Vehicle object detection system and method for detecting objects in a detection area located behind a vehicle - Patents.com

Abstract

To detect a target such as a vehicle in a detection area behind an owned vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle object detection system has determination means for generating a determination as to whether a target which was detected to be entering a detection area is a warning target and outputting a determination to warning means for outputting a warning regarding the existence of the target in the detection area behind the owned vehicle to the driver of the owned vehicle on the basis of the determination that the target is a warning target. The determination means delays generation of the determination until a specific length of time passes after entrance of the target to a detection possible area in the field of vision of the sensor is detected. The detection possible area overlaps only with a part of the detection area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Technical Field The present invention relates to a vehicle object detection system for detecting an object such as a vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as a "target vehicle") in a detection area located behind an ego vehicle. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a computer-implemented method for detecting an object such as a vehicle in a detection area located behind an ego vehicle, in particular for controlling the vehicle object detection system.

[0002] Furthermore, the invention relates to a driver assistance system for a vehicle comprising such a vehicle object detection system, and to a corresponding computer program for performing the above computer-implemented method, and to respective non-transitory computer readable media. [Background technology]

[0003] background Conventional driver assistance systems or advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) for vehicles are widely used in connection with, for example, conventional and autonomous vehicles.

[0004] Many vehicle accidents are caused by human error, which could have been avoided by such advanced driver assistance systems. Commonly known safety-critical ADAS applications include, for example, pedestrian detection / avoidance, lane departure warning / correction, traffic sign recognition, automatic emergency braking, (rear) cross traffic alert and blind spot detection (BSD).

[0005] In relation to (rear) cross traffic alert, the respective rear cross traffic alert (RCTA) system often uses detection means such as the same radar infrastructure as that used to detect vehicles in blind spots (BSD).

[0006] For example, long-range radar (long-range radar sensors) are typically used in applications such as emergency braking assistance and adaptive cruise control, while short-range radar is often used in conjunction with applications such as blind spot detection (BSD), rear cross traffic alert, lane change assist and rear pre-crash systems.

[0007] Such rear pre-crash systems track vehicles approaching from behind the vehicle, for example from an adjacent lane adjacent to the vehicle's lane (called the own lane or own lane), and in the event of an imminent collision, activate safety devices such as indicators (optical or acoustic indicators), airbags, seat belts, etc. in advance. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In dangerous situations such as road rage or tailgating situations (where a target vehicle behind the vehicle approaches dangerously close to the vehicle), such indicators may be used to provide a Rear Traffic Approach Notification (RTAN) to the driver of the vehicle, which is typically provided by a Rear Target Approach Notification system (RTAN system) and a Long Range Rear Target Approach Notification system (L-RTAN system) implemented by a vehicle object detection system.

[0009] However, even if a target vehicle enters the vehicle's (own / own) lane, it is not necessarily necessary to output or activate an alarm to warn the driver of the vehicle that a vehicle is approaching from behind the vehicle, in order to attract the driver's attention.

[0010] In other words, the determination means of a conventional object detection system used for rear traffic approach notification may determine that an object such as another vehicle detected entering the detection area behind the host vehicle, i.e., the rear traffic zone behind the host vehicle, is a target for warning, and may output the result of this determination to a warning means which immediately outputs a warning to the driver of the host vehicle that a target vehicle is present in the detection area behind the host vehicle, even if no notification is necessary because no dangerous situation such as an alarm / warning situation actually exists.

[0011] This is because, in some cases, it is difficult for the detection and determination means of the RTAN system to detect target vehicles behind the vehicle and distinguish between target vehicles in the vehicle's own lane or adjacent lanes that should be warned about and target vehicles in adjacent lanes that are not to be warned about.

[0012] For example, a target vehicle may be traveling straight or parallel to the host vehicle in an adjacent lane and may momentarily contact / enter from one side a detection area constituting a RTAN zone detected by the host vehicle's RTAN system. Target tracking by radar detection of radar sensors used in RTAN systems is often associated with position errors. In particular, a target vehicle entering a detection area / RTAN zone located on one side opposite to the side on which the respective radar sensor is located, i.e. on the other side of the rear edge of the host vehicle, is detected at the edge of the field of view (FoV) of the respective radar sensor. Such a target vehicle is therefore detected by this radar sensor with even less accuracy regarding its position.

[0013] In such a case, even if the target vehicle does not collide with or is not a danger to the own vehicle by being partially in the RTAN zone, i.e., the zone detectable by the respective short-range sensor, for a short period of time, it may trigger an alert by the respective sensor that detects the target vehicle with a lower accuracy, i.e., in such a situation, it is difficult to distinguish between a non-hazardous situation and a hazardous situation by using only the short-range sensor, especially if the object is at a long distance and therefore detected inaccurately by the sensor.

[0014] This difficulty may be caused by structural aspects of the short-range radar sensors at the left and right rear corners of the ego-vehicle's radar infrastructure, such as the limited field of view (FoV) of these radar sensors, which reduces the accuracy of nearby object location detection and object tracking. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] Summary of the Invention The vehicle object detection system according to the present invention is for detecting an object such as a vehicle in a detection area located rear of the host vehicle, the vehicle object detection system comprising a determination means configured to generate a determination as to whether an object such as a target vehicle detected entering the detection area is a subject to an alarm and to output the determination to a warning means, the warning means configured to warn a driver of the host vehicle of the presence of an object in the detection area rear of the host vehicle based on a determination indicating that the object is a subject to an alarm, and the determination means configured to delay generating the determination until a specified period has elapsed from the time the object is detected entering a detectable area included in the field of view of the sensor, the detectable area overlapping only a portion of the detection area.

[0016] In accordance with the present invention, a warning judgment / determination algorithm for a Rear Approaching Target Notification (RTAN) system equipped with a vehicle object detection system in accordance with the present invention can be improved by using a warning delay time (specified period) to suppress warnings due to detected objects, such as other target vehicles coming from the side of the detectable area opposite to the side on which a sensor, such as a rear corner (radar) sensor of the host vehicle, is located / arranged.

[0017] By applying a delay time (specified period) to suppress warnings due to objects entering the detectable area of ​​the sensor (left or right corner / trailing edge radar sensor) from the side of the detectable area opposite to the side on which the sensor is located / arranged, such as other vehicles (also referred to as target vehicles), potential false alarms are suppressed for the specified period, thereby improving the ability to distinguish between objects that are relevant for the warning and those that are irrelevant / non-warning. Examples of such irrelevant / non-warning objects may be objects / vehicles in an adjacent lane adjacent to the own lane of the own vehicle, ghost objects, etc. that contact / enter the detectable area of ​​the sensor temporarily, i.e., for a short period of time.

[0018] In contrast, in conventional vehicle object detection systems, when an object such as another vehicle in an adjacent area corresponding to an adjacent lane located to the side of the detection area passes close to the vehicle, the rear approaching target notification is falsely triggered. This is because the accuracy of the object tracking for the close-range sensor on the opposite side of the vehicle where the object entered the detection area is prone to errors. Therefore, the present invention provides a delay time (set by a delay timer / counter) to be calculated for an object that enters the detection area when the following conditions are met:

[0019] The object overlaps partially with the detectable areas of each sensor located on the side of the detection area opposite the side where the object entered the detection area (RTAN zone).

[0020] The rear edge / end of the object is closer to the respective sensor than the rear edge / end of the respective detectable area of ​​the respective sensor, i.e. the rear edge / end of the object is within the detectable area.

[0021] If these conditions are met, a delay time is initiated and the output of a warning (RTAN warning) is suppressed for a period of, for example, 1000 ms to 1300 ms, preferably about 1250 ms, for the sensor that detected the object.

[0022] However, the delay time may vary depending on the types of sensors and systems used in each vehicle.

[0023] Thus, the delay time, i.e., the specified period of time, is set if the above conditions are met in the cycle in which the object first enters the RTAN zone and in the detectable area of ​​each sensor located on the opposite side of the RTAN zone (detection area) from the side in which the object entered the RTAN zone, otherwise no delay time is set.

[0024] As a premise, the RTAN system notifies the driver of a warning if an object is detected by either the left or right sensor. A possible side effect of the delay time is a delayed warning when the target actually enters the RTAN zone. However, the delay time does not apply to objects detected by sensors located on the same side of the detection area as the object entered the detection area, so the RTAN system can trigger a warning without delay if a warning is still output due to detection of an object by a sensor located on the same side. That is, the output of each sensor is managed independently of each other.

[0025] Thus, one of the advantages achieved by the present invention is to avoid unnecessary alarms / triggering.

[0026] In particular, the vehicle object detection system may be further modified such that the determination means is configured to delay generating the determination until the specified period of time has elapsed from the time an object enters the detectable area from the side of the detectable area or from the edge of the sensor's field of view.

[0027] The vehicle object detection system according to the present invention may be further configured such that the determination means is configured to delay generating the determination in response to an object being detected entering the detectable area from a first side of the detection area, the first side being opposite a second side of the detection area in which the sensor is located.

[0028] Furthermore, the vehicle object detection system according to the present invention may be further formed such that the determination means is configured to delay generating a determination in response to a rear edge or end of the object being detected as being closer to the sensor that detected the object entering the detectable area than the distal end of the detectable area relative to the sensor.

[0029] In this regard, the rear edge or end of the object corresponds to the distal edge or end of the object relative to the sensor, and the front edge or end of the object corresponds to the proximal edge or end of the object relative to the sensor, being closer to the sensor than the rear edge or end.

[0030] In essence, the detectable area of ​​each sensor capable of detecting an object with high accuracy does not cover the entire detection area, but rather each corner sensor can merely monitor a portion of the detection area with high accuracy, while the remaining part of the detection area is not monitored at all or simply with low accuracy.

[0031] Furthermore, the vehicle object detection system according to the present invention may further be implemented such that an object is detected that at least partially overlaps the detectable area of ​​the sensor when viewed in a normal direction of the detection area.

[0032] In other words, an object, such as another target vehicle, has a detectable area and lateral overlap in a lateral direction corresponding to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lane or vehicle.

[0033] Furthermore, the vehicle object detection system according to the present invention may be modified such that the determining means is configured to generate a delayed determination after a designated period of time indicating whether the object is or is not a subject of an alert, in other words alert suppression is lifted after the designated period of time has elapsed.

[0034] A driver assistance system according to the present invention is for a host vehicle and comprises detection means configured to detect an object in a detection area located behind the host vehicle, the detection means comprising a sensor configured to detect objects in a detectable area, the detectable area being included in the field of view of the sensor and overlapping only a portion of the detection area, a vehicle object detection system according to the present invention as outlined above, and warning means configured to warn the driver of the host vehicle of the presence of an object in the detection area only based on a determination by the determination means of the vehicle object detection system indicating that the object is a target for an alarm.

[0035] The driver assistance system according to the invention can further be realised such that the detection means comprises at least two sensors, preferably at least two radar sensors, such as two short-range radar sensors, configured to detect objects in a detection area, each sensor monitoring a different detectable area included in a respective field of view of the respective sensor, each of the different detectable areas overlapping only a part of the detection area, such that each sensor may trigger the output of a warning independently of each other, unless a delay time, i.e. said specified period, is set for each sensor.

[0036] Furthermore, the driver assistance system according to the present invention can be further configured so that the warning means is configured to output a warning to the driver of the vehicle that an object is present in the detection area based on a determination by the determination means indicating that an object detected by one of the sensors is a target for an alarm, and is configured not to output a warning even if an object is detected in the detection area by the other of the sensors based on the determination means delaying the generation of a determination for the other sensor.

[0037] Thus, as described above, the outputs of the different sensors are judged independently of each other, i.e. the judgment of one sensor's output may be delayed until a specified period has elapsed, but the judgment of the other sensor's output may nevertheless result in a warning being issued to the driver.

[0038] A vehicle according to the present invention is equipped with the above-mentioned driver assistance system according to the present invention, one sensor being arranged at the left rear edge / area or end area of ​​the vehicle and the other sensor being arranged at the right rear edge / area or end area of ​​the vehicle.

[0039] A method according to the present invention is for detecting an object in a detection area located behind the host vehicle, in particular for controlling the above-mentioned vehicle object detection system according to the present invention, the method comprising the steps of generating a determination as to whether an object detected entering the detection area is a subject to an alarm, and based on the determination indicating that the object is a subject to an alarm, outputting the determination to a warning means configured to output a warning to a driver of the host vehicle that an object is present in the detection area behind the host vehicle, the generating of the determination being delayed until a specified period of time has elapsed from the moment the object is detected entering a detectable area included in the field of view of the sensor, the detectable area overlapping only a portion of the detection area.

[0040] Therefore, the characteristics and advantages described in relation to the vehicle object detection system according to the present invention arise in the same or similar manner in relation to the method for detecting objects in a detection area located behind the host vehicle according to the present invention, which is why, to avoid repetition, reference is made to the respective description of the vehicle object detection system according to the present invention.

[0041] A computer program according to the invention comprises instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer or a processor, cause the computer or the processor to carry out the above-mentioned computer-implemented method according to the invention.

[0042] A non-transitory computer readable medium according to the invention stores the above-mentioned computer program according to the invention.

[0043] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Preferred embodiments and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0044] [Figure 1] 1 shows an embodiment of a vehicle according to the invention equipped with a driver assistance system according to the invention in two different respective situations; [Diagram 2] 2 is a flow chart of a decision process executed by the driver assistance system according to the invention of FIG. 1; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the driver assistance system according to the present invention shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0045] Detailed Description In this regard, the vehicle object detection system described herein may include a memory for use in processes performed in the vehicle object detection system, for example. The memory used in the embodiments may be a volatile memory, such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), or a non-volatile memory, such as a PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasable PROM), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable PROM), or a flash memory, such as a floating gate memory, a charge trap memory, an MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory), or a PCRAM (Phase Change Random Access Memory).

[0046] In this regard, the vehicle object detection system described herein may include a processor or a "circuit". A "circuit" may be understood as any kind of logic implementation entity, which may be a dedicated circuit or a processor executing software stored in a memory, firmware, or any combination thereof. Thus, in one embodiment, a "circuit" may be a hardwired logic circuit, or a programmable logic circuit, such as a programmable processor, for example, a microprocessor (e.g., a complex instruction set computer (CISC) processor or a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) processor). A "circuit" may also be a processor executing software, for example, any kind of computer program, for example, a computer program using a virtual machine code such as Java. Any other kind of implementation of the respective functions described in more detail below may also be understood as a "circuit" according to alternative embodiments.

[0047] One preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be specifically described for illustrative purposes with reference to the drawings, in which components or elements are shown and described by way of example only, and it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the present invention thereto.

[0048] Figures 1a) and 1b) show one embodiment of a vehicle 50 according to the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "host vehicle") equipped with a driver assistance system 1 according to the present invention in two different respective situations, the driver assistance system 1 being explained in more detail in connection with Figure 3.

[0049] FIG. 3 shows in more detail the schematic configuration of the driver assistance system 1 according to the present invention shown in FIG.

[0050] As can be seen from FIG. 3, the driver assistance system 1 provided in the host vehicle 50 comprises the vehicle object detection system 10 according to the present invention, a detection means 40 and a warning means 30.

[0051] The detection means 40 are configured to detect an object 60, such as another vehicle (also called a "target vehicle"), in a detection area OL located behind the host vehicle 50, as will be described below.

[0052] In this embodiment, the detection means 40 comprises radar sensors 401, 402 for detecting an object 60 in a detection area OL. These sensors 401, 402 may for example be part of a conventional (rear) cross traffic warning system and in this particular embodiment detect at least the relative position of the object 60 with respect to the ego-vehicle 50, the longitudinal direction of the ego-vehicle 50 (x-direction of the vehicle according to a conventional vehicle coordinate system) and the transverse direction of the vehicle (x-direction of the vehicle according to a conventional vehicle coordinate system). y The short-range radar sensors 401 and 402 are capable of detecting the relative speed of an object 60 in a direction (across) relative to the host vehicle 50.

[0053] More specifically, as can be seen from FIG. 1 , two short-range radar sensors 401, 402 are each configured to detect an object 60 in a detection area OL, with one sensor 402 being positioned at the left rear edge / area of ​​the vehicle 50 and the other sensor 401 being positioned at the right rear edge / area of ​​the vehicle 50.

[0054] Thus, due to their limited field of view (FoV), each sensor 401, 402 monitors / detects a different detectable area DA included in the respective field of view of the respective sensor 401, 402, and each of the different detectable areas DA overlaps with only a portion of the detection area OL. Although each sensor 401, 402 can detect the object 60 with high accuracy, e.g., high position accuracy, speed accuracy, etc., in their detectable area DA, each sensor 401, 402 may detect the object 60 with low accuracy outside their detectable area DA, or may not detect the object 60 at all outside their detectable area DA.

[0055] More specifically, in this embodiment, as can be seen from Fig. 1, a detection area OL of the host vehicle 50 monitored by the detection means 40 using a radar infrastructure including radar sensors 401, 402 for detecting an object 60, such as a vehicle behind the host vehicle 50, corresponds at least to the host vehicle's own lane and a rear area. The detection means 40 is preferably also capable of detecting / monitoring an object 60 in an adjacent area AL located to the side of the detection area OL (host vehicle's own lane) and corresponding to at least an adjacent lane adjacent to the host vehicle 50. Next, the two sensors 401, 402 monitor different detectable areas DA included in the field of view of each sensor 401, 402 independently of each other, which correspond only to a part of the host vehicle's own lane and a rear area.

[0056] Essentially, one sensor 402 arranged on the left rear edge / area of ​​the vehicle 50 monitors a detectable area DA located mainly on the left side of the detection area OL relative to the host vehicle 50 (see FIG. 1a), while the other sensor 401 arranged on the right rear edge / area of ​​the host vehicle 50 monitors a detectable area DA located mainly on the right side of the detection area OL relative to the host vehicle (see FIG. 1b). The detectable areas DA of both sensors 401, 402 may overlap in a central area of ​​the detection area OL.

[0057] The warning means 30 is configured to warn the driver of the host vehicle 50 of the presence of the object 60 in the detection area OL. For example, the warning means may be a conventional visual or audio indicator (display or speaker) capable of notifying the driver of the host vehicle 50 of the presence of the object 60 in the detection area OL.

[0058] The vehicle object detection system 10 is for detecting or processing detection of an object 60 in a detection area OL (the vehicle's own lane) located behind the vehicle 50, and includes a determination means 20. The vehicle object detection system 10 may be implemented, for example, by a processor or computer that stores several programs for performing the functions of the determination means 20 and conventional functions.

[0059] The determination means 20, which may be formed by a processor, i.e. in this embodiment by a determination processor, are configured to determine or generate a determination as to whether the object 60 detected entering the detection area OL is a subject to be warned or not, i.e. there is no subject to be warned, and are further configured to output the determination to a warning means 30 configured to output a warning to the driver of the host vehicle 50 that the object 60 is present in the detection area OL behind the host vehicle 50 only if the determination means 20 indicates that the object 60 is a subject to be warned. In the other case, i.e. when the determination means 20 outputs a determination to the warning means 30 and indicates to the warning means 30 not to output a warning even if the object 60 is detected, i.e. when the determination means 20 determines that the object 60 is not a subject to be warned, the warning means 30 does not output a warning to the driver of the host vehicle 50.

[0060] Furthermore, the determination means 20 is configured to delay generating a determination as to whether the object 60 is a target for an alarm even if the object 60 is present in the detection area OL, until a specified period has elapsed from the time the object 60 enters a detectable area DA included in the field of view of the sensors 401, 402, which overlaps with only a portion of the detection area OL, from the side of the detectable area DA.

[0061] More specifically, the determination means 20 delays generating a determination for a specified period of time when it detects that the object 60 comes from one side of the detection area OL opposite to the other side of the detection area OL where the respective sensors 401, 402 are located and enters the detectable area DA from the side of the detectable area DA, and detects that the rear edge or end RE of the object 60 on the side of the respective sensors 401, 402 that detected the object 60 entering the detectable area DA is closer to the respective sensors 401, 402 than the distal end of the detectable area DA to the respective sensors 401, 402. That is, in other words, the rear edge or end RE of the object 60 is the distal edge or end of the object 60 to the respective sensors 401, 402, and the front edge or end FE of the object 60 is the proximal edge or end of the object 60 to the respective sensors 401, 402, and is closer to the sensors 401, 402 than the rear edge or end RE.

[0062] In this respect, the determining means 20 delays generating the decision for a specified period of time when an object is detected entering the detectable area DA from the side of the detectable area DA coming from the side of the detection area OL opposite to the other side of the detection area OL where the respective sensors 401, 402 are located, meaning that the object 60 viewed from the normal direction of the detection area OL at least partially overlaps with the detectable area DA of the respective sensor. Basically, it is the lateral overlap with the detectable area DA of each sensor, and it is determined whether to delay generating the decision or not based on the degree of overlap at the rear edge / end of the object 60 within the detectable area DA.

[0063] When the designated period has elapsed, the determination means 20 delays the determination as to whether the object is a warning target or not.

[0064] In either case, if the judgment means 20 generates a judgment indicating that the object 60 is a target for a warning, the warning means 30 outputs a warning to the driver of the vehicle 50 that the object 60 is present in the detection area OL, and does not output a warning even if the object 60 is detected in the detection area OL by the detection means 40 unless the specified period has elapsed or if the judgment means 20 generates a judgment indicating that the object 60 is not a target for a warning.

[0065] In this embodiment, the output of the warning by the warning means 30 is triggered independently for each sensor 401, 402. That is, when either of the sensors 401, 402 detects the object 60, the determination as to whether the detected object 60 is a warning target or not can be delayed or not for each sensor 401, 402. As a result, the output of the warning for one sensor 401, 402 that is not determined to be a warning target or not can be delayed, while the other sensor 401, 402 may trigger an output for a warning, that is, the determination as to whether the object 60 is a warning target or not can still be made.

[0066] Fig. 2 shows a flow chart of a determination process executed by the driver assistance system 1 according to the invention of Fig. 1. More specifically, the determination process as shown in Fig. 2 is executed by a determination means 20.

[0067] As can be seen in Fig. 2, in step 10, a data structure in the form of a flag "flagA" (alarm flag for triggering an alarm / or warning process of the warning means 30) is set to either "true" or "false" depending on the decision of the decision means 20. More precisely, "flagA" is set to TRUE if the decision means 20 generates a decision indicating that the object 60 detected by one of the sensors 401, 402 is not currently an alarm target, if the above conditions are satisfied. In the other case, i.e. if the decision means 20 generates a decision indicating that the object 60 detected by one of the sensors 401, 402 is an alarm target, "flagA" is set to FALSE. The procedure then proceeds to step S20 to check whether "flagA" is set to TRUE. If it is set to TRUE, the procedure proceeds to step S30, otherwise step S30 is skipped and the procedure ends.

[0068] In step S30, a request to suppress the warning / alarm is sent to the warning means 30, thereby indicating that the object 60 is not currently an object of warning, such that a warning / alarm will not be output by the warning means 30 for at least the next determination generated for the one of the sensors 401, 402 which detected the object 60, i.e. until the next determination generated after a specified period of time has elapsed.

[0069] In other words, the determination means 20 suppresses the warning by outputting to the warning means 30 for one of the sensors 401, 402 that detects the object 60, because the determination means 20 considers that the object 60 is not a warning target for the time being, even if the object 60 is detected. Therefore, the object 60 detected by the other sensor 401, 402 is still detectable, and may still trigger a warning output by the warning means 30.

[0070] Next, an example of the operation of the driver assistance system 1 including the vehicle object detection system 10 will be described with reference to Figs. 1a) and 1b).

[0071] 1a), the ego-vehicle 50 is moving forward and an object 60, i.e. another target vehicle, enters the detection area OL. In particular, the object 60 enters the right side of the detectable area DA of the left rear edge / area sensor 402, which is located at the left rear edge / area of ​​the ego-vehicle 50.

[0072] Next, as shown in another example of Figure 1b), the host vehicle 50 is moving forward and an object 60, i.e., another target vehicle, enters the left side of the detectable area DA of the right rear edge / area sensor 402 located on the right rear edge / area of ​​the host vehicle 50.

[0073] In either case, a determination is made by the determination means 20 as to whether the object 60 detected entering the detection area OL is a subject to an alarm, and if the determination means makes a determination indicating that the object 60 is a subject to an alarm, the result of the determination is output to the warning means 30 which outputs a warning to the driver of the vehicle 50 that the object 60 is present in the detection area OL behind the vehicle 50.

[0074] However, in the case of Fig. 1a) and Fig. 1b), even if the object 60 is present in the detection area OL, the object 60 has a lateral overlap in each detectable area DA, and the rear edge / end RE of the object 60 is closer to the sensor than the rear edge / end of the detectable area DA. 401、402 , i.e., within the detectable area DA, the object 60 is detected by each of the sensors. 401、402 1a) or the right rear edge / area sensor 401 in FIG. 1b), the output of the warning for the left rear edge / area sensor 402 in FIG. 1a) or the right rear edge / area sensor 401 in FIG. 1b) is delayed by the delay counter for e.g. 25 cycles (specified period), after which the decision means 20 may make a decision that the object 60 is or is not an alarm target. The output of the respective other sensor, i.e. the right rear edge / area sensor 401 in FIG. 1a) or the left rear edge / area sensor 402 in FIG. 1b), is not affected by the delay time.

[0075] The features of the invention disclosed in the foregoing description, in the drawings and in the claims may be essential both individually and in any combination for realizing the invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle object detection system (10) for detecting an object (60) in a detection area (OL) located behind a vehicle's own lane, the vehicle object detection system (10) comprising: a determination means (20) configured to generate a determination as to whether an object (60) detected entering the detection area (OL) is a target for an alarm and to output the determination to a warning means (30), the warning means (30) configured to output a warning to a driver of the host vehicle (50) that an object (60) is present in the detection area (OL) behind the host vehicle's lane based on the determination indicating that the object (60) is a target for an alarm; The determination means (20) is configured to delay generating the determination until a specified period of time has elapsed from the time when the object (60) is detected entering a detectable area (DA) included in the field of view of the sensors (401, 402), the detectable area overlapping only a portion of the detection area (OL).

2. 2. The vehicle object detection system (10) of claim 1, wherein the determination means (20) is configured to delay generating the determination until the specified period of time has elapsed from the time the object (60) enters the detectable area (DA) from the side of the detectable area (DA) or from the edge of the field of view of the sensor (401, 402).

3. 2. The vehicle object detection system of claim 1, wherein the determination means is configured to delay generating the determination in response to detecting an object entering the detectable area from a first side, either the left side or the right side, of the detection area, the first side being opposite a second side, either the left side or the right side, of the detection area on which the sensor is located.

4. 2. The vehicle object detection system of claim 1, wherein the determination means is configured to delay generating the determination in response to a rear edge or end of the object being detected as being closer to a sensor that detected the object entering the detectable area than to a distal end of the detectable area relative to the sensor.

5. 2. The vehicle object detection system (10) of claim 1, wherein the object (60) is detected to at least partially overlap the detectable area (DA) of the sensor (401, 402) when viewed from a normal direction of the detection area (OL).

6. 2. The vehicle object detection system (10) of claim 1, wherein the determination means (20) is configured to generate a delayed determination indicating whether the object (60) is an alarm target or not after the specified period of time has elapsed.

7. A driver assistance system (1) for a host vehicle (50), comprising: a detection means (40) configured to detect an object (60) in a detection area (OL) located behind a vehicle's own lane, the detection means (40) comprising sensors (401, 402) configured to detect the object (60) in a detectable area (DA), the detectable area (DA) being included in the field of view of the sensors (401, 402) and overlapping only a portion of the detection area (OL); A vehicle object detection system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and a warning means (30) configured to warn the driver of the vehicle that the object (60) is present in the detection area (OL) only based on the determination by the determination means (20) of the vehicle object detection system (10) that the object (60) is a target for an alarm.

8. 8. A driver assistance system (1) according to claim 7, wherein the detection means (40) comprises at least two sensors, preferably at least two radar sensors, such as two short-range radar sensors, configured to detect an object (60) in the detection area (OL), each sensor (401, 402) monitoring a different detectable area (DA) included in a respective field of view of the respective sensor, each of the different detectable areas (DA) overlapping only a part of the detection area (OL).

9. 8. The driver assistance system (1) of claim 7, wherein the warning means (30) is configured to output a warning to the driver of the vehicle (50) that an object (60) is present in the detection area (OL) based on the judgment of the judgment means (20) indicating that the object (60) detected by one of the sensors (401, 402) is a target for an alarm, and not to output a warning even if the object (60) is detected in the detection area (OL) by the other of the sensors (401, 402) based on the judgment of the judgment means (20) delaying the generation of the judgment for the other sensor.

10. A vehicle, A vehicle comprising a driver assistance system (1) according to claim 9, wherein one of the sensors (401, 402) is arranged at a left rear edge / area of ​​the vehicle and the other sensor (401, 402) is arranged at a right rear edge / area of ​​the vehicle.

11. A computer-implemented method for detecting an object (60) in a detection area (OL) located behind an own lane of an own vehicle (50), in particular for controlling a vehicle object detection system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, said method comprising the steps of: a step of generating a determination as to whether an object (60) detected entering the detection area (OL) is a subject of an alarm; and a step of outputting the determination to an alarm means (30) configured to output a warning to a driver of the host vehicle (50) that the object (60) is present in the detection area (OL) behind the host vehicle's own lane based on a determination indicating that the object (60) is a subject of an alarm, wherein generating the determination is delayed until a specified time period has elapsed from the time the object (60) is detected entering a detectable area (DA) included in the field of view of a sensor (401, 402), the detectable area overlapping only a portion of the detection area (OL).

12. A computer program comprising instructions, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the computer-implemented method of claim 11.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing the computer program of claim 12.

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