object based on a last known position of the object, a last known distance moved by the moving body, or a last known relative speed.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus is installed in a movable body and detects an object. The apparatus includes a first detection section which transmits search waves in a moving direction of the moving object, and receives reflected waves as detection information to detect the object, a second detection section which transmits search waves in the moving direction, and receives reflected waves as detection information, an obstacle determination section which determines that an obstacle is present in the moving direction, based on detection results of the first and second detection sections, and a crossing determination section which determines that the obstacle has crossed, in a state where the obstacle determination section determines that the obstacle is present, if the determination that the obstacle is present is made by continuous detection, and if a state where the object is continuously detected changes to a state where the object is not detected.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus for detecting an object around a moving object by transmitting a probe wave and receiving reflections of the probe wave from the object via the plurality of ranging sensors. In the apparatus, an interaction determiner is configured to, if an object position calculated by a position calculator is within a range of a moving-object's course, determine whether or not the detected object is likely to interact with the moving object based on a lateral position of the detected object and a degree of confidence of the object position calculated by the position calculator. The lateral position of the detected object is the object position calculated by the position calculator in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the moving object.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus is installed in a movable body and detects an object. The apparatus includes a first detection section which transmits search waves in a moving direction of the moving object, and receives reflected waves as detection information to detect the object, a second detection section which transmits search waves in the moving direction, and receives reflected waves as detection information, an obstacle determination section which determines that an obstacle is present in the moving direction, based on detection results of the first and second detection sections, and a crossing determination section which determines that the obstacle has crossed, in a state where the obstacle determination section determines that the obstacle is present, if the determination that the obstacle is present is made by continuous detection, and if a state where the object is continuously detected changes to a state where the object is not detected.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus for detecting an object around a moving object carrying the apparatus by transmitting a probe wave and receiving reflections of the probe wave from the object via a plurality of ranging sensors attached to the moving object. In the apparatus, a tentative same-object determiner is configured to, if it is determined by a same-object determiner that the objects detected in the current and previous cycles are not the same, determine whether or not the objects detected in the current and previous cycles are likely to be the same. A determination suspender is configured to, if it is determined that the objects detected in the current and previous cycles are likely to be the same, suspend determining that the objects detected in the current and previous cycles are not the same.