Method and system for assisted emergency braking

• US 10,268,194 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2016
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Noessner, Stephan, Freienstein, Heiko, Moennich, Joerg
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torchinsky, Edward
• Application Number:
  US15/367,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20170176988A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/46 for giving flashing caution signals during drive, other than signalling change of direction, e.g. flashing the headlights or hazard lights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/00 Arrangement or adaptation of acoustic signal devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/083 using active brake actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/00 Interaction of vehicle brake system with other systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/027 Parking aids, e.g. instruction means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements

Abstract

A method for the assisted emergency braking of a vehicle, in which the lateral and/or the longitudinal guidance of the vehicle are/is influenced in such a way that the vehicle is guided in the direction of a safety zone, and when the safety zone has been reached, a parking position, in particular within the safety zone, is ascertained for the vehicle, the vehicle being guided in such a way that the vehicle comes to a standstill in the parking position.

Claims

1. A method for assisted emergency braking of a vehicle, the method comprising:

in response to a predefined triggering event occurring while the vehicle is traveling in a lane of a road;

controlling, by a processor of the vehicle, a driving system of the vehicle to steer the vehicle into a safety zone that is external to the lane;

responsive to entering the safety zone, obtaining, by the processor and from at least one sensor of the vehicle, at least one sensor signal;

based on the obtained sensor signal, determining, by the processor, at least one feature of an area in an environment surrounding the vehicle in the safety zone;

based on the determined at least one feature, identifying, by the processor, that the area is suitable as a parking position of the vehicle within the safety zone; and

responsive to the identification of the suitability of the area, the processor controlling a braking system of the vehicle to decelerate the vehicle to a standstill in the area;

wherein the at least one sensor includes an acceleration sensor and at least one of;

(a) (i) the identifying includes (1) the processor controlling the driving system to guide the vehicle into an object sensed by the vehicle to be in the safety zone, (2) the acceleration sensor producing, as at least one of the at least one sensor signal, an acceleration signal in response to an impact by the sensed object on the vehicle due to the guidance of the vehicle into the object, and (3) the processor determining a characteristic of the object based on the acceleration signal produced in response to the impact by the sensed object on the vehicle, and (ii) the method further comprises, based on the determined characteristic of the object, the processor controlling the driving system to drive the vehicle further into the object to reach the area at which the vehicle is brought to the standstill; and

(b)(i) the identifying includes (1) the processor controlling the driving system to drive the vehicle over a ground surface in the safety zone, (2) the acceleration sensor producing, as at least one of the at least one sensor signal, an acceleration signal in response to movements of the vehicle caused by the ground surface, (3) the processor determining a solidity of the ground surface based on the acceleration signal produced in response to the movements of the vehicle caused by the ground surface, and (4) the processor determining that the ground surface is suitable for parking of the vehicle based on the determined solidity.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the controlling of the driving system to steer the vehicle into the safety zone in response to the predefined triggering event is performed only if the vehicle is below a predefined speed.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the controlling of the driving system to steer the vehicle into the safety zone in response to the predefined triggering event is performed only if the vehicle is within a predefined distance from the safety zone.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the controlling by the processor to bring the vehicle to the standstill in the area is performed such that there is an evacuation space around the vehicle.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor from which the at least one signal, on the basis on which the processor determined the at least one feature of the area, is obtained by the processor further includes at least one of a chassis sensor system, a parking sensor system, an inertial sensor system, a wheel speed sensor system, and a tilt sensor system of the vehicle.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising identifying a point as an external lateral edge of the road, wherein the method is performed according to a condition that the area must be within a predefined distance from the identified external lateral edge of the road.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the processor controlling the braking system to slow the vehicle to below a predefined speed once the vehicle reaches a position whose lateral distance to the safety zone is below a predefined distance.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

activating warning systems of the vehicle during the assisted emergency braking.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein (i) the identifying includes (1) the processor controlling the driving system to guide the vehicle into the object sensed by the vehicle to be in the safety zone, (2) the acceleration sensor producing the acceleration signal in response to the impact by the sensed object on the vehicle due to the guidance of the vehicle into the object, and (3) the processor determining the characteristic of the object based on the acceleration signal produced in response to the impact by the sensed object on the vehicle, and (ii) the method further comprises, based on the determined characteristic of the object, the processor controlling the driving system to drive the vehicle further into the object to reach the area at which the vehicle is brought to the standstill.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the method further comprises the processor controlling the braking system to slow the vehicle down to a first speed, and the guidance of the vehicle into the object is performed while the vehicle is driving at the first speed due to the slowing of the vehicle.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising, in response to the predefined triggering event occurring while the vehicle is traveling in a lane of a road, controlling, by the processor and prior to the vehicle reaching the safety zone, the braking system of the vehicle to slow the vehicle down to a second speed, wherein the first speed is slower than the second speed.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein (i) the identifying includes (1) the processor controlling the driving system to drive the vehicle over the ground surface in the safety zone, (2) the acceleration sensor producing the acceleration signal in response to the movements of the vehicle caused by the ground surface, (3) the processor determining the solidity of the ground surface based on the acceleration signal produced in response to the movements of the vehicle caused by the ground surface, and (4) the processor determining that the ground surface is suitable for the parking of the vehicle based on the determined solidity.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the method further comprises the processor controlling the braking system to slow the vehicle down to a first speed, and the driving of the vehicle over the ground surface is performed while the vehicle is driving at the first speed due to the slowing of the vehicle.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising, in response to the predefined triggering event occurring while the vehicle is traveling in a lane of a road, controlling, by the processor and prior to the vehicle reaching the safety zone, the braking system of the vehicle to slow the vehicle down to a second speed, wherein the first speed is slower than the second speed.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program for assisted emergency braking of a vehicle, the computer program, when executed by a processor of the vehicle, causing the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

in response to a predefined triggering event occurring while the vehicle is traveling in a lane of a road;

controlling a driving system of the vehicle to steer the vehicle into a safety zone that is external to the lane;

upon entering the safety zone, obtaining, from at least one sensor of the vehicle, at least one sensor signal;

based on the obtained sensor signal, determining at least one feature of an area in an environment surrounding the vehicle in the safety zone;

based on the determined at least one feature, identifying that the area is suitable as a parking position of the vehicle within the safety zone; and

responsive to the identification of the suitability of the area, controlling a braking system of the vehicle to decelerate the vehicle to a standstill in the area;

wherein the at least one sensor includes an acceleration sensor and at least one of;

(a) (i) the identifying includes (1) the processor controlling the driving system to guide the vehicle into an object sensed by the vehicle to be in the safety zone, (2) the acceleration sensor producing, as at least one of the at least one sensor signal, an acceleration signal in response to an impact by the sensed object on the vehicle due to the guidance of the vehicle into the object, and (3) the processor determining a characteristic of the object based on the acceleration signal produced in response to the impact by the sensed object on the vehicle, and (ii) the method further comprises, based on the determined characteristic of the object, controlling the driving system to drive the vehicle further into the object to reach the area at which the vehicle is brought to the standstill; and

(b)(i) the identifying includes (1) the processor controlling the driving system to drive the vehicle over a ground surface in the safety zone, (2) the acceleration sensor producing, as at least one of the at least one sensor signal, an acceleration signal in response to movements of the vehicle caused by the ground surface, (3) the processor determining a solidity of the ground surface based on the acceleration signal produced in response to the movements of the vehicle caused by the ground surface, and (4) the processor determining that the ground surface is suitable for parking of the vehicle based on the determined solidity.

16. A system for the assisted emergency braking of a vehicle, the system comprising:

a braking system of the vehicle;

a driving system of the vehicle;

at least one sensor of the vehicle; and

a processor of the vehicle;

wherein;

the processor is configured to;

in response to a predefined triggering event occurring while the vehicle is traveling in a lane of a road;

control the driving system to steer the vehicle into a safety zone that is external to the lane;

upon entering the safety zone, obtain at least one sensor signal from the at least one sensor;

based on the obtained sensor signal, determine at least one feature of an area in an environment surrounding the vehicle in the safety zone;

based on the determined at least one feature, identify that the area is suitable as a parking position of the vehicle within the safety zone; and

responsive to the identification of the suitability of the area, control the braking system to decelerate the vehicle to a standstill in the area;

the at least one sensor includes an acceleration sensor; and

at least one of;

(a) (i) the identification includes (1) the processor controlling the driving system to guide the vehicle into an object sensed by the vehicle to be in the safety zone, (2) the acceleration sensor producing, as at least one of the at least one sensor signal, an acceleration signal in response to an impact by the sensed object on the vehicle due to the guidance of the vehicle into the object, and (3) the processor determining a characteristic of the object based on the acceleration signal produced in response to the impact by the sensed object on the vehicle, and (ii) the processor is configured to, based on the determined characteristic of the object, control the driving system to drive the vehicle further into the object to reach the area at which the vehicle is brought to the standstill; and

(b)(i) the identification includes (1) the processor controlling the driving system to drive the vehicle over a ground surface in the safety zone, (2) the acceleration sensor producing, as at least one of the at least one sensor signal, an acceleration signal in response to movements of the vehicle caused by the ground surface, (3) the processor determining a solidity of the ground surface based on the acceleration signal produced in response to the movements of the vehicle caused by the ground surface, and (4) the processor determining that the ground surface is suitable for parking of the vehicle based on the determined solidity.