| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an obstacle sensing unit of a vehicle which detects a forward obstacle by irradiating an infrared beam to at least one of the center, left, and right directions with respect to an area in front of an own vehicle, and prevent degradation of precision in obstacle detection which occurs when an obstacle detection distance for the infrared beam in the center is set to be longer than that of the infrared beam on either of the right and left.SOLUTION: Included are a first receiving/originating unit 11a that originates or receives an infrared beam to or from the center area ahead of an own vehicle, second receiving/originating units 11b and 11c that originate or receive the infrared beam so that the infrared beam will fan out over at least one of the left and right sides of and adjacently to the infrared beam coming from the first receiving/originating unit, and an effective range control unit 19 that controls a maximum effective distance for obstacle detection by the first receiving/originating unit 11a, and a maximum effective distance for obstacle detection by the second receiving/originating units 11b and 11c. When the first receiving/originating unit 11a detects an obstacle 5, the effective range control unit 19 extends the maximum effective distance for the second receiving/originating units 11b and 11c from an initial value L1 to an extension value L2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1 |
