Regional adjustment for driver assistance functions

• US 10,112,610 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2016
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Trageser, Vern
• Primary Examiner(s): Elchanti, Hussein
• Application Number:
  US15/130,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20170297574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0054 Cut-off filters, retarders, delaying means, dead zones, threshold values or cut-off frequency
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/215 Selection or confirmation of options
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A vehicle control system and method for operating a host vehicle based on geographic location. The system includes a distance sensor, a location sensor, a user interface, and a controller including an electronic processor and a memory. The controller is communicatively coupled to the distance sensor, the location sensor, the speed control, and the user interface, and is configured to receive a distance signal from the distance sensor indicative of a distance between the host vehicle and another vehicle. The controller receives a location signal from the location sensor indicative of a location of the host vehicle and a control signal from the user interface indicative of a desired mode of operation of the vehicle control system. The controller performs a driver assistance function associated with the desired mode of operation and adjusts a tolerance of the driver assistance function based on the location of the host vehicle.

Claims

1. An adaptive control system for a host vehicle, the system comprising:

a distance sensor;

a location sensor;

a user interface; and

a controller including an electronic processor and a memory, the controller communicatively coupled to the distance sensor, the location sensor, and the user interface, the controller configured to

receive a control signal from the user interface indicative of a desired mode of operation of the vehicle control system, the desired mode of operation of the vehicle control system including an adaptive cruise control mode, a blind spot monitoring mode, and both the adaptive cruise control mode and the blind spot monitoring mode;

receive a distance signal from the distance sensor indicative of a distance between the host vehicle and another vehicle;

receive a location signal from the location sensor indicative of a location of the host vehicle, wherein the location is at least one selected from the group consisting of a rural area, an urban area, and neither a rural area nor an urban area;

generate an operating tolerance for a driver assistance function that is greater than, less than, or equal to a normative operating tolerance based on the location of the host vehicle, wherein the operating tolerance is a following distance or a distance threshold for the distance between the host vehicle and the another vehicle when the another vehicle is in a blind spot of the host vehicle; and

perform the driver assistance function associated with the desired mode of operation, the driver assistance function incorporating the operating tolerance.

2. The adaptive control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to reference a database included within the memory to generate the operating tolerance based on the location of the host vehicle.

3. The adaptive control system of claim 1, wherein the location sensor is a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, and wherein the controller is configured to

determine the location of the host vehicle based on the GPS sensor to obtain a geographic location of the host vehicle, and

determine the operating tolerance of the driver assistance function based on the geographic location of the host vehicle.

4. The adaptive control system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a button to select the desired mode of operation of the adaptive control system.

5. The adaptive control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to

perform the driver assistance function by setting and maintaining the following distance between the host vehicle and the another vehicle when the another vehicle is located in front of the host vehicle.

6. The adaptive control system of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to

generate the operating tolerance of the driver assistance function by selecting a following distance that is less than the normative operating tolerance when the location of the host vehicle is the urban area.

7. The adaptive control system of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to

generate the operating tolerance of the driver assistance function by selecting a following distance that is greater than the normative operating tolerance when the location of the host vehicle is the rural area.

8. The adaptive control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to

perform the driver assistance function by generating a notification for a driver of the host vehicle when the another vehicle is located closer to the host vehicle than the distance threshold.

9. A method of controlling a host vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, at a controller, a control signal indicative of a desired mode of operation of the vehicle control system, the desired mode of operation of the vehicle control system including an adaptive cruise control mode, a blind spot monitoring mode, and both the adaptive cruise control mode and the blind spot monitoring mode;

receiving, at the controller, a distance signal from a distance sensor, the distance signal indicative of a distance between the host vehicle and another vehicle;

receiving, at the controller, a location signal indicative of a location of the host vehicle, wherein the location is at least one selected from the group consisting of a rural area, an urban area, and neither a rural area nor an urban area;

generating, at the controller, an operating tolerance of a driver assistance function that is greater than, less than, or equal to a normative operating tolerance based on the location of the host vehicle, wherein the operating tolerance is a following distance or a distance threshold for the distance between the host vehicle and the another vehicle when the another vehicle is in a blind spot of the host vehicle; and

performing, at the controller, the driver assistance function associated with the desired mode of operation.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

referencing a database to determine the operating tolerance of the driver assistance function based on the location of the host vehicle.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining the location of the host vehicle based on a global positioning system (GPS) sensor to obtain a geographic location of the host vehicle, and

determining the operating tolerance of the driver assistance function based on the geographic location of the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising

receiving a selection, via a user interface, of the desired mode of operation of the adaptive control system.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein

performing the driver assistance function is performed by setting and maintaining the following distance between the host vehicle and the another vehicle when the another vehicle is located in front of the host vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein

generating the operating tolerance of the driver assistance function is performed by selecting a following distance that is less than the normative operating tolerance when the location of the host vehicle is the urban area.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein

generating the operating tolerance of the driver assistance function based on the location of the host vehicle is performed by selecting a following distance that is greater than the normative operating tolerance when the location of the host vehicle is the rural area.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein

performing the driver assistance function is performed by generating a notification for a driver of the host vehicle when the another vehicle is located closer to the host vehicle than the distance threshold.