# US 2014/0195132 A1 · Monitoring apparatus and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0195132 A1 - Document ID: US20140195132A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/116,179 - Filed: 2012-05-10 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2011-05-12 - Assignees: Jaguar Land Rover Limited - Applicants: Jaguar Land Rover Limited - Inventors: Mark Cund; Simon Peter Gilling; Paul Widdowson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140195132A1 ## CPC - G08G 1/166: {for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes} - B60T 7/22: initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle {, or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle} - G01S 13/58: Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems - G01S 13/931: of land vehicles - G01S 15/58: Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems {(velocity measurement in imaging systems G01S15/8979)} - G01S 15/931: of land vehicles - B60W 30/09: Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering - B60W 2554/4041: Position - B60W 2710/18: Braking system - G01S 2013/93185: {Controlling the brakes} - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - B60T: VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL (electrodynamic brake systems for vehicle, in general B60L; brakes per se, i.e. devices where braking effect occurs, including ultimate brake actuators, F16D); ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT ## Abstract Embodiments of the invention provide an apparatus for monitoring one or more target objects in an environment external to a host vehicle by means of at least one sensor. The apparatus is arranged to trigger at least one action responsive to detection by means of the at least one sensor of prescribed relative movement between the host vehicle and the one or more target objects. The apparatus is arranged to determine a lateral offset value being a distance of the or each target object from an extended axis of the host vehicle and to over-ride triggering of the at least one action such that triggering of the at least one action is not performed in dependence on the lateral offset value. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for monitoring one or more target objects in an environment external to a host vehicle, comprising: at least one sensor; and a monitoring apparatus being arranged to trigger at least one action responsive to detection by the at least one sensor of prescribed relative movement between the host vehicle and the one or more target objects; wherein the monitoring apparatus is arranged to determine a lateral offset value being a distance of the or each target object from an extended axis of the host vehicle and to over-ride triggering of the at least one action such that triggering of the at least one action is not performed in dependence on the lateral offset value. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring apparatus arranged to trigger the at least one action responsive to the detection of prescribed relative movement between the host vehicle and the one or more target objects based on the speed of the host vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the monitoring apparatus is arranged to determine the lateral offset value of the or each target object at least in part by means of the at least one sensor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring apparatus is arranged to determine the lateral offset value of the at least one target object by reference to a distance of the at least one target object from the host vehicle and an angle between a vector from the host vehicle to the at least one target object and the extended axis. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extended axis of the vehicle corresponds to an extended longitudinal axis of the vehicle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring apparatus is arranged to over-ride triggering of the at least one action based on a width of the at least one target object. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the apparatus is arranged to determine the width of the at least one target object at least in part based on an indication from the at least one sensor or at least in part based on a stored value of target object width. ### Claim at position 8 8-11. (canceled) ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the monitoring apparatus is arranged not to trigger the at least one action if the lateral offset value of the at least one target object is determined to be a distance from the host vehicle axis greater than the prescribed lateral offset value plus a prescribed proportion of the width of the at least one target object. ### Claim 13 (canceled) ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the prescribed lateral offset value is a value corresponding to any one of: half of the width of the host vehicle; a value greater than half of the width of the host vehicle; a value less than half of the width of the host vehicle; a value based on the detection of prescribed or predetermined relative movement between the host vehicle and the at least one target object; and a value responsive to a position of the at least one target object and one or more other objects identified by the monitoring apparatus relative to one another and/or the host vehicle. ### Claim at position 12 15-18. (canceled) ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising range determination means operable to determine the range of the target object from the vehicle and a rate of change of the range. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) An apparatus as claimed in claim 19 wherein the range determination means comprises a radar transmitter and a radar receiver, the monitoring apparatus being arranged to determine the range of the target object from the vehicle based on a radar signal transmitted from the transmitter and received at the receiver following reflection by the target object; or the range determination means comprises an ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic receiver, the monitoring apparatus being arranged to determine the range of the target object from the vehicle based on an ultrasonic signal transmitted from the transmitter and received at the receiver following reflection by the target object. ### Claim 21 (canceled) ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one action comprises triggering pre-arming of one or more brakes of the vehicle when a first prescribed relative movement is detected. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one action comprises triggering application of one or more brakes of the vehicle thereby to slow the vehicle when a second prescribed relative movement is detected. ### Claim 24 (canceled) ### Claim 25 A vehicle comprising an apparatus for monitoring one or more target objects in an environment external to the host vehicle, comprising: at least one sensor; and a monitoring apparatus being arranged to trigger at least one action responsive to detection by the at least one sensor of prescribed relative movement between the host vehicle and the one or more target objects: wherein the monitoring apparatus is arranged to determine a lateral offset value being a distance of the or each target object from an extended axis of the host vehicle and to selectively over-ride triggering of the at least one action such that triggering of the at least one action is not performed based on the lateral offset value. ### Claim 26 A method of monitoring one or more target objects in an environment external to a vehicle by means of at least one sensor, the method comprising: monitoring relative movement between the host vehicle and the one or more target objects; triggering at least one action based on detection of prescribed relative movement between the host vehicle and the one or more target objects; determining a value of a lateral offset of the or each target object from an extended axis of the host vehicle; and selectively over-riding triggering of the at least one action such that triggering of the at least one action is not performed based on the value of the lateral offset. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) A method as claimed in claim 26 wherein the step of triggering the at least one action based on the detection of prescribed relative movement between the host vehicle and the one or more target objects comprises triggering the at least one action based on the speed of the host vehicle. ### Claim 28 (depends on 26) A method as claimed in claim 26 comprising over-riding triggering of the at least one action if the lateral offset value exceeds a prescribed value. ### Claim 29 (depends on 26) A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein determining the lateral offset of the or each target object comprises determining a lateral distance of the or each target object from the extended axis of the host vehicle. ### Claim 30 (depends on 26) A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the step of triggering the at least one action comprises the step of triggering a brake pre-arming operation in which pre-arming of one or more brakes of the vehicle is performed responsive to the detection of first prescribed relative movement between the host vehicle and the one or more target objects. ### Claim 31 (depends on 26) A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the step of triggering the at least one action comprises the step of triggering a braking operation in which application of one or more brakes of the vehicle takes place thereby to slow the vehicle based on detection of a second prescribed relative movement between the host vehicle and the one or more target objects. ### Claim 32 (canceled)