Distance-related method for controlling the speed of a vehicle

• US 20020138192A1
• Filed: 04/22/2002
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Winner, Hermann, Uhler, Werner, Lueder, Jens
• Granted Patent: US 6,721,645 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/93
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0066 responsive to vehicle path curvature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/805 Azimuth angle
• 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 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control

Abstract

A method for controlling the speed of a vehicle (1) is proposed, where, in the vehicle to be controlled, the yaw rate or rotation rate is measured, in particular to determine the curvature (k) of the vehicle'"'"'s own travel trajectory, and where, using a proximity sensor or position sensor (6), at least one vehicle (5) traveling ahead or at least some other object within a sensor'"'"'s sensing range (7) is detected, particularly with regard to an offset from the travel course of the vehicle to be controlled. From the detection of one or of a plurality of objects (i), the curvature (k) of the vehicle'"'"'s own travel trajectory may be corrected with a view to a prediction of an expected curvature from the averaging (k_i) of the positional changes ascertained at the plurality of the objects.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the speed of a vehicle (1), where, in the vehicle to be controlled, the yaw rate or rotation rate is measured, in particular to determine the curvature (k) of the vehicle'"'"'s own travel trajectory, and where, using a proximity sensor or position sensor (6), at least one vehicle (5) traveling ahead or at least some other object within a sensor'"'"'s sensing range (7) is detected, particularly with regard to an offset from the travel course of the vehicle to be controlled,

wherein from the detection of one or of a plurality of objects (i), the curvature (k) of the vehicle'"'"'s own travel trajectory is corrected with a view to a prediction of an expected curvature from the averaging (k_i) of the positional changes ascertained at the plurality of the objects.

2. The method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the corrected curvature (k) is measured for the plurality of the detected objects (i) in preset time intervals of the angles (α

_i) corresponding to the lateral offset;

for each object (i), the angle variation (dα

_i) from a measurement to the respective preceding measurement is determined;

in each measuring cycle, the angle variations (dα

_i) are averaged over the collective of the detected objects (i) and divided by the time duration between the measuring cycles to generate a collective angular velocity (α

Dt_koll); and

from the addition of the collective angular velocity (α

Dt_koll) to the yaw rate measured in the vehicle (1) to be controlled, a correction is ascertained for a future curvature (k) of the travel trajectory of the vehicle (1) to be controlled.

3. The method as recited in claim 2,

wherein the future curvature (k) is calculated by dividing the sum of the yaw rate and the collective angular velocity (α

Dt_koll) by the driving speed of the vehicle (1) to be controlled.

4. The method as recited in claim 2 or 3,

wherein the angular variation (dα

_i), measured for each object (i) is corrected in each instance by the relative velocity of the vehicle (1) to be controlled in relation to the object'"'"'s movement and the yaw rate.

5. The method as recited in claim 2 or 3,

wherein, in the context of ascertaining the collective angular velocity (α

Dt_koll) over a plurality of measuring cycles, the determined values are averaged.

6. The method as recited in one of the preceding claims,

wherein, in the vehicle (1) to be controlled, a rapid curvature of the travel trajectory (k_Traj) is generated from the difference between the actively filtered curvature of the travel trajectory (k_Traj) and an unfiltered curvature of the travel trajectory, under consideration of a noise-suppression parameter.

7. The method as recited in one of the preceding claims,

wherein, in the vehicle (1) to be controlled, a correction curvature (k_Corr) is added to a calculated curvature of the travel trajectory (k_Traj).

8. The method as recited in one of the preceding claims,

wherein, besides the calculation of the curvature of the travel trajectory (k_Traj), in the vehicle (1) to be controlled, a course quality (k_error) is calculated, which represents a combination of a relative error, a minimal absolute error at low speeds, and of a yaw-rate error, and which is utilized for calculating a lane probability of the vehicle (1) to be controlled.

9. The method as recited in one of the preceding claims,

wherein, in the vehicle (1) to be controlled, a number of further detection devices (41,45,47,49,51) are provided for measuring the position of the objects (5) driving ahead, and to select an object (5) driving ahead as the vehicle to which the speed of the vehicle to be controlled is to be adapted, all results from these detection devices (41,45,47,49,51) are evaluated and weighted.

10. The method as recited in claim 9,

wherein the evaluation and weighting are carried out using a video camera, a preferably satellite-supported navigational system, a system for analyzing fixed destinations, or a system for determining a historical lateral offset of objects (5) driving ahead.