Obstacle detection apparatus for vehicles

An obstacle detection apparatus for vehicles, the obstacle detection apparatus mounted to a vehicle and comprising:

• a first probe wave sensor that is arranged at a predetermined part of a placement surface of the vehicle, and that has a detectable range to detect 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 that is arranged at a position of the vehicle where the second probe wave sensor receives the reflection wave, and that has a detectable range to detect a distance to the obstacle by receiving the reflection wave;
• a distance difference calculator that calculates a distance difference between a direct wave distance detected by the first probe wave sensor and an indirect wave distance detected by the second probe wave sensor;
• a change amount calculator that calculates an amount of change in the indirect wave distance;
• an approach determinator that determines whether the obstacle is present in an undetectable range, which is a region between the placement surface and an overlapping region of the detectable range of the first probe wave sensor and the detectable range of the second probe wave sensor, based on a determination of
• whether the distance difference is smaller than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, and
• whether the indirect distance is decreasing based on the amount of change in the indirect wave distance;
• and
• a distance determinator that sets an obstacle distance for a driver assistance control to be less than or equal to a predetermined distance range based on the indirect wave distance being outside of the predetermined distance range, in response to the approach determinator determining that the obstacle is approaching the undetectable range in a condition that
• (i) the distance difference is smaller than or equal to the predetermined threshold value, and
• (ii) the distance difference is decreasing based on the amount of change in the indirect wave distance,
• wherein the direct wave distance is a distance from the first probe wave sensor to the obstacle, and is detected by the first probe wave sensor,
• wherein the indirect wave distance is a half of a sum of the distance from the first probe wave sensor to the obstacle and a distance from the obstacle to the second probe wave sensor, and is detected by the second probe wave sensor, and
• wherein the undetectable range is a range in which the indirect wave distance and the direct wave distance cannot be detected.