Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080215206 | Information communication system, facility-side apparatus and program, user-side apparatus and program, status detecting device and program, updating device and program - An information communication system includes a user-side apparatus that is associated with a user and a facility-side apparatus provided at a facility, which the user is capable of visiting. The user-side apparatus transmits to the facility-side apparatus a user identifying information item related to the user of the user-side apparatus. The user identifying information item is used for identifying an appearance characteristic of the user. The facility-side apparatus outputs the appearance characteristic of the user identified based on the user identifying information item received from the user-side apparatus. | 09-04-2008 |
20080215209 | Driving-environment setup system, in-vehicle device and program thereof, portable device and program thereof, management device and program thereof - A driving-environment setup system has a plurality of portable devices, each of which transmits a feature identification information item used for identifying a physical feature of an associated user of the each of the plurality of portable devices and transmits an environment identification information item used for identifying a driving environment for the associated user. An in-vehicle device of the system detects a physical feature of a person sitting in a driver's seat and identifies one of the associated users as a driver when the physical feature identified based on the received feature identification information item of the one of the associated users corresponds to the detected physical feature. The in-vehicle device sets a driving environment for the driver based on the received environment identification information item. | 09-04-2008 |
20080232197 | Ultrasonic sensor and obstacle detection device - An ultrasonic sensor includes: a first vibrator for transmitting an ultrasonic wave; multiple second vibrators for outputting a reception signal of a reflection wave; a casing having a bottom for accommodating the vibrators, an outer surface of the bottom providing a vibrating surface; and multiple tubes for guiding the ultrasonic wave. Each tube has a first opening coupled with an outside of a mobile body. An area of the first opening is smaller than an area of the vibrating surface. A distance between two adjacent first openings is smaller than a distance between two adjacent vibrating surfaces. The length of the tubes is determined to equalize a phase difference of the reflection waves at the first openings is equal to that at the vibrating surfaces. | 09-25-2008 |
20080312796 | Vehicle driving position control system and method - A detector detects at least one of environmental information on the environment and physical information on the user's physical condition, when the user gets into a vehicle. Each of the environment and the physical condition is divided into a plurality of zones. A memory stores statistical data each representing the probability of the user selecting one of the driving positions in the vehicle in one of the zones. One of the driving positions can, from the probabilities allotted to them, be estimated to be optimum for the user in the zone into which the detected information falls. As a result, even if the user's preference in driving position changes with the environment or the user's physical condition in which the user gets into the vehicle, it is possible to adjust the driving position automatically according to the current preference. | 12-18-2008 |
20090043449 | Vehicle information notification device - A vehicle information notification device for notifying vehicle information to a driver of a vehicle with a notification element, the device includes: a first-ride determination element for determining whether it is a first ride of the vehicle for the driver; and a controller for notifying the vehicle information via the notification element when the first-ride determination element determines that it is the first ride. By using the above device, the vehicle information is notified to the driver when the driver rides on the vehicle for the first time. Thus, anxiety of the driver is reduced. | 02-12-2009 |
20090135672 | Direction detecting device and direction detecting system - In a direction detecting device, a transmitting wave generator encodes a transmitting signal with a code having a high autocorrelation so as to generate a transmitting wave. A transmitter transmits the transmitting wave and a plurality of receiver elements receives a reflected wave reflected by an object. A direction calculating unit calculates a direction of the object based on a phase difference between a correlation value calculated based on the reflected wave received by one of the receiver elements and a correlation value calculated based on the reflected wave received by another one of the receiver elements, a distance between the one of the receiver elements and the another one of the receiver elements, and a wavelength of the transmitting wave. | 05-28-2009 |
20090260422 | Ultrasonic sensor - An ultrasonic sensor includes a transmitting device, a receiving device, and a circuit device. The circuit device determines that the receiving device receives an ultrasonic wave reflected from an object, when an output voltage of the receiving device is equal to or greater than a first threshold. The circuit device includes a humidity detection section configured to detect an ambient humidity of the transmitting and receiving devices and a threshold adjustment section configured to calculate, based on the detected ambient humidity, a sound pressure of the ultrasonic wave that is received by the receiving device after propagating over a round-trip distance between the ultrasonic sensor and the object. The threshold adjustment section reduces the first threshold, when the output voltage corresponding to the calculated sound pressure is less than a second threshold that is greater the first threshold. | 10-22-2009 |
20100024557 | Ultrasonic device for detecting direction to object - A ultrasonic device detecting a direction to an object includes: a transmitting element of a ultrasonic wave; first and second receiving elements; a diffraction wave phase detector; an initial phase memory for an initial phase of a diffraction wave; a sound speed detector; a phase correction amount calculator calculating a phase shift caused by a sound speed change and calculating a phase correction amount based on the phase of the diffraction wave, the initial phase and the phase shift; a phase correction element correcting a phase of the reflection wave based on the phase correction amount; and a direction detector for detecting the direction to the object based on a difference between corrected phases of the reflection wave received by the first and second receiving elements, a distance between the first and second receiving elements, and a wavelength of the transmission ultrasonic wave corresponding to a sound speed. | 02-04-2010 |
20100053637 | Location detection apparatus - A location detection apparatus is disclosed that includes: a light source; a light output side reflector having a reflecting surface for reflecting light from the light source to a space; a rotation mechanism for rotating the light output side reflector; a first light receiving element for receiving the light reflected from an object existing in the space; a light reception side reflector for reflecting the light from the object to the first light receiving element; a second light receiving element for receiving the light from the light output side reflector; a light conductor for conducting the light reflected from or transmitted through the reflecting surface toward the second light receiving element when the light output side reflector is in a predetermined position; and a rotational position detector that detects rotational position of the light output side reflector based on a detection result of the second light receiving element. | 03-04-2010 |
20100076651 | VEHICLE DOOR CONTROL APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING VEHICLE DOOR - A laser sensor is located close to a rotation axis of a vehicle door and configured to emit a laser beam to a surface of the vehicle door and accept reflected light reflected from an obstacle for scanning a scanning plane shifted in a door-opening direction, in which the vehicle door is openable. A determination section determines whether an obstacle, which is possible to make contact with the vehicle door, exists in the door-opening direction of the vehicle door, based on a result of emission and acceptance of the laser beam of the laser sensor. An opening regulating section regulates an opening of the vehicle door in response to determination of the determination section that the obstacle exists. | 03-25-2010 |
20100220550 | Obstacle detection apparatus and method for detecting obstacle - A transmission and reception device is located at a predetermined height on a movable object and directed toward an outside. The transmission and reception device includes a transmission unit for repeatedly transmitting sensing waves at a predetermined interval and a reception unit for receiving reflective waves of the sensing waves from a detected object. A peak value detecting unit detects peak values of the received reflective waves and stores the detected peak values. A difference arithmetic unit calculates a difference in the detected peak values with movement of the movable object closer to the detected object. An object determination unit determines the detected object to be a near-road-surface obstacle, which is close to a road surface, when the difference is a negative value. The object determination unit determines the detected object to be an other obstacle than the near-road-surface obstacle when the difference is a positive value. | 09-02-2010 |
20100220551 | Physical object detection system - In an obstacle detection system, a wave transmitted by a transmitting element and received by receiving elements as a receiving wave includes extraneous waves, which are reflection waves from other than an obstacle, and obstacle reflection waves from an obstacle. It is determined that, an obstacle is present, if the reflection waves are detected as having an amplitude (voltage) greater than a threshold level and a reception time difference between time points at which the amplitude exceeds threshold level at the receiving elements is less than a predetermined time. | 09-02-2010 |
20110181725 | OPTICAL SENSOR DEVICE FOR VEHICLE - A camera unit is provided in a hollow portion of an electric motor. A rotor is rotatably arranged at an outer periphery of a stator. A cylindrical motor casing is attached to the rotor. A lens cover is attached to the motor casing at a position of a front side of a lens of the camera unit. The lens cover is rotated together with the motor casing and the rotor, so that attachment adhered to an outer surface of the lens cover is removed by centrifugal force. | 07-28-2011 |
20110316388 | ULTRASONIC SENSOR - An ultrasonic sensor is disclosed. The ultrasonic sensor includes a piezoelectric element and an acoustic matching member. The piezoelectric element is configured to detect ultrasonic wave transmitted from a transmitter and reflected by a detection target object located in a detection target space. The acoustic matching member is configured to conduct the received ultrasonic wave to the piezoelectric element. The piezo electric element is covered with the acoustic matching member including a principal oscillation portion and a supplement oscillation portion. Thickness of a part of the supplement oscillation portion, the part covering the piezoelectric element, is smaller than a predetermined thickness threshold. | 12-29-2011 |
20120174673 | ULTRASONIC SENSOR - An ultrasonic sensor includes a transmitting device, a receiving device, and a circuit device. The circuit device determines that the receiving device receives an ultrasonic wave reflected from an object, when an output voltage of the receiving device is equal to or greater than a first threshold. The circuit device includes a humidity detection section configured to detect an ambient humidity of the transmitting and receiving devices and a threshold adjustment section configured to calculate, based on the detected ambient humidity, a sound pressure of the ultrasonic wave that is received by the receiving device after propagating over a round-trip distance between the ultrasonic sensor and the object. The threshold adjustment section reduces the first threshold, when the output voltage corresponding to the calculated sound pressure is less than a second threshold that is greater the first threshold. | 07-12-2012 |
20120235852 | DRIVING ASSIST APPARATUS - A driving assist apparatus for a vehicle is disclosed. The driving assist apparatus includes a transmitter for transmitting a transmission wave, a receiver for receiving a reflected wave, an obstacle presence determination section for detecting a presence of an obstacle in the surrounding of the vehicle based on the reflected wave, a measurement section for measuring a frequency of phase delay and advance of the reflected wave with respect to a reference signal, and a detection section for detecting the obstacle having a specific relation with the vehicle based on the presence of the obstacle determined by the obstacle presence determination section and the frequency of delay and the frequency of advance measured by the measurement section. | 09-20-2012 |
20120314541 | OBJECT DETECTION APPARATUS - An object detection apparatus disposed in a moving body generates a transmission signal of multiple pulse sequences as a plurality of sequences of multiple pulses. A modulation signal of the transmission signal is generated by performing digital modulation on each of the multiple pulse sequences of the transmission signal according to a code sequence. A transmission wave based on the modulation signal is transmitted and a reflected wave of the transmission wave is received by the apparatus. The apparatus further detects a speed of the moving body to determine a length of the code sequence. The apparatus calculates a code correlation value between the modulation signal and a received signal, which is derived from the reflected wave, and performs pulse compression on the received signal based on the code correlation value to generate a pulse-compressed received signal. The apparatus detects an object based on the pulse-compressed received signal. | 12-13-2012 |