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US 2003/0112174 A1Published application
Method and system for determining driving environment
AssigneeHyundai Motor Company
InventorJee-Young Kim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
When a reflective wave reflected from a preceding object is received, the reflective wave being of an original radar beam scanned at a variable vertical angle, the vertical angle is detected, an absolute speed of the preceding object is calculated based on a vehicle speed and a relative speed calculated from the reflective wave, and accordingly a driving environment is determined based on the vertical angle and the absolute speed.
Claims14
A method for determining vehicle driving environment, comprising:
- scanning a radar beam from the vehicle at a variable vertical angle;
- detecting a reflected wave from the radar beam being reflected from an object;
- detecting the vertical angle of the radar beam when the reflected wave is detected;
- calculating a relative speed of the object based on the reflected wave;
- detecting a vehicle speed of the vehicle;
- calculating an absolute speed of the object based on the relative speed and the vehicle speed;
- comparing the vertical angle with a predetermined angle;
- and
- comparing the absolute speed with a predetermined speed.
6 more elements
A vehicle driving environment determining system for detecting an object, the system comprising:
- a radar for scanning a radar beam and detecting a reflected wave reflected from an object;
- a mirror for adjusting a vertical angle of the scanned radar beam according to an angular position thereof;
- a mirror angle detector for detecting the angular position of the mirror;
- a stepper motor for adjusting the angular position of the mirror;
- and
- an electronic control unit (ECU) programmed for:
- calculating a relative speed of the object based on the reflected wave detected by the radar;
- calculating an absolute speed of the object based on the relative speed and a vehicle speed of the vehicle;
- detecting the vertical angle of the radar beam;
- and comparing the vertical angle and the absolute speed with a predetermined angle and speed, respectively.
7 more elements
A method for determining road grade from a vehicle, the method comprising:
- projecting a radar from a vehicle toward an object, the object reflecting a radar wave back to the vehicle;
- receiving the radar wave;
- determining a first angle corresponding to the direction the radar was projected that resulted in the reflected radar wave;
- calculating a relative speed of and a relative distance to the object based on the received radar wave;
- determining a vehicle speed;
- calculating an absolute speed of the object based on the vehicle speed and the relative speed;
- comparing the absolute speed to zero speed;
- comparing the first angle to a predetermined angle;
- and
- determining a road grade, comprising:
- concluding that either the road grade is positive, or that the object is large, if the first angle is above the predetermined angle and if the absolute speed is not zero speed;
- concluding that the object is stationary if the first angle is above the predetermined angle and the absolute speed is zero speed;
- and
- concluding that the road grade is negative if the first angle is below the predetermined angle and the absolute speed is not zero speed.
11 more elements
A system for determining road grade from a vehicle, the system comprising:
- a radar for projecting from a vehicle and receiving reflected radar waves;
- a rotatable mirror for varying an angle the radar is projected from the vehicle;
- a mirror angle sensor for determining the angle;
- a motor for rotating the mirror;
- a vehicle speed sensor;
- and
- at least one electronic control unit, said at least one electronic control unit being programmed with software for:
- determining a first angle corresponding to the direction the radar was projected that resulted in the reflected radar wave;
- calculating a relative speed of and a relative distance to the object based on the received radar wave;
- determining a vehicle speed using the vehicle speed sensor;
- calculating an absolute speed of the object based on the vehicle speed and the relative speed;
- comparing the absolute speed to zero speed;
- comparing the first angle to a predetermined angle;
- and
- determining a road grade, comprising:
- concluding that either the road grade is positive, or that the object is large, if the first angle is above the predetermined angle and if the absolute speed is not zero speed;
- concluding that the object is stationary if the first angle is above the predetermined angle and the absolute speed is zero speed;
- and
- concluding that the road grade is negative if the first angle is below the predetermined angle and the absolute speed is not zero speed.
16 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.