Detection system and detection method

Abstract

A detection system and a detection method. The detection system comprises a transmitter, a receiver and a processing circuit connected to the transmitter and the receiver, configured to perform a detection procedure, including controlling the transmitter to transmit a detection signal toward a detection area; controlling the receiver to receive a plurality of reflected signals; and processing the reflected signals to determine whether there is an object in a plurality of sub-areas of the detection area respectively; the processing circuit is configured to perform an initialization phase and a normal working phase after the initialization phase. The detection system and the detection method record the environment and the stationary objects, use the recorded data to detect new stationary objects, distinguish them from the existing stationary objects, and can also detect the object as a new stationary object when the object is blocked by a larger object and suddenly stops, and distinguish it from the existing stationary objects after the new stationary object returns to the LOS state, and identify it as an obstacle in the detection area.

Description

Detection system and detection method Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a detection system and a detection method, and more particularly to a detection system and a detection method capable of detecting newly emerging stationary objects and distinguishing them from existing stationary objects. Background Technology

[0002] For safety and to protect life and property, continuous monitoring of road conditions is necessary. On highways, if a vehicle suddenly stops due to mechanical failure or driver incapacitation, it could lead to a dangerous situation. In such cases, the relevant authorities should be notified to close the lane with the stopped vehicle, remove obstructions, and reopen the lane.

[0003] Existing road detection technologies often utilize inductive loop detectors, wireless magnetometers, cameras, radar, and communication modules. However, all of these devices have their limitations.

[0004] For example, inductive loop detectors are susceptible to changes in road conditions and deteriorate over time; each device equipped with a magnetometer requires a power cord, and a device is needed at intervals, resulting in a large number of installations; while cameras are affected by severe weather, leading to performance degradation.

[0005] Compared to the aforementioned devices, radar requires lower management and maintenance costs, and radar systems can operate around the clock. Its disadvantage lies in its limited field of view, capable of detecting only objects within line-of-sight. In other words, if a smaller object is obscured by a larger object within the radar's field of view, it may be unable to be detected.

[0006] Furthermore, traditional radar requires detection data from tracking moving objects to make predictions and issue warnings. If a small object stops moving and comes to rest near a stationary object, it may not be detected, which limits the ability of traditional radar systems to detect new stationary objects and distinguish them from old stationary objects.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need to provide a detection system and detection method to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a detection system and detection method that can detect newly emerging stationary objects and distinguish them from existing stationary objects, in order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art.

[0009] To address the aforementioned technical problems, one technical solution adopted by the present invention is to provide a detection system, which includes a transmitter, a receiver, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is connected to the transmitter and the receiver and configured to execute a detection program. The detection program includes: controlling the transmitter to transmit a detection signal towards a detection area with a predetermined antenna pattern, wherein the predetermined antenna pattern covers the detection area; controlling the receiver to receive multiple reflected signals; and processing the reflected signals to generate detection results, thereby determining whether an object exists in multiple sub-regions of the detection area. The processing circuit is configured to execute an initialization phase, which includes: executing the detection program a first predetermined number of times; and, during the execution of the detection program, accumulating the number of times an object is detected in each of the sub-regions, so that after the detection program has been executed a first predetermined number of times, multiple initial count values ​​corresponding to each of the sub-regions are generated. These initial count values ​​are used to indicate whether there is an existing stationary object in each of the sub-regions. The processing circuit is configured to perform a normal operation phase after the initialization phase. The normal operation phase includes: executing a detection program a second predetermined number of times; during the execution of the detection program, accumulating the number of times objects are detected in each of the sub-regions, so that after the detection program has been executed a second predetermined number of times, multiple current count values ​​corresponding to each of the sub-regions are generated; comparing the current count value of the current sub-region with the initial count value of the current sub-region, and if the current count value of the current sub-region exceeds a first count threshold of the initial count value of the current sub-region, then the current sub-region is considered to have a new stationary object; and counting the number of sub-regions where new stationary objects have appeared to generate a statistical result, which is used to indicate the state of the detection area.

[0010] To address the aforementioned technical problems, another technical solution adopted by the present invention is to provide a detection method. The detection method includes: configuring a processing circuit connected to a transmitter and a receiver to execute a detection program. The detection program includes: controlling the transmitter to transmit a detection signal towards a detection area with a predetermined antenna pattern, wherein the predetermined antenna pattern covers the detection area; controlling the receiver to receive multiple reflected signals; and processing the reflected signals to generate detection results, thereby determining whether an object exists in multiple sub-regions of the detection area. The detection method further includes configuring the processing circuit to execute an initialization phase, and executing a normal operation phase after the initialization phase. The initialization phase includes: executing the detection program a first predetermined number of times; and, while executing the detection program, accumulating the number of times an object is detected in each of the sub-regions, so that after the detection program has executed the first predetermined number of times, multiple initial count values ​​corresponding to each of the sub-regions are generated, wherein the initial count values ​​are used to indicate whether there is an existing stationary object in each of the sub-regions. The normal operation phase includes: executing a detection procedure a second predetermined number of times; during the execution of the detection procedure, accumulating the number of times objects are detected in each of the sub-regions, so that after the detection procedure has been executed a second predetermined number of times, multiple current count values ​​corresponding to each of the sub-regions are generated; comparing the current count value of a current sub-region with the initial count value of the current sub-region, and if the current count value of the current sub-region exceeds the initial count value of the current sub-region - a first count threshold, then the current sub-region is considered to have a new stationary object; and counting the number of sub-regions where new stationary objects have appeared to generate a statistical result, which is used to indicate the state of the detection area.

[0011] One of the beneficial effects of the present invention is that the detection system and detection method provided by the present invention record the environment and stationary objects, and use the recorded data to detect new stationary objects and distinguish them from existing stationary objects.

[0012] To further understand the features and technical content of the present invention, please refer to the following detailed description and drawings of the present invention. However, the drawings provided are for reference and illustration only and are not intended to limit the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 is a functional block diagram of a detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating the detection procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of radar installation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a predetermined antenna field pattern covering the detection area according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the initialization phase according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 6 is another flowchart of the initialization phase according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the normal operation phase according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 8 is another flowchart of the normal operation phase according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Explanation of key component symbols:

[0022] 1. Detection System

[0023] 10 transmitters

[0024] 11 Receivers

[0025] 12 First Receiving Circuit

[0026] 13 Second Receiving Circuit

[0027] 14 Processing Circuit

[0028] 15 bus

[0029] 16. Memory

[0030] 17 Communication Module

[0031] 30 FMCW Radar

[0032] 31 utility poles

[0033] 40. Pre-defined antenna field pattern

[0034] 41 Detection Area

[0035] 42 sub-regions

[0036] 43 grids

[0037] 100 First RF front-end circuit

[0038] 120 Second RF front-end circuit

[0039] 122 Analog-to-Digital Converter

[0040] 130 Third RF front-end circuit

[0041] 132 Analog-to-Digital Converter

[0042] 160 detection procedure

[0043] 162 Initialization Phase

[0044] 164 Normal working phase

[0045] Rx1 First Receiving Antenna

[0046] Rx2 Second Receiving Antenna

[0047] Tx transmitting antenna Detailed Implementation

[0048] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the "detection system and detection method" disclosed in this invention. Those skilled in the art can understand the advantages and effects of this invention from the content disclosed in this specification. This invention can be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified and changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the concept of this invention. Furthermore, the accompanying drawings of this invention are for simple illustrative purposes only and are not depictions of actual dimensions, as stated in advance. The following embodiments will further describe the relevant technical content of this invention in detail, but the disclosed content is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this invention. In addition, the term "or" used herein should be interpreted to include, depending on the actual situation, any combination of any one or more of the associated listed items.

[0049] Referring to Figure 1, an embodiment of the present invention provides a detection system 1, which includes a transmitter 10, a receiver 11, a processing circuit 14, a memory 16, and a communication module 17. The above-mentioned components can communicate with each other via, for example, but not limited to, a bus 15.

[0050] The transmitter 10 may include a transmitting antenna Tx and a first radio frequency (RF) front-end circuit 100, and the receiver 11 may include a first receiving circuit 12 and a second receiving circuit 13. The first receiving circuit 12 includes a first receiving antenna Rx1, a second RF front-end circuit 120, and an analog-to-digital converter 122, and the second receiving circuit 13 includes a second receiving antenna Rx2, a third RF front-end circuit 130, and an analog-to-digital converter 132.

[0051] The first RF front-end circuit 100 controls the transmitter 10, while the second RF front-end circuit 120 and the third RF front-end circuit 130 control the first receiving circuit 12 and the second receiving circuit 13, respectively. The first RF front-end circuit 100, the second RF front-end circuit 120, and the third RF front-end circuit 130 can be integrated into one or more chips. Furthermore, an analog-to-digital converter 122 can be electrically connected between the second RF front-end circuit 120 and the processing circuit 14, and an analog-to-digital converter 132 can be electrically connected between the third RF front-end circuit 130 and the processing circuit 14 to convert analog signals into digital signals for further processing by the processing circuit 14.

[0052] The memory 16 can be any storage device that can be used to store data, such as, but not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, hard disk, or other storage devices that can be used to store data. The memory 16 is configured to store at least a plurality of computer-readable instructions. In one embodiment, the memory 16 can also be used to store temporary data generated during the operation of the processing circuit 14.

[0053] The processing circuit 14 may be, for example, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, or a digital signal processor (DSP). The processing circuit 14 is electrically connected to the transmitter 10, the receiver 11, and the memory 16, and is configured to access and execute the detection program 160, the initialization phase 162, and the normal operation phase 164 from the memory 16, while simultaneously controlling the transmitter 10 and the receiver 11. The communication module 17 can also communicate with external devices or networks under the control of the processing circuit 14.

[0054] The detection method of the present invention will be described below. It can be applied to the detection system 1 of FIG. 1, or implemented by other hardware components such as a database, general processor, calculator, server, or other unique hardware devices with specific logic circuits or specific functions, such as integrating program code and processor / chip into unique hardware. More specifically, the detection method can be implemented using a computer program to control the components of the detection system 1. The computer program can be stored in a non-transient computer-readable recording medium, such as a read-only memory, flash memory, floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, USB flash drive, magnetic tape, a network-accessible database, or any computer-readable recording medium with the same function that is readily conceived by those skilled in the art.

[0055] The detection method of the present invention may include a detection procedure, an initialization phase, and a normal operation phase. Since both the initialization phase and the normal operation phase require multiple executions of the detection procedure, the detection procedure will be described first below.

[0056] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a detection procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the detection procedure includes the following steps:

[0057] Step S20: Control the transmitter to transmit a detection signal toward the detection area with a predetermined antenna pattern. The predetermined antenna pattern covers the detection area. For example, the first RF front-end circuit 100 can control the transmitting antenna Tx to form a predetermined antenna pattern in a beamforming manner and transmit a detection signal toward the detection area.

[0058] Step S21: Control the receiver to receive multiple reflected signals. For example, these reflected signals can be received through the first receiving antenna Rx1 and the second receiving antenna Rx2, and transmitted to the processing circuit 14 via the second RF front-end circuit 120 and analog-to-digital converter 122 and the third RF front-end circuit 130 and analog-to-digital converter 132.

[0059] Step S22: Process these reflected signals to generate detection results, so as to determine whether there is an object in each of the multiple sub-regions of the detection area.

[0060] Referring to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of radar installation according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, the detection system 1 provided by the present invention may employ a frequency modulated continuous waveform (FMCW) radar 30 and install it on an overhead utility pole 31 facing the road. The FMCW radar 30 may include, for example, a transmitter 10, a receiver 11, and a processing circuit 14. The FMCW radar 30 transmits signals and receives reflected signals. The reflected signals provide distance information, angle information (i.e., the reflected signals describe the detected object in polar coordinates), and velocity of the object being detected. It is worth mentioning that the range resolution (often referred to as ΔR) of the FMCW radar 30 is determined by the bandwidth (BW) and the speed of light (c), dR = 2*BW / c, while the angle measurement and accuracy depend on the angle measurement technology and radar characteristics used.

[0061] Referring further to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of a predetermined antenna pattern covering a detection area according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, the FMCW radar 30 transmits a detection signal toward the detection area 41 with a predetermined antenna pattern 40 covering the detection area 41, and receives reflected signals. The processing circuit 14 can process the reflected signals to convert them from an initial polar coordinate form to a rectangular coordinate form, and can divide the detection area 41 into multiple sub-regions 42 with regular intervals according to the rectangular coordinates. In this embodiment, the sub-regions 42 correspond to the multiple grids 43 shown in Figure 4, which have column size (hereinafter referred to as ROW) and row size (hereinafter referred to as COL), and are used to determine the position of the target relative to the radar. However, the present invention does not limit the number and shape of the sub-regions 42.

[0062] To further explain, the detection method provided by this invention includes two stages: an initialization stage and a normal operation stage. During the initialization stage, the radar needs to be calibrated according to the environment and requires multiple radar cycles to monitor stationary objects in the environment, such as guardrails, trees, and utility poles. This initialization stage can be performed when there are no stationary or slowly moving vehicles in the detection area.

[0063] The radar cycle refers to the aforementioned detection procedure. The radar cycle is defined by the radar system's update rate (1 / Ts). In each new radar cycle, detection system 1 begins measuring the current environment to perform a new detection procedure. Furthermore, the number of detection procedures that must be executed during the initialization phase can be controlled by parameter N. If the radar update rate is (1 / Ts), then the initialization loop is N*Ts, representing one initialization phase after N updates. However, the radar cycle can be a fixed or variable period. Therefore, this invention does not limit the initialization loop time by the update rate, but rather describes the initialization phase and normal operation phase by the number of times the detection procedure is executed.

[0064] Please refer to Figure 5, which is a flowchart illustrating the initialization phase according to an embodiment of the present invention. The detection method includes configuring the processing circuit 14 to perform the initialization phase, including the following steps:

[0065] Step S50: Execute the detection procedure a first predetermined number of times.

[0066] Step S51: During the execution of the detection procedure, the number of times an object is detected in each of the sub-regions is accumulated, so that after the detection procedure has been executed a first predetermined number of times, multiple initial count values ​​corresponding to each of the sub-regions are generated. These initial count values ​​are used to indicate whether there is an existing stationary object in each of the sub-regions.

[0067] For example, during the initialization phase, the radar records detected targets across all grids (sub-regions) within a fixed time interval, requiring several detection runs. For instance, [ROW][COL] =

[10]

[10] represents a total of 10*10 grids, and the number of sub-regions corresponds to the number of grids. During this phase, the number of times an object is detected during the detection process is recorded and counted; this is called the detection count.

[0068] For a given sub-region, the counted number of detections indicates the probability of a stationary target being present in that sub-region. Even if the detection is caused by noise, the number of detections from real stationary objects will exceed the number caused by noise. The processing circuit 14 can accumulate the number of detections in each sub-region and store it in the memory 16 for future reference.

[0069] Please refer to Figure 6, which is another flowchart of the initialization phase according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 6, the initialization phase, once specified, may include the following steps:

[0070] Step S600: Initialize the variables init_grid[ROW][COL] and the loop counter variable to 0.

[0071] Among them, the variable init_grid[ROW][COL] is used to store the cumulative number of detections for a total number of sub-regions of COL*ROW, while the loop counter variable is used to continuously track the number of loops.

[0072] Step S601: In the current loop, execute the detection program.

[0073] Step S602: Convert the distance and angle information into rectangular coordinates corresponding to the sub-region.

[0074] Step S603: Determine whether an object is detected in the sub-region.

[0075] In response to the detection of an object in the sub-region, proceed to step S604: determine whether the variable init_grid[row][col] is less than the variable MAX_THRESHOLD.

[0076] Here, the variable `init_grid[row][col]` stores the cumulative detection count for the sub-region at position `[row][col]`, and the variable `MAX_THRESHOLD` is the maximum allowed value of `init_grid[row][col]`. In other words, when a target is detected in a sub-region, the variable `init_grid[row][col]` corresponding to that sub-region will increment, and `row` and `col` define the position of that sub-region. For example, when `[ROW][COL]` is `

[10]

[10] `, it means that the total number of sub-regions is 10*10, and `[row][col]` representing the position of the sub-region can be from `[0][0]` to `[9][9]`. Corresponding to step S51, when the initial count value for one of the sub-regions exceeds the count threshold set by the variable `MAX_THRESHOLD`, the accumulation stops, and the variable `MAX_THRESHOLD` is used as the initial count value.

[0077] In response to the variable init_grid[row][col] being less than the variable MAX_THRESHOLD, the initialization phase proceeds to step S605: increment the variable init_grid[row][col] by 1.

[0078] Next, proceed to step S606: wait for the next cycle.

[0079] It should be noted that, in response to the determination in step S603 that no object is detected in the sub-region, or in response to the determination in step S604 that the variable init_grid[row][col] is not less than the variable MAX_THRESHOLD, the initialization phase proceeds to step S606. In one loop, all sub-regions are detected once, and the variable init_grid[row][col] is updated.

[0080] Step S607: Increment the loop counter variable by 1. Here, the loop counter variable corresponds to the number of loops mentioned above.

[0081] Step S608: Determine whether the loop counter variable is less than N. Here, N represents the number of times the detection procedure must be executed during the initialization phase, which is the first predetermined number mentioned in step S50.

[0082] In response to the determination that the loop counter variable is less than N, return to step S601.

[0083] In response to the determination that the loop counter variable is not less than N, the initialization phase ends and proceeds to step S609: normal operation phase.

[0084] In detail, under this mechanism, if there are stationary objects in the sub-region represented by the variable `init_grid[row][col]`, the value of `init_grid[row][col]` will increment to a large value at the end of the initialization phase. If there are no stationary objects in the sub-region represented by the variable `init_grid[row][col]`, the value of the variable `init_grid[row][col]` will be a very small value at the end of the initialization phase.

[0085] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the normal operation phase according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0086] The detection method includes configuring the processing circuit 14 to perform a normal operation phase after the initialization phase, and includes the following steps:

[0087] Step S70: Execute the detection procedure a second predetermined number of times. In this step, the second predetermined number of times must be at least greater than the first predetermined number of times; otherwise, in subsequent steps, the value accumulated by the second predetermined number of times may not exceed the value accumulated by the variable init_grid[row][col] by the first predetermined number of times, making comparison impossible.

[0088] Step S71: During the execution of the detection procedure, the number of times an object is detected in each of the sub-regions is accumulated, so that after the detection procedure has been executed a second predetermined number of times, multiple current count values ​​corresponding to each of the sub-regions are generated. This step is similar to step S51 in the initialization phase, the only difference being the number of times the object is detected.

[0089] Step S72: Compare the current count value of the current sub-region with the initial count value of the current sub-region. If the current count value of the current sub-region exceeds the first count threshold of the initial count value of the current sub-region, that is, the current count value minus the initial count value is greater than the first count threshold, then it is considered that a new stationary object has appeared in the current sub-region.

[0090] In detail, this step compares the current count value of each of these sub-regions with the initial count value to determine whether a new stationary object has appeared. In other words, these sub-regions with a certain size, such as the initial count value of the variable MAX_THRESHOLD, are considered to be sub-regions where existing stationary objects exist, and these sub-regions are used as the benchmark for determining whether a new stationary object has appeared.

[0091] Step S73: Count the number of sub-regions where new stationary objects appear to generate statistical results, which are used to indicate the state of the detection area.

[0092] Please refer to Figure 7 again. For example, for a detection area set on a road, step S73 can determine the road condition based on statistical results. For example, the normal operation phase may further include configuring the processing circuit 14 to perform the following steps:

[0093] Step S74: The sub-regions where new stationary objects appear are treated as multiple transformation sub-regions, and the number of these transformation sub-regions is counted.

[0094] Step S75: Determine whether the number of these transformed sub-regions is greater than the first threshold. If yes, proceed to step S76. If no, proceed to step S77.

[0095] Step S76: Determine the state of the detection area as the first event.

[0096] Step S77: Determine whether the number of these transformed sub-regions is greater than zero and less than or equal to the second threshold. If yes, proceed to step S78. If no, proceed to step S79.

[0097] Step S78: Determine the state of the detection area as the second event. It should be noted that the first threshold is greater than the second threshold.

[0098] Step S79: Determine the state of the detection area as the third event.

[0099] In detail, the first threshold is used when a large number of sub-regions detect the presence of new stationary objects, indicating that the state of the detected region is the first event, meaning that the detected region may be experiencing heavy traffic or even traffic congestion. The number of sub-regions required to trigger this warning can be set by the first threshold, which in one embodiment may be, for example, the variable JAM_THRESHOLD.

[0100] On the other hand, the second threshold is used when only a few sub-regions detect the presence of a new stationary target, inferring that the state of the detection area is a second event, i.e., there may be one or more obstacles or stopped vehicles in the detection area (on the road). The number of sub-regions required to trigger this warning can be set by the second threshold, which in one embodiment may be, for example, the variable SVD_THRESHOLD.

[0101] When the number of transformed sub-regions is less than or equal to the second threshold, or is zero, it means that there are not too many stationary objects in the detection area, and the state of the detection area can be inferred to be a third event, such as indicating that the road is clear.

[0102] Please refer to Figure 8, which is another flowchart of a normal operation phase according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 8, the normal operation phase may include the following steps:

[0103] Step S800: Initialize all variables current_grid[ROW][COL] to 0. During normal operation, the variable current_grid[ROW][COL] is used to store the detection state. The size of the variable current_grid is COL*ROW, and the variable current_grid is initialized to 0 at the beginning of normal operation.

[0104] Step S801: Initialize the variable grid_busy_counter to 0. The variable grid_busy_counter represents the number of the aforementioned transformed sub-regions.

[0105] Step S802: Execute the detection program for the current loop.

[0106] Step S803: Convert the distance and angle information into rectangular coordinates corresponding to the sub-region.

[0107] Step S804: Set the variables row and col to 1.

[0108] Step S805: Determine whether an object exists in the sub-region corresponding to the position of col and row. If not, proceed to step S806. If yes, proceed to step S807.

[0109] Step S806: Determine if the variable current_grid[row][col] is greater than zero. If yes, proceed to step S808. If no, proceed to step S810.

[0110] Each time the detection procedure is executed, an object is detected in the detection area. The position of the detected object corresponds to the value of the variable `current_grid` defined by `row` and `col` (i.e., the current sub-region described earlier), with a lower bound of 0. If any object is detected in the current sub-region corresponding to the variable `current_grid[row][col]`, the value of the variable `current_grid[row][col]` is incremented; otherwise, the value is decremented.

[0111] Step S808: Decrement the variable current_grid[row][col] by 1 and proceed to step S810.

[0112] Step S807: Determine whether the variable current_grid[row][col] is less than the variable MAX_THRESHOLD. The upper limit of the value of the variable current_grid[row][col] is the variable MAX_THRESHOLD.

[0113] If yes, proceed to step S809. If no, proceed to step S810.

[0114] Step S809: Increment the variable current_grid[row][col] by 1, and proceed to step S810.

[0115] Step S810: Determine if the variable current_grid[row][col] is greater than the variable MIN_DET_THRESHOLD. If yes, proceed to step S811. If no, proceed to step S813.

[0116] The value of the variable MIN_DET_THRESHOLD is determined before comparing the variable current_grid[row][col] with the variable init_grid[row][col], to determine whether it is noise, so as to distinguish it from real stationary objects.

[0117] Step S811: Determine if the variable current_grid[row][col] is greater than the variable init_grid[row][col] plus the variable MAX_DET_THRESHOLD. If yes, proceed to step S812; otherwise, proceed to step S813.

[0118] In detail, if the value of the variable current_grid[row][col] is equal to the value of the variable init_grid[row][col], then the environment of this current sub-region has not changed much since the initialization phase.

[0119] If a new object appears in the current sub-region, the number of detected objects increases, causing the value of the variable `current_grid[row][col]` to be higher than the value of the variable `init_grid[row][col]`. If an object is far from the current sub-region, no object will be detected at that location, and the value of the variable `current_grid[row][col]` will decrease to or lower than the value of the variable `init_grid[row][col]`.

[0120] If the variable current_grid[row][col] exceeds a certain threshold of the variable init_grid[row][col], such as the variable MAX_DET_THRESHOLD, then a new stationary object appears at the corresponding position of the current sub-region, and the detected stationary object can be processed. The variable MAX_DET_THRESHOLD can further avoid misjudging the appearance of a new stationary object in the current sub-region.

[0121] However, if the value of the variable `current_grid[row][col]` is less than or equal to the value of the variable `init_grid[row][col]`, it means that no new stationary objects have appeared since the initialization phase, and all detected values ​​can be ignored in subsequent processing. Furthermore, the variable `MAX_DET_THRESHOLD` can be obtained experimentally or through statistical analysis to measure activity within the current sub-region.

[0122] Step S812: Increment the variable grid_busy_counter by 1. In other words, the current sub-region that satisfies the conditions of step S811 can be regarded as a transformed sub-region where a new stationary object appears, and the number of transformed sub-regions can be counted using the variable grid_busy_counter.

[0123] Step S813: Increment the variable row by 1.

[0124] Step S814: Determine if the variable row is less than or equal to ROW. If yes, return to step S805. If no, proceed to step S815.

[0125] Step S815: Increment the variable col by 1.

[0126] Step S816: Determine if variable col is less than or equal to COL. If yes, return to step S805. If no, proceed to step S75.

[0127] Therefore, it is conceivable that the detection system and detection method proposed in this invention can be used to assist traffic control systems in making decisions after judging the state of the detection area, and can work in conjunction with traditional radar systems. It can also be integrated with road monitoring systems in the form of software modules to improve the performance of traditional radar systems and detect obstacles and traffic congestion.

[0128] [Beneficial Effects of the Examples]

[0129] One of the beneficial effects of the present invention is that the detection system and detection method provided by the present invention record the environment and stationary objects, and use the recorded data to detect new stationary objects and distinguish them from existing stationary objects.

[0130] Another beneficial effect of the present invention is that the detection system and detection method provided by the present invention can still detect a new stationary object when the object is blocked by a larger object and is in the NLOS state and suddenly stops. After the new stationary object returns to the LOS state, it can be distinguished from the existing stationary objects and identified as an obstacle in the detection area.

[0131] The above-disclosed content is only a preferred and feasible embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical changes made based on the content of the present invention specification and drawings are included within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A detection system, the detection system comprising: One transmitter; One receiver; The system also includes a processing circuit connected to the transmitter and the receiver, configured to execute a detection program. The detection program includes: controlling the transmitter to transmit a detection signal towards a detection area with a predetermined antenna pattern covering the detection area; controlling the receiver to receive multiple reflected signals; and processing the reflected signals to generate detection results to determine whether an object exists in multiple sub-regions of the detection area. The processing circuit is configured to execute an initialization phase, including: executing the detection program a first predetermined number of times; and accumulating the number of times an object is detected in each sub-region during the execution of the detection program, so that after the first predetermined number of executions, multiple initial count values ​​corresponding to each sub-region are generated, whereby the initial count values ​​are used to indicate the presence of an object in each sub-region. The processing circuit is configured to perform a normal operation phase after the initialization phase, which includes: executing the detection program a second predetermined number of times; accumulating the number of times objects are detected in each of the sub-regions during the execution of the detection program, so as to generate multiple current count values ​​corresponding to each of the sub-regions after the second predetermined number of executions of the detection program; comparing the current count value of a current sub-region with the initial count value of the current sub-region, and if the current count value of the current sub-region exceeds a first count threshold of the initial count value of the current sub-region, it is considered that a new stationary object has appeared in the current sub-region; and counting the number of sub-regions where new stationary objects have appeared to generate a statistical result, which is used to indicate the state of the detection area.

2. The detection system as described in claim 1, wherein, In this detection procedure, the processing circuit is configured to: process the reflected signals to obtain distance and angle information of the detected object reflecting the detection signal; and convert the obtained distance and angle information into position information of multiple grids, wherein the grids correspond to the sub-regions.

3. The detection system as described in claim 1, wherein, During the initialization phase, when the initial count value for one of the sub-regions is accumulated to exceed a second count threshold, the accumulation stops and the second count threshold is used as the initial count value.

4. The detection system as described in claim 1, wherein, During the normal operation phase, the processing circuit is configured to treat the sub-regions where new stationary objects appear as multiple transition sub-regions, count the number of these transition sub-regions and compare them with a first threshold, wherein, in response to the number of these transition sub-regions being greater than the first threshold, the processing circuit determines that the detection region is a first event.

5. The detection system as described in claim 4, wherein, During this normal operation phase, the processing circuit is configured to count the number of these transition sub-regions and compare them with a second threshold. In response to the number of these transition sub-regions being greater than zero and less than or equal to the second threshold, the processing circuit determines that the detection region is a second event.

6. The detection system as described in claim 5, wherein, The first threshold is greater than the second threshold.

7. The detection system as described in claim 1, wherein, The second number of reservations is at least greater than the first number of reservations.

8. A detection method, the detection method comprising: A processing circuit connected to a transmitter and a receiver is configured to execute a detection program, the detection program including: controlling the transmitter to transmit a detection signal toward a detection area with a predetermined antenna pattern, wherein the predetermined antenna pattern covers the detection area; controlling the receiver to receive multiple reflected signals; and processing the reflected signals to generate detection results to determine whether an object exists in multiple sub-regions of the detection area; configuring the processing circuit to execute an initialization phase, the initialization phase including: executing the detection program a first predetermined number of times; and accumulating the number of times an object is detected in each of the sub-regions during the execution of the detection program, so that after the detection program has been executed a first predetermined number of times, multiple initial count values ​​corresponding to the sub-regions are generated, wherein the initial count values ​​are used to indicate whether an object exists in each of the sub-regions. The system checks whether there are any existing stationary objects; and configures the processing circuit to perform a normal operation phase after the initialization phase, the normal operation phase including: executing the detection program a second predetermined number of times; during the execution of the detection program, accumulating the number of times objects are detected in the sub-regions respectively, so that after the detection program has been executed a second predetermined number of times, multiple current count values ​​corresponding to the sub-regions are generated; comparing the current count value of a current sub-region with the initial count value of the current sub-region, if the current count value of the current sub-region exceeds the initial count value of the current sub-region by a first count threshold, then it is considered that a new stationary object has appeared in the current sub-region; and counting the number of sub-regions where new stationary objects have appeared to generate a statistical result, the statistical result being used to indicate the state of the detection area.

9. The detection method as described in claim 8, wherein, The detection procedure also includes configuring the processing circuit to: process the reflected signals to obtain distance and angle information of the detected object reflecting the detection signals; and convert the obtained distance and angle information into position information of multiple grids, wherein the grids correspond to the sub-regions.

10. The detection method as described in claim 8, wherein, During the initialization phase, when the initial count value for one of the sub-regions is accumulated to exceed a second count threshold, the accumulation stops and the second count threshold is used as the initial count value.

11. The detection method as described in claim 8, wherein, The normal operation phase also includes configuring the processing circuit to treat the sub-regions where new stationary objects appear as multiple transition sub-regions, counting the number of these transition sub-regions and comparing them with a first threshold, wherein, in response to the number of these transition sub-regions being greater than the first threshold, the processing circuit determines that the detection region is a first event.

12. The detection method as described in claim 11, wherein, The normal operation phase also includes configuring the processing circuit to count the number of the transition sub-regions and compare them with a second threshold. In response to the number of the transition sub-regions being greater than zero and less than or equal to the second threshold, the processing circuit determines that the detection region is a second event.

13. The detection method as described in claim 12, wherein, The first threshold is greater than the second threshold.

14. The detection method as described in claim 8, wherein, The second number of reservations is at least greater than the first number of reservations.

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