Electronic device, electronic device control method, and program

Abstract

To provide an electronic apparatus, a method for controlling an electronic apparatus, and a program that can be useful when movable bodies travel in platoon.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus provided in a movable body comprises: a transmission antenna that transmits a transmission wave; a reception antenna that receives a reflected wave being the reflected transmission wave; and a control unit that detects an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave. According to whether the control unit detects an object whose relative velocity with respect to the movable body is within a predetermined threshold at a predetermined distance behind the movable body with respect to the direction of travel of the movable body, the control unit determines whether the movable body is at the tail end of a plurality of movable bodies traveling in platoon.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device, a control method for an electronic device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in the field of the automobile industry, a technology for measuring the distance between a vehicle and a predetermined object is considered important. In particular, in recent years, various RADAR (Radio Detecting and Ranging) technologies have been researched, which transmit radio waves such as millimeter waves and receive the reflected waves from an object such as an obstacle to measure the distance between the vehicle and the object. The importance of such technology for measuring distance is expected to increase in the future with the development of technologies for assisting the driver in driving and technologies related to autonomous driving that automates part or all of driving.

[0003] Also, from the viewpoint of improving the safety and / or efficiency of the operation of a moving body such as a truck, a technology related to "platoon driving" is attracting attention. In this disclosure, "platoon driving" refers to a plurality of moving bodies such as trucks driving in a line. As a technology for platoon driving, for example, a technology is being researched in which, when a plurality of trucks drive in a line, the driving situation is shared in real time by communication, and the distance between the vehicles is automatically maintained. For example, by controlling a plurality of trucks integrally by electronic coupling technology (vehicle-to-vehicle communication), the plurality of trucks can form a platoon and drive. As such a technology, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle control device that can realize platoon driving by performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles driving around the vehicle. Also, Patent Document 2 discloses a device that supports the driving of a plurality of vehicles in a platoon based on information acquired from each vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-190273 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2014-153950 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] It would be advantageous if technology that detects a specific object by receiving reflected waves from the object, such as the radar described above, could be used to help platoons of moving objects such as trucks.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an electronic device, an electronic device control method, and a program that can be useful when moving objects travel in a formation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The electronic device according to an embodiment includes: Equipped on a moving body, A transmitting antenna for transmitting a transmission wave; a receiving antenna for receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave; a control unit that detects an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; Equipped with. The control unit determines whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon depending on whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold value is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in a traveling direction of the moving body. death, When the moving body is not the last moving body of a plurality of moving bodies traveling in a procession, the control unit outputs a detection result of an object traveling parallel to the moving body.

[0008] Moreover, the electronic device according to an embodiment includes: Equipped on a moving body, A transmitting antenna for transmitting a transmission wave; a receiving antenna for receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave; a control unit that detects an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; Equipped with. the control unit determines whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon depending on whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in a traveling direction of the moving body, When the moving body is not the last moving body in the platoon, the control unit outputs a detection result of an object traveling parallel to the moving bodies in the platoon.

[0009] Moreover, the electronic device according to an embodiment includes: Equipped on a moving body, A transmitting antenna for transmitting a transmission wave; a receiving antenna for receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave; a control unit that detects an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; Equipped with. the control unit determines whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon depending on whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in a traveling direction of the moving body, When the moving body is not the last moving body of a plurality of moving bodies traveling in a platoon, the control unit outputs a detection result of an object traveling in a lane adjacent to the lane in which the moving body is traveling.

[0010] A method for controlling an electronic device according to an embodiment includes: A method for controlling an electronic device provided in a moving object, comprising: Transmitting a transmission wave from a transmission antenna; receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave from a receiving antenna; detecting an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; determining whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon according to whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold value is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in the traveling direction; outputting a detection result of an object traveling parallel to the moving object when the moving object is not the last moving object of a plurality of moving objects traveling in a procession; Includes.

[0011] Moreover, a method for controlling an electronic device according to an embodiment includes: A method for controlling an electronic device provided in a moving object, comprising: Transmitting a transmission wave from a transmission antenna; receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave from a receiving antenna; detecting an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; determining whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon according to whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold value is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in the traveling direction; outputting a detection result of an object traveling parallel to the multiple moving bodies traveling in a procession when the moving body is not the last moving body of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a procession; Includes.

[0012] Moreover, a method for controlling an electronic device according to an embodiment includes: A method for controlling an electronic device provided in a moving object, comprising: Transmitting a transmission wave from a transmission antenna; receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave from a receiving antenna; detecting an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; determining whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon according to whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold value is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in the traveling direction; outputting a detection result of an object traveling in a lane adjacent to the lane in which the moving object is traveling, when the moving object is not the rearmost moving object in the platoon; Includes.

[0013] A program according to an embodiment includes: Electronic devices installed in moving objects, Transmitting a transmission wave from a transmission antenna; receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave from a receiving antenna; detecting an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; determining whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon according to whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold value is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in the traveling direction; outputting a detection result of an object traveling parallel to the moving object when the moving object is not the last moving object of a plurality of moving objects traveling in a procession; Execute the command.

[0014] Moreover, a program according to an embodiment includes: Electronic devices installed in moving objects, Transmitting a transmission wave from a transmission antenna; receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave from a receiving antenna; detecting an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; determining whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon according to whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold value is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in the traveling direction; outputting a detection result of an object traveling parallel to the multiple moving bodies traveling in a procession when the moving body is not the last moving body of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a procession; Execute the command.

[0015] Moreover, a program according to an embodiment includes: Electronic devices installed in moving objects, Transmitting a transmission wave from a transmission antenna; receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave from a receiving antenna; detecting an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; determining whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon according to whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold value is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in the traveling direction; outputting a detection result of an object traveling in a lane adjacent to the lane in which the moving object is traveling, when the moving object is not the rearmost moving object in the platoon; Execute the command. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to one embodiment, it is possible to provide an electronic device, a control method for an electronic device, and a program that can be useful when moving bodies travel in a formation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a usage mode of an electronic device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a transmission signal according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the electronic device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the electronic device according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an electronic device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, one embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0019] The electronic device according to an embodiment is mounted on a vehicle (mobile body) such as an automobile, and is capable of detecting a predetermined object present around the mobile body as a target. To this end, the electronic device according to an embodiment can transmit a transmission wave to the surroundings of the mobile body from a transmission antenna installed on the mobile body. The electronic device according to an embodiment can also receive a reflected wave of the transmission wave from a receiving antenna installed on the mobile body. At least one of the transmission antenna and the receiving antenna may be provided on, for example, a radar sensor installed on the mobile body.

[0020] Hereinafter, as a typical example, a configuration in which the electronic device according to the embodiment is mounted on an automobile such as a passenger car will be described. However, the electronic device according to the embodiment is not limited to being mounted on an automobile. The electronic device according to the embodiment may be mounted on various moving bodies such as an autonomous driving automobile, a bus, a truck, a taxi, a motorcycle, a bicycle, a ship, an aircraft, a helicopter, an agricultural machine such as a tractor, a snowplow, a cleaning vehicle, a police car, an ambulance, and a drone. In addition, the electronic device according to the embodiment is not necessarily limited to a moving body that moves by its own power. For example, the moving body on which the electronic device according to the embodiment is mounted may be a trailer part towed by a tractor. The electronic device according to the embodiment can measure the distance between the sensor and an object in a situation in which at least one of the sensor and a predetermined object can move. In addition, the electronic device according to the embodiment can measure the distance between the sensor and an object even if both the sensor and the object are stationary. In addition, the automobile included in the present disclosure is not limited by the overall length, the overall width, the overall height, the displacement, the capacity, or the load capacity. For example, automobiles in the present disclosure include automobiles with an engine displacement of more than 660cc, and automobiles with an engine displacement of 660cc or less, so-called light automobiles, etc. Additionally, automobiles in the present disclosure also include automobiles that use electricity as part or all of their energy and that use a motor.

[0021] First, an example of object detection by an electronic device according to an embodiment will be described.

[0022] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a usage state of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing an example in which a sensor including a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed on a moving object.

[0023] A sensor 5 having a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna according to an embodiment is installed in a moving body 100 shown in FIG. 1. The moving body 100 shown in FIG. 1 is equipped with (for example, built-in) an electronic device 1 according to an embodiment. A specific configuration of the electronic device 1 will be described later. The sensor 5 may have at least one of a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna, for example. The sensor 5 may also include at least one of other functional units, such as at least a part of a control unit 10 (FIG. 2) included in the electronic device 1, as appropriate. The moving body 100 shown in FIG. 1 may be an automobile vehicle such as a passenger car, but may be any type of moving body. In FIG. 1, the moving body 100 may be moving (running or slowly moving) in, for example, the Y-axis positive direction (traveling direction) shown in the figure, or may be moving in another direction, or may be stationary without moving.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, a sensor 5 having a transmitting antenna is installed in a moving body 100. In the example shown in FIG. 1, only one sensor 5 having a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna is installed in the front of the moving body 100. Here, the position where the sensor 5 is installed in the moving body 100 is not limited to the position shown in FIG. 1, and may be other positions as appropriate. For example, the sensor 5 as shown in FIG. 1 may be installed on the left side, right side, and / or rear of the moving body 100. In addition, the number of such sensors 5 may be any number of one or more depending on various conditions (or requirements) such as the range and / or accuracy of measurement in the moving body 100. The sensor 5 may be installed inside the moving body 100. The inside of the moving body 100 may be, for example, a space in a bumper, a space in a body, a space in a headlight, or a driving space.

[0025] The sensor 5 transmits electromagnetic waves as transmission waves from a transmission antenna. For example, when a specific object (e.g., object 200 shown in FIG. 1) is present around the moving body 100, at least a part of the transmission wave transmitted from the sensor 5 is reflected by the object and becomes a reflected wave. Then, by receiving such a reflected wave, for example, by a receiving antenna of the sensor 5, the electronic device 1 mounted on the moving body 100 can detect the object as a target.

[0026] The sensor 5 equipped with a transmitting antenna may typically be a RADAR (Radio Detecting and Ranging) sensor that transmits and receives radio waves. However, the sensor 5 is not limited to a radar sensor. The sensor 5 according to an embodiment may be a sensor based on, for example, LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) technology using light waves. Such sensors may be configured to include, for example, a patch antenna. Technologies such as RADAR and LIDAR are already known, so detailed descriptions may be appropriately simplified or omitted.

[0027] The electronic device 1 mounted on the moving body 100 shown in FIG. 1 receives, from a receiving antenna, a reflected wave of a transmission wave transmitted from a transmitting antenna of the sensor 5. In this way, the electronic device 1 can detect a predetermined object 200 existing within a predetermined distance from the moving body 100 as a target. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 1 can measure a distance L between the moving body 100, which is the own vehicle, and the predetermined object 200. The electronic device 1 can also measure the relative speed between the moving body 100, which is the own vehicle, and the predetermined object 200. Furthermore, the electronic device 1 can also measure the direction (arrival angle θ) in which the reflected wave from the predetermined object 200 arrives at the moving body 100, which is the own vehicle.

[0028] Here, the object 200 may be, for example, at least one of an oncoming vehicle traveling in a lane adjacent to the moving body 100, a car traveling parallel to the moving body 100, and a car before or after the moving body 100 traveling in the same lane. The object 200 may be any object present around the moving body 100, such as a human being such as a motorcycle, a bicycle, a baby stroller, or a pedestrian, an animal, an insect or other living body, a guardrail, a median strip, a road sign, a step on a sidewalk, a wall, a manhole, or an obstacle. Furthermore, the object 200 may be moving or stationary. For example, the object 200 may be a car parked or stopped around the moving body 100. In the present disclosure, the object detected by the sensor 5 includes not only inanimate objects, but also living objects such as a person or an animal. The object detected by the sensor 5 of the present disclosure includes targets including people, objects, and animals detected by radar technology.

[0029] In Fig. 1, the ratio between the size of the sensor 5 and the size of the moving body 100 does not necessarily represent the actual ratio. Also, in Fig. 1, the sensor 5 is shown installed outside the moving body 100. However, in one embodiment, the sensor 5 may be installed at various positions on the moving body 100. For example, in one embodiment, the sensor 5 may be installed inside the bumper of the moving body 100 so as not to be visible from the outside of the moving body 100.

[0030] In the following, as a typical example, the transmitting antenna of the sensor 5 will be described as transmitting radio waves in a frequency band such as millimeter waves (30 GHz or higher) or quasi-millimeter waves (for example, around 20 GHz to 30 GHz). For example, the transmitting antenna of the sensor 5 may transmit radio waves having a frequency bandwidth of 4 GHz, such as 77 GHz to 81 GHz.

[0031] 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment. An example of the configuration of the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment will be described below.

[0032] When measuring distances and the like using a millimeter wave radar, a frequency modulated continuous wave radar (hereinafter, referred to as FMCW radar) is often used. In an FMCW radar, a transmission signal is generated by sweeping the frequency of radio waves to be transmitted. Therefore, in a millimeter wave FMCW radar using radio waves in a frequency band of, for example, 79 GHz, the frequency of the radio waves used has a frequency bandwidth of 4 GHz, for example, 77 GHz to 81 GHz. A radar in the 79 GHz frequency band has a feature that the available frequency bandwidth is wider than other millimeter wave / quasi-millimeter wave radars in frequency bands of, for example, 24 GHz, 60 GHz, and 76 GHz. Hereinafter, such an embodiment will be described as an example.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may be configured with a sensor 5 and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 50. The ECU 50 controls various operations of the moving body 100. The ECU 50 may be configured with at least one ECU. The electronic device 1 according to an embodiment includes a control unit 10. The electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may also include other functional units, such as at least one of a transmission unit 20, reception units 30A to 30D, and a storage unit 40, as appropriate. As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic device 1 may include a plurality of reception units, such as the reception units 30A to 30D. Hereinafter, when the reception units 30A, 30B, 30C, and 30D are not to be distinguished from each other, they will be simply referred to as "reception units 30".

[0034] The control unit 10 may include a distance FFT processing unit 11, a speed FFT processing unit 12, a threshold determination unit 13, an arrival angle estimation unit 14, an object detection unit 15, and an output determination unit 16. These functional units included in the control unit 10 will be described in further detail below.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 2, the transmitting unit 20 may include a signal generating unit 21, a synthesizer 22, phase control units 23A and 23B, amplifiers 24A and 24B, and transmitting antennas 25A and 25B. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between phase control unit 23A and phase control unit 23B, they will simply be referred to as "phase control unit 23". Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between amplifier 24A and amplifier 24B, they will simply be referred to as "amplifier 24". Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between transmitting antenna 25A and transmitting antenna 25B, they will simply be referred to as "transmitting antenna 25".

[0036] The receiving unit 30 may include corresponding receiving antennas 31A to 31D, as shown in Fig. 2. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the receiving antennas 31A, 31B, 31C, and 31D, they will be simply referred to as "receiving antennas 31". Also, as shown in Fig. 2, each of the multiple receiving units 30 may include an LNA 32, a mixer 33, an IF unit 34, and an AD conversion unit 35. The receiving units 30A to 30D may each have the same configuration. In Fig. 2, as a representative example, the configuration of only the receiving unit 30A is shown in outline.

[0037] The above-mentioned sensor 5 may include, for example, a transmitting antenna 25 and a receiving antenna 31. Furthermore, the sensor 5 may include at least one of other functional units such as a control unit 10 as appropriate.

[0038] The control unit 10 included in the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment can control the operation of the entire electronic device 1, including the control of each functional unit constituting the electronic device 1. The control unit 10 may include at least one processor, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), to provide control and processing power for executing various functions. The control unit 10 may be realized as one processor, several processors, or individual processors. The processor may be realized as a single integrated circuit. The integrated circuit is also called an IC (Integrated Circuit). The processor may be realized as a plurality of integrated circuits and discrete circuits connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other. The processor may be realized based on various other known technologies. In an embodiment, the control unit 10 may be configured as, for example, a CPU (hardware) and a program (software) executed by the CPU. The control unit 10 may include a memory required for the operation of the control unit 10 as appropriate.

[0039] The storage unit 40 may store programs executed in the control unit 10 and results of processing executed in the control unit 10. The storage unit 40 may also function as a work memory for the control unit 10. The storage unit 40 may be configured, for example, by a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk, but is not limited to these and may be any storage device. For example, the storage unit 40 may be a storage medium such as a memory card inserted into the electronic device 1 according to this embodiment. The storage unit 40 may also be an internal memory of the CPU used as the control unit 10, as described above.

[0040] In one embodiment, the storage unit 40 may store various parameters for setting a range in which an object can be detected by the transmission wave T transmitted from the transmission antenna 25 and the reflected wave R received from the reception antenna 31.

[0041] In the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment, the control unit 10 can control at least one of the transmission unit 20 and the reception unit 30. In this case, the control unit 10 may control at least one of the transmission unit 20 and the reception unit 30 based on various information stored in the storage unit 40. Also, in the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment, the control unit 10 may instruct the signal generation unit 21 to generate a signal, or control the signal generation unit 21 to generate a signal.

[0042] The signal generating unit 21 generates a signal (transmission signal) to be transmitted as a transmission wave T from the transmission antenna 25 under the control of the control unit 10. When generating the transmission signal, the signal generating unit 21 may allocate a frequency of the transmission signal based on the control of the control unit 10, for example. Specifically, the signal generating unit 21 may allocate a frequency of the transmission signal according to a parameter set by the control unit 10, for example. For example, the signal generating unit 21 receives frequency information from the control unit 10 or the storage unit 40, and generates a signal of a predetermined frequency in a frequency band such as 77 to 81 GHz. The signal generating unit 21 may be configured to include a functional unit such as a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO).

[0043] The signal generating unit 21 may be configured as hardware having the function, or may be configured as a microcomputer, or may be configured as a processor such as a CPU and a program executed by the processor, etc. Each functional unit described below may also be configured as hardware having the function, or may be configured as a microcomputer, or may be configured as a processor such as a CPU and a program executed by the processor, etc., if possible.

[0044] In the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment, the signal generating unit 21 may generate a transmission signal (transmission chirp signal) such as a chirp signal. In particular, the signal generating unit 21 may generate a signal (linear chirp signal) whose frequency changes periodically and linearly. For example, the signal generating unit 21 may generate a chirp signal whose frequency increases periodically and linearly from 77 GHz to 81 GHz over time. Also, for example, the signal generating unit 21 may generate a signal whose frequency periodically repeats a linear increase (up chirp) and decrease (down chirp) from 77 GHz to 81 GHz over time. The signal generated by the signal generating unit 21 may be set in advance in, for example, the control unit 10. Also, the signal generated by the signal generating unit 21 may be stored in advance in, for example, the storage unit 40. Since chirp signals used in technical fields such as radar are known, a more detailed description will be appropriately simplified or omitted. The signal generated by the signal generating unit 21 is supplied to the synthesizer 22.

[0045] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of a chirp signal generated by the signal generating unit 21. As shown in FIG.

[0046] In Fig. 3, the horizontal axis represents the elapsed time, and the vertical axis represents the frequency. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the signal generating unit 21 generates a linear chirp signal whose frequency changes periodically and linearly. In Fig. 3, each chirp signal is shown as c1, c2, ..., c8. As shown in Fig. 3, in each chirp signal, the frequency increases linearly with the passage of time.

[0047] In the example shown in FIG. 3, eight chirp signals such as c1, c2, ..., c8 are included in one subframe. That is, subframe 1 and subframe 2 shown in FIG. 3 are each configured to include eight chirp signals such as c1, c2, ..., c8. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 3, 16 subframes such as subframe 1 to subframe 16 are included in one frame. That is, frame 1 and frame 2 shown in FIG. 3 are each configured to include 16 subframes. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, a frame interval of a predetermined length may be included between frames. One frame shown in FIG. 3 may be, for example, about 30 milliseconds to 50 milliseconds long.

[0048] In Fig. 3, frame 2 and onwards may have the same configuration. Also, in Fig. 3, frame 3 and onwards may have the same configuration. In the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment, the signal generating unit 21 may generate a transmission signal as an arbitrary number of frames. Also, in Fig. 3, some chirp signals are omitted. In this manner, the relationship between time and frequency of the transmission signal generated by the signal generating unit 21 may be stored in, for example, the storage unit 40.

[0049] In this manner, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may transmit a transmission signal composed of subframes including a plurality of chirp signals. Also, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may transmit a transmission signal composed of a frame including a predetermined number of subframes.

[0050] Hereinafter, the electronic device 1 will be described as transmitting a transmission signal having a frame structure as shown in FIG. 3. However, the frame structure as shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and the number of chirp signals included in one subframe is not limited to eight. In one embodiment, the signal generating unit 21 may generate a subframe including any number of chirp signals (for example, any multiple). The subframe structure as shown in FIG. 3 is also an example, and the number of subframes included in one frame is not limited to 16. In one embodiment, the signal generating unit 21 may generate a frame including any number of subframes (for example, any multiple). The signal generating unit 21 may generate signals of different frequencies. The signal generating unit 21 may generate a plurality of discrete signals having different bandwidths, each having a frequency f.

[0051] Returning to FIG. 2, the synthesizer 22 increases the frequency of the signal generated by the signal generating unit 21 to a frequency in a predetermined frequency band. The synthesizer 22 may increase the frequency of the signal generated by the signal generating unit 21 to a frequency selected as the frequency of the transmission wave T to be transmitted from the transmitting antenna 25. The frequency selected as the frequency of the transmission wave T to be transmitted from the transmitting antenna 25 may be set by, for example, the control unit 10. Also, the frequency selected as the frequency of the transmission wave T to be transmitted from the transmitting antenna 25 may be stored in, for example, the storage unit 40. The signal whose frequency has been increased by the synthesizer 22 is supplied to the phase control unit 23 and the mixer 33. When there are multiple phase control units 23, the signal whose frequency has been increased by the synthesizer 22 may be supplied to each of the multiple phase control units 23. Also, when there are multiple receiving units 30, the signal whose frequency has been increased by the synthesizer 22 may be supplied to each of the mixers 33 in the multiple receiving units 30.

[0052] The phase control unit 23 controls the phase of the transmission signal supplied from the synthesizer 22. Specifically, the phase control unit 23 may adjust the phase of the transmission signal by appropriately advancing or delaying the phase of the signal supplied from the synthesizer 22 based on the control by the control unit 10, for example. In this case, the phase control unit 23 may adjust the phase of each transmission signal based on the path difference of each transmission wave T transmitted from the multiple transmission antennas 25. By the phase control unit 23 appropriately adjusting the phase of each transmission signal, the transmission waves T transmitted from the multiple transmission antennas 25 reinforce each other in a predetermined direction to form a beam (beamforming). In this case, the correlation between the direction of beamforming and the phase amount to be controlled of the transmission signal transmitted by each of the multiple transmission antennas 25 may be stored in, for example, the storage unit 40. The transmission signal phase-controlled by the phase control unit 23 is supplied to the amplifier 24.

[0053] The amplifier 24 amplifies the power of the transmission signal supplied from the phase control section 23, for example, based on the control by the control section 10. When the sensor 5 includes a plurality of transmission antennas 25, the plurality of amplifiers 24 may respectively amplify the power of the transmission signal supplied from each of the plurality of phase control sections 23 corresponding thereto, for example, based on the control by the control section 10. Since the technology itself for amplifying the power of the transmission signal is already known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. The amplifier 24 is connected to the transmission antenna 25.

[0054] The transmitting antenna 25 outputs (transmits) the transmission signal amplified by the amplifier 24 as a transmission wave T. When the sensor 5 includes a plurality of transmitting antennas 25, the plurality of transmitting antennas 25 may output (transmit) the transmission signals amplified by corresponding ones of the plurality of amplifiers 24 as transmission waves T. The transmitting antenna 25 can be configured in the same manner as a transmitting antenna used in known radar technology, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0055] In this manner, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment includes the transmitting antenna 25, and can transmit a transmission signal (e.g., a transmission chirp signal) as a transmission wave T from the transmitting antenna 25. At least one of the functional units constituting the electronic device 1 may be housed in one housing. In this case, the housing may have a structure that is not easily opened. For example, the transmitting antenna 25, the receiving antenna 31, and the amplifier 24 may be housed in one housing, and the housing may have a structure that is not easily opened. Furthermore, here, when the sensor 5 is installed in a moving body 100 such as an automobile, the transmitting antenna 25 may transmit the transmission wave T to the outside of the moving body 100 through a cover member such as a radar cover. In this case, the radar cover may be made of a material that allows electromagnetic waves to pass through, such as synthetic resin or rubber. This radar cover may be, for example, a housing for the sensor 5. By covering the transmitting antenna 25 with a member such as a radar cover, the risk of the transmitting antenna 25 being damaged or malfunctioning due to contact with the outside can be reduced. The above radar cover and housing may also be called a radome.

[0056] The electronic device 1 shown in FIG. 2 shows an example having two transmitting antennas 25. However, in one embodiment, the electronic device 1 may have any number of transmitting antennas 25. On the other hand, in one embodiment, the electronic device 1 may have multiple transmitting antennas 25 when the transmitting wave T transmitted from the transmitting antenna 25 forms a beam in a predetermined direction. In one embodiment, the electronic device 1 may have any multiple transmitting antennas 25. In this case, the electronic device 1 may also have multiple phase control units 23 and amplifiers 24 corresponding to the multiple transmitting antennas 25. The multiple phase control units 23 may each control the phase of the multiple transmitting waves supplied from the synthesizer 22 and transmitted from the multiple transmitting antennas 25. The multiple amplifiers 24 may each amplify the power of the multiple transmitting signals transmitted from the multiple transmitting antennas 25. In this case, the sensor 5 may be configured to include multiple transmitting antennas. In this way, when the electronic device 1 shown in FIG. 2 has multiple transmitting antennas 25, it may also be configured to include multiple functional units necessary for transmitting the transmitting wave T from the multiple transmitting antennas 25.

[0057] The receiving antenna 31 receives a reflected wave R. The reflected wave R may be a transmission wave T reflected by a predetermined object 200. The receiving antenna 31 may be configured to include a plurality of antennas, for example, receiving antennas 31A to 31D. The receiving antenna 31 may be configured in the same manner as a receiving antenna used in known radar technology, and therefore a detailed description will be omitted. The receiving antenna 31 is connected to the LNA 32. A reception signal based on the reflected wave R received by the receiving antenna 31 is supplied to the LNA 32.

[0058] The electronic device 1 according to an embodiment can receive a reflected wave R that is a result of a transmission wave T transmitted as a transmission signal (transmission chirp signal) such as a chirp signal from a plurality of receiving antennas 31 and reflected by a predetermined object 200. In this way, when a transmission chirp signal is transmitted as the transmission wave T, a reception signal based on the received reflection wave R is referred to as a reception chirp signal. That is, the electronic device 1 receives a reception signal (e.g., a reception chirp signal) as a reflection wave R from the receiving antenna 31. Here, when the sensor 5 is installed in a moving body 100 such as an automobile, the receiving antenna 31 may receive the reflected wave R from the outside of the moving body 100 through a cover member such as a radar cover. In this case, the radar cover may be made of a material that allows electromagnetic waves to pass through, such as synthetic resin or rubber. This radar cover may be, for example, a housing for the sensor 5. By covering the receiving antenna 31 with a member such as a radar cover, the risk of the receiving antenna 31 being damaged or defective due to contact with the outside can be reduced. The above-mentioned radar cover and housing may also be called a radome.

[0059] Furthermore, when the receiving antenna 31 is installed near the transmitting antenna 25, these may be configured to be collectively included in one sensor 5. That is, one sensor 5 may include, for example, at least one transmitting antenna 25 and at least one receiving antenna 31. For example, one sensor 5 may include a plurality of transmitting antennas 25 and a plurality of receiving antennas 31. In such a case, one radar sensor may be covered with a cover member such as, for example, a radar cover.

[0060] The LNA 32 amplifies, with low noise, a reception signal based on the reflected wave R received by the receiving antenna 31. The LNA 32 may be a low noise amplifier, and amplifies, with low noise, the reception signal supplied from the receiving antenna 31. The reception signal amplified by the LNA 32 is supplied to the mixer 33.

[0061] The mixer 33 generates a beat signal by mixing (multiplying) the RF frequency reception signal supplied from the LNA 32 with the transmission signal supplied from the synthesizer 22. The beat signal mixed by the mixer 33 is supplied to the IF unit .

[0062] The IF unit 34 reduces the frequency of the beat signal to an intermediate frequency (IF) by performing frequency conversion on the beat signal supplied from the mixer 33. The beat signal whose frequency has been reduced by the IF unit 34 is supplied to an AD conversion unit 35.

[0063] The AD conversion unit 35 digitizes the analog beat signal supplied from the IF unit 34. The AD conversion unit 35 may be configured with any analog-to-digital conversion circuit (Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)). The beat signal digitized by the AD conversion unit 35 is supplied to the distance FFT processing unit 11 of the control unit 10. When there are multiple receiving units 30, each of the beat signals digitized by the multiple AD conversion units 35 may be supplied to the distance FFT processing unit 11 of the control unit 10.

[0064] The distance FFT processing unit 11 estimates the distance between the moving body 100 mounting the electronic device 1 and the object 200 based on the beat signal supplied from the AD conversion unit 35. The distance FFT processing unit 11 may include, for example, a processing unit that performs a fast Fourier transform. In this case, the distance FFT processing unit 11 may be configured with any circuit or chip that performs a fast Fourier transform (FFT) process.

[0065] The distance FFT processing unit 11 performs FFT processing on the beat signal digitized by the AD conversion unit 35 (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as "distance FFT processing"). For example, the distance FFT processing unit 11 may perform FFT processing on the complex signal supplied from the AD conversion unit 35. The beat signal digitized by the AD conversion unit 35 can be expressed as a time change in signal strength (power). The distance FFT processing unit 11 can express the beat signal as a signal strength (power) corresponding to each frequency by performing FFT processing on such a beat signal. If a peak is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold in the result obtained by the distance FFT processing, the distance FFT processing unit 11 may determine that a predetermined object 200 is present at a distance corresponding to the peak. For example, a method is known in which, when a peak value equal to or greater than a threshold is detected from the average power or amplitude of a disturbance signal, such as a detection process based on a constant false alarm rate (CFAR), an object that reflects a transmission wave (a reflecting object) is present. The determination of whether or not an object is present based on such a threshold may be performed, for example, by a threshold determination unit 13 described later.

[0066] In this manner, the electronic device 1 according to one embodiment can detect an object 200 that reflects a transmission wave T based on a transmission signal transmitted as a transmission wave T and a reception signal received as a reflected wave R.

[0067] The distance FFT processing unit 11 can estimate the distance to a predetermined object based on one chirp signal (e.g., c1 shown in FIG. 3). That is, the electronic device 1 can measure (estimate) the distance L shown in FIG. 1 by performing distance FFT processing. Since the technology for measuring (estimating) the distance to a predetermined object by performing FFT processing on a beat signal is well known, a more detailed description will be appropriately simplified or omitted. The result of the distance FFT processing performed by the distance FFT processing unit 11 (e.g., distance information) may be supplied to the velocity FFT processing unit 12. In addition, the result of the distance FFT processing performed by the distance FFT processing unit 11 may also be supplied to the threshold determination unit 13, the object detection unit 15, and / or the output determination unit 16, etc.

[0068] The velocity FFT processing unit 12 estimates the relative velocity between the moving body 100 mounting the electronic device 1 and the object 200, based on the beat signal on which the distance FFT processing has been performed by the distance FFT processing unit 11. The velocity FFT processing unit 12 may include, for example, a processing unit that performs a fast Fourier transform. In this case, the velocity FFT processing unit 12 may be configured with any circuit or chip that performs a fast Fourier transform (FFT) process.

[0069] The velocity FFT processing unit 12 further performs FFT processing on the beat signal that has been subjected to the distance FFT processing by the distance FFT processing unit 11 (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as "velocity FFT processing"). For example, the velocity FFT processing unit 12 may perform FFT processing on the complex signal supplied from the distance FFT processing unit 11. The velocity FFT processing unit 12 can estimate the relative velocity with respect to a predetermined object based on a subframe of the chirp signal (for example, subframe 1 shown in FIG. 3). When the distance FFT processing is performed on the beat signal as described above, a plurality of vectors can be generated. The relative velocity with respect to the predetermined object can be estimated by determining the phase of the peak in the result of performing the velocity FFT processing on these plurality of vectors. That is, the electronic device 1 can measure (estimate) the relative velocity between the moving body 100 and the predetermined object 200 shown in FIG. 1 by performing the velocity FFT processing. The technology itself for measuring (estimating) the relative velocity with respect to a predetermined object by performing the velocity FFT processing on the result of performing the distance FFT processing is known, so a more detailed description will be simplified or omitted as appropriate. The result of the velocity FFT processing performed by the velocity FFT processing unit 12 (e.g., velocity information) may be supplied to the arrival angle estimation unit 14. In addition, the result of the velocity FFT processing performed by the velocity FFT processing unit 12 may also be supplied to the threshold determination unit 13, the object detection unit 15, and / or the output determination unit 16, etc.

[0070] The threshold determination unit 13 performs a determination process for the distance and / or the relative velocity based on the result of the distance FFT processing performed by the distance FFT processing unit 11 and / or the result of the velocity FFT processing performed by the velocity FFT processing unit 12. Here, the threshold determination unit 13 may perform a determination based on a predetermined threshold. For example, the threshold determination unit 13 may determine whether or not the result of the distance FFT processing performed by the distance FFT processing unit 11 and / or the result of the velocity FFT processing performed by the velocity FFT processing unit 12 exceeds a predetermined threshold. The threshold determination unit 13 may determine that an object has been detected at a distance and / or a relative velocity that exceeds the predetermined threshold.

[0071] The threshold determination unit 13 may output only the result of the distance FFT processing performed by the distance FFT processing unit 11 and / or the result of the velocity FFT processing performed by the velocity FFT processing unit 12, which exceeds a predetermined threshold. The operation performed by the threshold determination unit 13 may be, for example, similar to a detection process based on a constant false alarm rate (CFAR). In one embodiment, the operation performed by the threshold determination unit 13 may be a process based on an order statistics CFAR (OS-CFAR). The OS-CFAR is a method of setting a threshold based on ordered statistics and determining that a target exists when the threshold is exceeded. The result of the threshold determination process performed by the threshold determination unit 13 may be supplied to the arrival angle estimation unit 14. The result of the process performed by the threshold determination unit 13 may also be supplied to the object detection unit 15 and / or the output determination unit 16, etc.

[0072] The arrival angle estimation unit 14 estimates the direction in which the reflected wave R arrives from the predetermined object 200 based on the result of the velocity FFT processing performed by the velocity FFT processing unit 12. The arrival angle estimation unit 14 may estimate the direction in which the reflected wave R arrives from the predetermined object 200 based on the result output from the threshold determination unit 13 among the results of the velocity FFT processing performed by the velocity FFT processing unit 12. The electronic device 1 can estimate the direction in which the reflected wave R arrives by receiving the reflected wave R from the multiple receiving antennas 31. For example, it is assumed that the multiple receiving antennas 31 are arranged at a predetermined interval. In this case, the transmission wave T transmitted from the transmission antenna 25 is reflected by the predetermined object 200 to become the reflected wave R, and the multiple receiving antennas 31 arranged at a predetermined interval each receive the reflected wave R. Then, the arrival angle estimation unit 14 can estimate the direction in which the reflected wave R arrives at the receiving antenna 31 based on the phase of the reflected wave R received by each of the multiple receiving antennas 31 and the path difference of each reflected wave R. That is, the electronic device 1 can measure (estimate) the arrival angle θ shown in FIG. 1 based on the result of the speed FFT processing.

[0073] Various techniques have been proposed for estimating the direction from which the reflected wave R arrives based on the results of the velocity FFT processing. For example, known algorithms for estimating the direction of arrival include MUSIC (MUltiple SIgnal Classification) and ESPRIT (Estimation of Signal Parameters via Rotational Invariance Technique). Therefore, detailed descriptions of known techniques will be appropriately simplified or omitted. Information (angle information) of the arrival angle θ estimated by the arrival angle estimation unit 14 may be supplied to the object detection unit 15.

[0074] The object detection unit 15 detects an object present in a range where the transmission wave T is transmitted based on information supplied from at least one of the distance FFT processing unit 11, the speed FFT processing unit 12, the threshold determination unit 13, and the arrival angle estimation unit 14. The object detection unit 15 may perform object detection by, for example, clustering processing based on the supplied distance information, speed information, and angle information. As an algorithm used for clustering data, for example, DBSCAN (Density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise) is known. In the clustering processing, for example, the average power of points constituting the detected object may be calculated. The distance information, speed information, angle information, and / or power information of the object detected in the object detection unit 15 may be supplied to the output determination unit 16.

[0075] The output determination unit 16 determines whether or not to output the information (detection result) input from the object detection unit 15 to the ECU 50, etc. The output determination unit 16 outputs the input information in a predetermined situation, but does not output the input information in a predetermined situation. For example, the output determination unit 16 may output the input information when a predetermined condition is satisfied, and may not output the input information when the predetermined condition is not satisfied. Also, the output determination unit 16 may not output the input information when the predetermined condition is satisfied, and may output the input information when the predetermined condition is not satisfied. The determination of whether or not the output determination unit 16 outputs the information (detection result) input from the object detection unit 15 to the ECU 50, etc. will be described later.

[0076] As described above, the output of the output determination unit 16 may be supplied to, for example, the ECU 50. In this case, if the moving body 100 is an automobile, communication may be performed using a communication interface such as a CAN (Controller Area Network).

[0077] The ECU 50 included in the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment can control the operation of the entire mobile body 100, including the control of each functional unit constituting the mobile body 100. The ECU 50 may include at least one processor, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), to provide control and processing power for executing various functions. The ECU 50 may be realized as one processor, several processors, or individual processors. The processor may be realized as a single integrated circuit. The integrated circuit is also called an IC (Integrated Circuit). The processor may be realized as a plurality of integrated circuits and discrete circuits connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other. The processor may be realized based on various other known technologies. In an embodiment, the ECU 50 may be configured as, for example, a CPU and a program executed by the CPU. The ECU 50 may include a memory required for the operation of the ECU 50 as appropriate. In addition, at least a part of the functions of the control unit 10 may be the functions of the ECU 50, or at least a part of the functions of the ECU 50 may be the functions of the control unit 10.

[0078] The electronic device 1 shown in Fig. 2 includes two transmitting antennas 25 and four receiving antennas 31. However, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may include any number of transmitting antennas 25 and any number of receiving antennas 31. For example, by including two transmitting antennas 25 and four receiving antennas 31, the electronic device 1 can be considered to include a virtual antenna array consisting of eight virtual antennas. In this manner, the electronic device 1 may receive the reflected waves R of the 16 subframes shown in Fig. 3 by using, for example, eight virtual antennas.

[0079] Next, the operation of the electronic device 1 according to the embodiment will be described.

[0080] The electronic device 1 according to one embodiment is provided on a moving object such as a truck, and can determine whether the moving object is the rearmost moving object in a platoon. The electronic device 1 according to one embodiment can realize a function suitable for each case depending on whether the moving object equipped with the electronic device 1 is the rearmost moving object in a platoon.

[0081] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a usage mode when the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment operates.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 4, the electronic device 1 may be provided in a moving body 100A such as a truck. In this manner, the electronic device 1 may be provided in the moving body. Here, the moving body 100A may be capable of platooning. As described above, the moving body 100A is not limited to a truck, but may be capable of platooning. In addition, if the moving body 100A is not a moving object such as a car but a flying object such as a drone, it may be capable of flying in a formation instead of platooning.

[0083] The moving body 100A shown in Fig. 4 is equipped with sensors 5Aα and 5Aβ at the rear corners in the traveling direction. Here, the sensors 5Aα and 5Aβ may be included in the electronic device 1A. The electronic device 1A may be configured similarly to the electronic device 1 shown in Fig. 2. The sensors 5Aα and 5Aβ may each be configured similarly to the sensor 5 shown in Fig. 2. Hereinafter, the moving body 100A will be described as being equipped with the electronic device 1A.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor 5Aα may be installed at the rear left corner with respect to the traveling direction of the moving body 100A (the Y-axis positive direction shown in FIG. 4). The sensor 5Aβ may be installed at the rear right corner with respect to the traveling direction of the moving body 100A. In FIG. 4, the range in which the sensor 5Aα detects an object is shown as a range RAα. Also, in FIG. 4, the range in which the sensor 5Aβ detects an object is shown as a range RAβ. In one embodiment, the sensor 5Aα and the sensor 5Aβ of the electronic device 1A may be installed at a position where an object present on the side and / or rear of the moving body 100A with respect to the traveling direction can be detected. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the sensor 5Aα and the sensor 5Aβ of the electronic device 1A may be provided on the side or rear of the moving body 100A. With such an arrangement of the sensor 5Aα and the sensor 5Aβ, the electronic device 1A can detect, for example, an automobile traveling in a lane (e.g., a lane) adjacent to the lane (e.g., a lane) in which the moving body 100A is traveling.

[0085] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which moving objects 100A equipped with electronic devices 1A are traveling in a formation.

[0086] FIG. 5 shows a state where a moving body 100B, such as a truck, runs in line with (follows) a moving body 100A. When multiple moving bodies run in a platoon like this, the multiple moving bodies are separated by a predetermined inter-vehicle distance and run at almost the same speed. Therefore, for example, when moving body 100A and moving body 100B shown in FIG. 5 run in a platoon, the distance D between them is kept almost constant, and the relative speed Vr between them is almost zero. Here, the relative speed Vr between moving body 100A and moving body 100B may be strictly zero, or may not be strictly zero, but may be within a predetermined threshold value close to zero, for example.

[0087] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, when the electronic device 1 detects an object whose relative speed Vr is zero or within a predetermined threshold value at a predetermined distance D behind the moving body 100A, the electronic device 1 may determine that the moving body 100A is not the last one of the moving body platooning. That is, when the electronic device 1 of the moving body 100A detects the moving body 100B, which is a following vehicle traveling in the platoon, the electronic device 1 may determine that the moving body 100A is not the last one of the moving body platooning. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, when the electronic device 1 does not detect an object whose relative speed Vr is zero or within a predetermined threshold value at a predetermined distance D behind the moving body 100A, the electronic device 1 may determine that the moving body 100A is the last one of the moving body platooning. That is, when the electronic device 1 of the moving body 100A does not detect the moving body 100B, which is a following vehicle traveling in the platoon, the electronic device 1 may determine that the moving body 100A is the last one of the moving body platooning. Such a determination process may be performed by the control unit 10 in the electronic device 1A based on the result of receiving a reflected wave that is a reflected transmission wave.

[0088] 4 and 5, as the simplest example, a case has been described in which the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon are only moving body 100A and moving body 100B. However, even if the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon are three or more, each moving body can determine whether or not its own vehicle is at the rearmost position by being equipped with electronic device 1.

[0089] In this way, the control unit 10 may determine that the moving body 100A is the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon when an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body 100A is within a predetermined threshold value is not detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body 100A in the traveling direction of the moving body 100A. On the other hand, the control unit 10 may determine that the moving body 100A is not the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon when an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body 100A is within a predetermined threshold value is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body 100A in the traveling direction of the moving body 100A. Therefore, the control unit 10 may determine whether the moving body 100A is the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon depending on whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body 100A is within a predetermined threshold value is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body 100A in the traveling direction of the moving body 100A. Here, the control unit 10 may determine whether the moving body 100A is the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon depending on whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body 100A is zero or almost zero is detected.

[0090] As described above, the electronic device 1 can determine whether the moving body 100 equipped with the electronic device 1 is the last moving body of a plurality of moving bodies traveling in a platoon. Therefore, the electronic device 1 can provide an electronic device that is useful when moving bodies travel in a platoon.

[0091] 4, when the moving body 100A is the last of a plurality of moving bodies traveling in a platoon, the sensor 5Aα and the sensor 5Aβ of the electronic device 1A can detect objects on the sides and / or behind the moving body 100A. Therefore, when the moving body 100A is the last of the moving body traveling in a platoon, the electronic device 1A may output, for example, only the detection result of an object approaching the moving body 100A. In this case, the output determination unit 16 of the control unit 10 may output, for example, only the detection result of an object that is getting closer and closer to the moving body 100A and / or an object whose relative speed is not zero or not close to zero.

[0092] In this manner, when the moving body 100A is the last of a plurality of moving bodies traveling in a platoon, the control unit 10 may output a detection result of an object approaching the moving body 100A.

[0093] On the other hand, for example, as shown in Fig. 5, when the moving body 100A is not the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon, the sensors 5Aα and 5Aβ of the electronic device 1A may erroneously detect the following moving body 100B as another object. Therefore, when the moving body 100A is not the last of the moving bodies traveling in a platoon, the electronic device 1A may, for example, not output the detection result of an object assumed to be the moving body 100B. In this case, the output determination unit 16 of the control unit 10 may, for example, not output the detection result of an object whose relative speed Vr is zero or within a predetermined threshold value at a predetermined distance D behind the moving body 100A.

[0094] In this way, when the moving body 100A is not the last of multiple moving bodies traveling in a formation, the control unit 10 may not output the detection result of an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body 100A is within a predetermined threshold value at a predetermined distance behind the moving body 100A in the direction of travel.

[0095] Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the moving body 100A is not the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon, the sensor 5Aα and the sensor 5Aβ of the electronic device 1A may detect, for example, an automobile traveling in a lane adjacent to the lane in which the moving body 100A is traveling. In this case, the sensor 5Aα and the sensor 5Aβ of the electronic device 1A may output, for example, a detection result of an object traveling parallel to the moving body 100A. Also, in this case, the sensor 5Aα and the sensor 5Aβ of the electronic device 1A may output a detection result of an object traveling parallel to the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon including the moving body 100A. Also, in this case, the sensor 5Aα and the sensor 5Aβ of the electronic device 1A may output a detection result of an object traveling in a lane adjacent to the lane in which the moving body 100A is traveling.

[0096] In this way, the control unit 10 may output a detection result of an object traveling parallel to the moving body 100A when the moving body 100A is not the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon. Also, the control unit 10 may output a detection result of an object traveling parallel to the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon when the moving body 100A is not the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon. Also, the control unit 10 may output a detection result of an object traveling (traveling) in a lane adjacent to the lane in which the moving body 100A is traveling (traveling) when the moving body 100A is not the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon.

[0097] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the electronic device 1A.

[0098] At the time when the operation shown in FIG. 6 starts, the moving body 100A equipped with the electronic device 1A may be traveling in a platoon with other moving bodies (e.g., moving body 100B), or may not be traveling in a platoon but may be traveling alone, for example.

[0099] When the operation shown in FIG. 6 starts, the control unit 10 of the electronic device 1A provided in the moving body 100A controls the transmission antenna 25 to transmit a transmission wave (step S1).

[0100] When a transmission wave is transmitted in step S1, the control unit 10 controls the electronic device 1A so that a reflected wave of the transmission wave reflected by an object is received from the receiving antenna 31 of the electronic device 1A (step S2).

[0101] When the reflected wave is received in step S2, the control unit 10 performs an object detection process based on the transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and the reception signal received as the reflected wave (step S3).

[0102] In step S3, the control unit 10 may perform object detection processing based on the results of distance FFT processing and velocity FFT processing performed on the beat signals obtained from the transmitted wave and the reflected wave. For example, in step S3, the distance FFT processing unit 11 may perform distance FFT processing, and the velocity FFT processing unit 12 may perform velocity FFT processing. In particular, in step S3, the control unit 10 may determine whether or not an object whose relative velocity with respect to the moving body 100A is within a predetermined threshold value has been detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body 100A in the traveling direction.

[0103] In step S3, the "predetermined distance" may be a distance that is assumed to be an inter-vehicle distance between the moving body 100A and a following moving body when the moving body 100A is traveling in a platoon, and may be set in advance. This "predetermined distance" may vary depending on various conditions, such as the condition of the road on which the moving body 100A is traveling in a platoon, traffic regulations, and / or the speed at which the moving body 100A travels in a platoon. For example, when the moving body 100A is traveling at a speed of 60 km / h, the predetermined distance may be any distance around 60 m. Also, when the moving body 100A is traveling at a speed of 100 km / h, the predetermined distance may be any distance around 100 m. Also, in step S3, the control unit 10 may determine whether or not an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body 100A is zero or nearly zero has been detected.

[0104] If the result in step S3 is NO, i.e., if no object is detected within a predetermined distance whose relative speed is within a predetermined threshold, the control unit 10 determines that the moving body 100A is the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in formation (step S4).

[0105] When proceeding to step S4, i.e., when it is determined that the moving body 100A is the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon, the control unit 10 may, for example, output only the detection result of an object approaching the moving body 100A (step S5). In step S5, the output determination unit 16 of the control unit 10 may output the detection result of only the object that is determined to be approaching the moving body 100A based on the relative speed between the detected object and the moving body 100A.

[0106] On the other hand, if the result goes to YES in step S3, that is, if an object is detected at a predetermined distance whose relative speed is within a predetermined threshold, the control unit 10 determines that the moving body 100A is not the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in formation (step S6).

[0107] When proceeding to step S6, i.e., when it is determined that moving body 100A is not the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon, control unit 10 may not output the detection result of a moving body assumed to be a following vehicle in the platoon (step S7). In step S7, output determination unit 16 of control unit 10 may not output the detection result of an object whose relative speed is within a predetermined threshold (or zero or almost zero) at a predetermined distance.

[0108] In step S7, the control unit 10 may detect an object traveling in a lane adjacent to the lane in which the moving body 100A is traveling, as described above, and output the detection result. Here, the output determination unit 16 of the control unit 10 may output the detection result of an object, such as a moving body traveling parallel to the moving body 100A. In addition, the output determination unit 16 of the control unit 10 may output the detection result of an object traveling parallel to multiple moving bodies traveling in a formation.

[0109] After the process in step S7 or step S5, the control unit 10 may end the operation shown in Fig. 6. When the operation shown in Fig. 6 ends, the control unit 10 may start the operation shown in Fig. 6 again.

[0110] As described above, the electronic device 1 can realize a suitable function in each case depending on whether the moving body 100A equipped with the electronic device 1 is the last moving body in a platoon. Therefore, the electronic device 1 can provide an electronic device that is useful when moving bodies are traveling in a platoon.

[0111] In the above-described embodiment, the electronic device 1 determines whether the moving body 100A is the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon by receiving a reflected wave of a transmitted wave. Then, the electronic device 1 controls to perform different operations depending on the determination result. On the other hand, for example, a case is also assumed in which the order of traveling in a platoon is predetermined for the multiple moving bodies. In such a case, the electronic device 1 does not need to determine whether the moving body 100A is the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon based on the processing from step S1 to step S3 shown in FIG. 6. In this case, the electronic device 1 may determine whether the moving body traveling in a platoon is the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon based on given information.

[0112] For example, when the order of platooning of multiple moving bodies is determined in advance and stored in the memory unit 40, the control unit 10 may determine whether or not the moving body 100A is the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in the platoon based on the stored information. Also, when information on the order of platooning of multiple moving bodies traveling in the platoon is obtained by vehicle-to-vehicle communication of the multiple moving bodies traveling in the platoon, the control unit 10 may determine whether or not the moving body 100A is the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in the platoon based on the obtained information. Then, the electronic device 1 may be controlled to perform different operations appropriate for each case depending on the determination result.

[0113] In this way, the electronic device 1 may determine whether the moving body 100A is the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon based on the acquired information. In this case, the control unit 10 may output a detection result of an object approaching the moving body 100A when the moving body 100A is the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon. Furthermore, when the moving body 100A is not the last of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a platoon, the control unit 10 may not output a detection result of an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body 100A is within a predetermined threshold value at a predetermined distance behind the moving body 100A in the traveling direction.

[0114] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that a person skilled in the art can easily make various modifications or corrections based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications or corrections are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each functional unit can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent. Multiple functional units, etc. may be combined into one or divided. Each embodiment of the present disclosure described above is not limited to being implemented faithfully to each of the embodiments described, and may be implemented by combining each feature as appropriate or omitting a part. In other words, the contents of the present disclosure can be modified and corrected in various ways by a person skilled in the art based on the present disclosure. Therefore, these modifications and corrections are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, in each embodiment, each functional unit, each means, each step, etc. can be added to other embodiments so as not to be logically inconsistent, or replaced with each functional unit, each means, each step, etc. of other embodiments. In addition, in each embodiment, multiple functional units, each means, each step, etc. can be combined into one or divided. Furthermore, each of the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited to being implemented faithfully according to each of the described embodiments, but may be implemented by combining each feature or omitting some features as appropriate.

[0115] For example, in the above-described embodiment, a description has been given of an aspect in which the object detection range is dynamically switched by one sensor 5. However, in one embodiment, object detection may be performed in a determined object detection range by a plurality of sensors 5. Also, in one embodiment, beamforming may be performed toward the determined object detection range by the plurality of sensors 5.

[0116] The above-described embodiment is not limited to being implemented only as the electronic device 1. For example, the above-described embodiment may be implemented as a control method for a device such as the electronic device 1. Furthermore, for example, the above-described embodiment may be implemented as a program executed by a device such as the electronic device 1.

[0117] The electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may have, as a minimum configuration, at least a part of, for example, only the sensor 5 or the control unit 10. Meanwhile, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may be configured to include at least one of the signal generating unit 21, the synthesizer 22, the phase control unit 23, the amplifier 24, and the transmitting antenna 25 as shown in FIG. 2 in addition to the control unit 10. Also, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may be configured to include at least one of the receiving antenna 31, the LNA 32, the mixer 33, the IF unit 34, and the AD conversion unit 35 instead of the above-mentioned functional units or together with the above-mentioned functional units. Furthermore, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may be configured to include a storage unit 40. In this way, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may have various configurations. Also, when the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment is mounted on a moving body 100, at least one of the above-mentioned functional units may be installed in an appropriate location such as inside the moving body 100. Meanwhile, in an embodiment, at least one of the transmitting antenna 25 and the receiving antenna 31 may be installed outside the moving body 100, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0118] 1 Electronic equipment 5 Sensors 10 Control section 11 Distance FFT processing section 12 Speed ​​FFT processing section 13 Threshold judgment unit 14 Arrival angle estimator 15 Object detection unit 16 Output judgment section 20 Transmitter 21 Signal Generation Unit 22 Synthesizer 23 Phase control section 24 Amplifier 25 Transmitting Antenna 30 Receiving section 31 Receiving antenna 32 LNA 33 Mixer 34 IF Section 35 AD conversion section 40 Storage section 50 ECU 100 moving objects 200 objects

Claims

1. An electronic device provided in a moving object, A transmitting antenna for transmitting a transmission wave; a receiving antenna for receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave; a control unit that detects an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; Equipped with the control unit determines whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon depending on whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in a traveling direction of the moving body, The control unit is an electronic device that outputs a detection result of an object traveling parallel to the moving body when the moving body is not the last moving body of a plurality of moving bodies traveling in a procession.

2. An electronic device provided in a moving object, A transmitting antenna for transmitting a transmission wave; a receiving antenna for receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave; a control unit that detects an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; Equipped with the control unit determines whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon depending on whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in a traveling direction of the moving body, The control unit is an electronic device that outputs a detection result of an object traveling parallel to the multiple moving bodies traveling in a procession when the moving body is not the last moving body in the procession.

3. An electronic device provided in a moving object, A transmitting antenna for transmitting a transmission wave; a receiving antenna for receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave; a control unit that detects an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; Equipped with the control unit determines whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon depending on whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in a traveling direction of the moving body, The control unit is an electronic device that outputs a detection result of an object traveling in a lane adjacent to the lane in which the moving body is traveling if the moving body is not the last moving body of a plurality of moving bodies traveling in a formation.

4. The electronic device described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit determines that the moving body is the rearmost of a plurality of moving bodies traveling in a formation when it does not detect an object whose relative speed to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold value at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in the direction of travel of the moving body.

5. The electronic device described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit determines that the moving body is not the last of multiple moving bodies traveling in a formation when it detects an object whose relative speed to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold value at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in the direction of travel of the moving body.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to output a detection result of an object approaching the moving body when the moving body is the rearmost of a plurality of moving bodies traveling in a procession.

7. The electronic device described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control unit does not output a detection result of an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold value at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in the direction of travel of the moving body when the moving body is not the last of a plurality of moving bodies traveling in a formation.

8. 8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether the moving body is the rearmost of a plurality of moving bodies traveling in a formation depending on whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is zero is detected.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is provided on a side or a rear of the moving object.

10. A method for controlling an electronic device provided in a moving object, comprising: Transmitting a transmission wave from a transmission antenna; receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave from a receiving antenna; detecting an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; determining whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon according to whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold value is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in the traveling direction; outputting a detection result of an object traveling parallel to the moving object when the moving object is not the last moving object of a plurality of moving objects traveling in a procession; A method for controlling an electronic device, comprising:

11. A method for controlling an electronic device provided in a moving object, comprising: Transmitting a transmission wave from a transmission antenna; receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave from a receiving antenna; detecting an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; determining whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon according to whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold value is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in the traveling direction; outputting a detection result of an object traveling parallel to the multiple moving bodies traveling in a procession when the moving body is not the last moving body of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a procession; A method for controlling an electronic device, comprising:

12. A method for controlling an electronic device provided in a moving object, comprising: Transmitting a transmission wave from a transmission antenna; receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave from a receiving antenna; detecting an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; determining whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon according to whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold value is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in the traveling direction; outputting a detection result of an object traveling in a lane adjacent to the lane in which the moving object is traveling, when the moving object is not the rearmost moving object in the platoon; A method for controlling an electronic device, comprising:

13. Electronic devices installed in moving objects, Transmitting a transmission wave from a transmission antenna; receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave from a receiving antenna; detecting an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; determining whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon according to whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold value is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in the traveling direction; outputting a detection result of an object traveling parallel to the moving object when the moving object is not the last moving object of a plurality of moving objects traveling in a procession; A program that executes the following.

14. Electronic devices installed in moving objects, Transmitting a transmission wave from a transmission antenna; receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave from a receiving antenna; detecting an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; determining whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon according to whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold value is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in the traveling direction; outputting a detection result of an object traveling parallel to the multiple moving bodies traveling in a procession when the moving body is not the last moving body of the multiple moving bodies traveling in a procession; A program that executes the following.

15. Electronic devices installed in moving objects, Transmitting a transmission wave from a transmission antenna; receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave from a receiving antenna; detecting an object based on a transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave and a reception signal received as the reflected wave; determining whether the moving body is the rearmost moving body in a platoon according to whether an object whose relative speed with respect to the moving body is within a predetermined threshold value is detected at a predetermined distance behind the moving body in the traveling direction; outputting a detection result of an object traveling in a lane adjacent to the lane in which the moving object is traveling, when the moving object is not the rearmost moving object in the platoon; A program that executes the following.

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