Vehicle Radar Ghost Target Removal via Camera Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Smart cruise control (SCC) systems face challenges in bad weather conditions like snow, hailstone, and heavy rain, where radar signals can cause vehicles to suddenly stop or jerk due to misidentification of 'ghost' targets, leading to potential accidents.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle type radar system incorporating a camera unit, radar unit, sensor unit, and control unit that detects weather conditions, processes radar signals, and distinguishes between vehicles and non-vehicles, allowing for the removal of uninterested targets like snow, hailstone, and rain, thereby preventing accidents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the radar selects the closest target vehicles in the driving direction as control targets, then the SCC system can maintain proper following distance and prevent rear-end collisions, but in bad weather conditions (snow, hailstone, heavy rain), the radar may misidentify weather particles as targets causing ghost detections that lead to sudden vehicle stopping or jerking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a camera as an intermediary device to verify radar detections. The camera captures optical images of the detected target, and the control unit compares the visual information with radar data to confirm whether the detected object is a real vehicle or a ghost target caused by weather conditions. This multi-sensor verification mechanism resolves the contradiction by adding a reliable verification layer that filters out false detections from snow, hail, or rain particles.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the consistency between radar detections and camera observations. When a target is detected by radar, the system checks whether the same object appears in the camera's field of view and matches the expected visual characteristics of a vehicle. This feedback loop allows the system to distinguish between real vehicles and weather-induced ghost targets, maintaining reliable control decisions even in adverse weather conditions.
2Productivity
If the radar continuously detects and tracks multiple target vehicles, then the SCC system can respond to changing driving conditions and prevent accidents, but the system may mistakenly track weather particles (snow, hail, rain) as valid targets leading to inappropriate control actions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges radar detection capabilities with camera visual recognition to create a unified target identification system. The radar provides continuous tracking data for multiple objects, while the camera provides visual confirmation to verify the nature of each detected target. By combining these two sensing modalities, the system maintains high responsiveness to legitimate target changes while filtering out false targets caused by weather particles, thus resolving the contradiction between tracking speed and identification accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses optical characteristics (visual appearance) detected by the camera to distinguish between real vehicles and weather particles. Real vehicles have specific visual features (shape, size, reflectivity patterns) that differ from weather particles like snowflakes, hailstones, or raindrops. The control unit analyzes these visual characteristics to accurately identify valid targets, maintaining measurement precision while preserving the ability to track multiple objects responsively.
3Reliability
If the SCC system automatically adjusts vehicle speed based on detected targets, then it can maintain safe following distance and prevent rear-end collisions, but misidentification of ghost targets in bad weather causes sudden speed changes and vehicle jerking that may lead to accidents
Solution Approach 1:
The camera serves as an intermediary verification device between the radar target detection and the vehicle control execution. Before the SCC system adjusts vehicle speed based on a detected target, the camera captures visual evidence to confirm the target's validity. This intermediary check prevents ghost targets from triggering inappropriate speed adjustments, ensuring both collision prevention reliability and vehicle control stability even in adverse weather conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback control by continuously verifying target validity through camera observations before executing speed adjustments. When radar detects a potential target, the system checks camera images to confirm the target is a real vehicle. Only after successful verification does the SCC system adjust vehicle speed, providing stable and reliable control that prevents both collisions and unnecessary jerking movements caused by false detections.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively identifies and removes uninterested targets, preventing sudden vehicle jerks and reducing the risk of traffic accidents during adverse weather conditions by accurately tracking and controlling vehicle speed.
Implementation Method 1
a radar unit configured to transmit a radar signal to the front of the vehicle, detect an object based on a reflected radar signal and calculate a position, a speed, and a distance of the detected object
Data Source
AI summary
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle type radar system includes: a camera unit configured to photograph a front of a vehicle to detect a lane; a radar unit configured to detect an object based on a reflected radar signal which is transmitted to the front of the vehicle and then returns and calculate a position, a speed, and a distance of the detected object; a sensor unit configured to detect weather conditions around the vehicle; a control unit configured to recognize a lane using the camera unit and recognize whether the detected object is a vehicle or a non-vehicle to perform a control to remove the object if it is determined that the detected object is the non-vehicle and display the recognized lane and vehicle; and a display unit configured to display the recognized lane and object.