Abstract: An estimation device includes an information acquisition unit, a detection determination unit, a direction determination unit, and a direction estimation unit. When an object is a first-time detected object, the direction determination unit determines whether a relative direction acquired by the information acquisition unit is a direction toward an own vehicle. When the relative direction acquired by the information acquisition unit is a direction toward the own vehicle, the direction estimation unit estimates that a direction predetermined according to an object position acquired by the information acquisition unit is the movement direction of the object.

Abstract: An image processing unit identifies the shape of an obstacle that is identified from an area that appears in a peripheral image based on an image captured by a camera. The shape of the obstacle includes at least a tilt of a section of the obstacle in a road-surface direction. The section of the obstacle faces a vehicle. The image processing unit generates a superimposed image in which a mark image that is generated as a pattern that indicates the identified obstacle is superimposed onto a position that corresponds to the obstacle in the peripheral image. At this time, the image processing unit variably changes properties of the mark image based on the tilt of the obstacle identified by an obstacle identifying unit. The image processing unit then displays the generated superimposed image on display apparatus.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus drives a piezoelectric vibrator to transmit an ultrasonic wave, and receives a reflected wave that is reflected from an object. The object detection apparatus includes the piezoelectric vibrator, a drive circuit that supplies drive power which drives the piezoelectric vibrator, and a resistor section that is connected in parallel with the piezoelectric vibrator and has a resistance value that is variable.

Abstract: In a sensor system, a monitoring ECU includes a result-transmission-instruction transmission section that transmits through a signal line a measurement result transmission instruction for transmitting distance data. The result-transmission-instruction transmission section transmits, during a new detection operation, the measurement result transmission instruction to at least one of the ultrasonic sensors engaged in a last detection operation. Upon receipt of the measurement result transmission instruction, a communication section of the ultrasonic sensors transmits a detection result during the new detection operation.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus includes an object detecting unit detecting an object present around a subject vehicle based on received waves, in a case of receiving reflected waves, from the object, of ultrasonic waves transmitted from an ultrasonic sensor as transmitted waves. The object detection apparatus includes a temperature sensor detecting a temperature of the ultrasonic sensor, and based on a detected value of the temperature of the ultrasonic sensor, corrects at least one of a reception sensitivity for the received waves received by the ultrasonic sensor and a transmission intensity for the transmitted waves from the ultrasonic sensor. The object detection apparatus then detects the object using the corrected received waves.

Abstract: An obstacle detection apparatus includes: a transceiver transmitting a transmission wave and receiving an ultrasonic wave; a transmission controller; a receiver circuit detecting a signal level of a receiving wave; a distance calculator sequentially calculating a distance to an object reflecting the transmission wave; a memory storing the distance to the object; an obstacle determinator determining whether the object is an obstacle; and a reception level monitoring device monitoring the signal level of the receiving wave before the transmission wave being transmitted. When the signal level exceeds a predetermined threshold, the obstacle determinator sets a first number of determination data elements to an increased number of determinations for a predetermined period to be used for determining whether the object is the obstacle, as being larger than a second number of determination data elements used when the signal level does not exceed the predetermined threshold.

Abstract: An obstacle detection device includes a plurality of ultrasonic sensors and a detection control unit. The detection control unit detects an object by using one of at least two of the ultrasonic sensors as a transmission sensor that transmits an ultrasonic wave and the other of the at least two of the ultrasonic sensors as a reception sensor that receives the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the transmission sensor and reflected. A difference of heights of the one used as the transmission sensor and the other used as the reception sensor attached to a surface of a vehicle body from a ground is a predetermined threshold height that is defined based on twice a height of a bump on the ground as a non-detection object.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus mounted to a vehicle includes a transmitter, a receiver, a filter, a threshold calculator, and an object determinator. The transmitter transmits a probe wave in pulse form. The receiver receives a reflected wave of the probe wave. The filter passes, among the received reflected wave, only frequencies that are at least smaller than a pulse frequency of the probe wave. Based on an output of the filter, the threshold calculator calculates an objection determination threshold for determining presence and absence of an object. The object determinator determines the presence and absence of the object by using the objection determination threshold calculated by the threshold calculator.

Abstract: An ultrasonic object detection device includes: a first echo prolongation determination unit that sequentially determines whether a measured echo time of an ultrasonic sensor is prolonged from a reference echo time; a second echo prolongation determination unit that determines whether an addition echo time is prolonged from the reference echo time when the measured echo time is not prolonged from the reference echo time, and the ultrasonic sensor detects a reflected wave, the addition echo time being obtained by adding, to the measured echo time, a time from termination of an echo to termination of a first reflected wave; and a short distance object detection unit that determines that an object is disposed within a short distance so as to receive the reflected wave while the echo is not terminated when one of the measured echo time or addition echo time is prolonged from the reference echo time.

Abstract: An ultrasonic object detection device includes: a first echo prolongation determination unit that sequentially determines whether a measured echo time of an ultrasonic sensor is prolonged from a reference echo time; a second echo prolongation determination unit that determines whether an addition echo time is prolonged from the reference echo time when the measured echo time is not prolonged from the reference echo time, and the ultrasonic sensor detects a reflected wave, the addition echo time being obtained by adding, to the measured echo time, a time from termination of an echo to termination of a first reflected wave; and a short distance object detection unit that determines that an object is disposed within a short distance so as to receive the reflected wave while the echo is not terminated when one of the measured echo time or addition echo time is prolonged from the reference echo time.

Abstract: An obstacle detection apparatus includes: a transceiver transmitting a transmission wave and receiving an ultrasonic wave; a transmission controller; a receiver circuit detecting a signal level of a receiving wave; a distance calculator sequentially calculating a distance to an object reflecting the transmission wave; a memory storing the distance to the object; an obstacle determinator determining whether the object is an obstacle; and a reception level monitoring device monitoring the signal level of the receiving wave before the transmission wave being transmitted. When the signal level exceeds a predetermined threshold, the obstacle determinator sets a first number of determination data elements to an increased number of determinations for a predetermined period to be used for determining whether the object is the obstacle, as being larger than a second number of determination data elements used when the signal level does not exceed the predetermined threshold.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus is arranged to detect the distance to the object and includes: a transceiver repeatedly transmitting a wave as an ultrasonic wave and receives a reflection wave of the transmission wave; a transmission controller controlling the transceiver to transmit the transmission wave; a distance calculator calculating a distance to the object, based on a time interval from a moment when the transceiver transmits the wave to a moment when the reflection wave is received; and a transmission timing controller controlling timing at which the transmission controller controls the transmission wave to be transmitted. Moreover, the transmission timing controller inserts at least one type of temporary waiting time between a transmission/reception period in which the transceiver transmits the transmission wave and receives the reflection wave and a next transmission/reception period, when a predetermined crosstalk identification condition is established based on the distance to the object.

Abstract: An obstacle detection apparatus for vehicles includes: a first ultrasonic sensor for detecting a distance to an obstacle; a second ultrasonic sensor at a position of the vehicle for receiving a reflection wave from the obstacle of an ultrasonic wave from the first ultrasonic wave; a notifier that gives a notification of detecting the obstacle present within a preset distance in one or more of predetermined notification areas including a first notification area for the first ultrasonic sensor, and a second notification area for the second ultrasonic sensor detects the obstacle for the vehicle; and a controller that controls contents to be notified by the notifier. Furthermore, the controller determines whether a first indirect wave distance and a second indirect wave distance are used to determine whether to give the notification of detecting the obstacle in the first notification area.

Abstract: An ultrasonic type object detection apparatus sequentially detects a distance between an ultrasonic sensor and an object in a coverage of a transmission wave at a predetermined detection cycle based on a time taken for the ultrasonic sensor to transmit the transmission wave and then to receive a reflection wave. The apparatus includes: a storage storing the distance to the object; a vehicle information acquisition device acquiring vehicle information for calculating a movement distance; a detection distance predictor predicting a next detected distance to the object based on a past detection result and the vehicle information; and a short range determinator determining whether the object is present in a short range area in which the distance between the object and the ultrasonic sensor is equal to or shorter than a short range threshold.

Abstract: An obstacle detection apparatus for vehicles includes: a first probe wave sensor detecting a direct wave distance as a distance to an obstacle by transmitting a probe wave and receiving a reflection wave of the probe wave reflected by the obstacle; a second probe wave sensor receiving the reflection wave to detect an indirect wave distance as a distance to the obstacle by receiving the reflection wave; an approach determinator determining whether the obstacle is present between the first probe wave sensor and the second probe wave sensor and whether the obstacle is approaching the vehicle; and a distance determinator determining an obstacle distance to be less than or equal to a predetermined distance range when the indirect wave distance falls out of the distance range as the obstacle is present between the first probe wave sensor and the second probe wave sensor and the obstacle is approaching the vehicle.

Abstract: An obstacle detection apparatus includes: a transceiver transmitting a transmission wave and receiving an ultrasonic wave; a transmission controller; a receiver circuit detecting a signal level of a receiving wave; a distance calculator sequentially calculating a distance to an object reflecting the transmission wave; a memory storing the distance to the object; an obstacle determination device determining whether the object is an obstacle; and a reception level monitoring device monitoring the signal level of the receiving wave before the transmission wave being transmitted. When the signal level exceeds a predetermined threshold, the obstacle determination device sets a first number of determination data elements to an increased number of determinations for a predetermined period to be used for determining whether the object is the obstacle, as being larger than a second number of determination data elements used when the signal level does not exceed the predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A sound wave sensor in a distance detecting system determines a presence or absence of a target object and a distance to the target object by receiving, with a preset sensitivity, a reflected wave obtained from a transmitted sound wave reflected by the target object. A correction value used to correct the sensitivity of the sound wave sensor is obtained from outside the sound wave sensor, and the sensitivity is corrected by using this correction value.

Abstract: A parallel running vehicle detecting apparatus is provided, which includes a first distance sensor for detecting distance of an object in a first detection area on a rear lateral side of a vehicle, a second distance sensor for detecting distance of an object in a second detection area, a parallel running vehicle detector for detecting a parallel running vehicle based on detections of the first and second distance sensors, and a storage for storing a detection distance history of the second distance sensor. The parallel running vehicle detector is provided with multiple determination conditions for determining whether the object detected by the first distance sensor is the parallel running vehicle, and changes the parallel running vehicle determination condition based on the detection distance history stored in the storage.

Abstract: A parallel running vehicle detecting apparatus is provided, which includes a first distance sensor for detecting distance of an object in a first detection area on a rear lateral side of a vehicle, a second distance sensor for detecting distance of an object in a second detection area, a parallel running vehicle detector for detecting a parallel running vehicle based on detections of the first and second distance sensors, and a storage for storing a detection distance history of the second distance sensor. The parallel running vehicle detector is provided with multiple determination conditions for determining whether the object detected by the first distance sensor is the parallel running vehicle, and changes the parallel running vehicle determination condition based on the detection distance history stored in the storage.

Abstract: In a sensor system, a monitoring ECU includes a result-transmission-instruction transmission section that transmits through a signal line a measurement result transmission instruction for transmitting distance data. The result-transmission-instruction transmission section transmits, during a new detection operation, the measurement result transmission instruction to at least one of the ultrasonic sensors engaged in a last detection operation. Upon receipt of the measurement result transmission instruction, a communication section of the ultrasonic sensors transmits a detection result during the new detection operation.