Vehicle driving control device

• US 20050159876A1
• Filed: 12/14/2004
• Published: 07/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sugano, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,257,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/96
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/083 using active brake actuation
• 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: B60T 8/17555 specially adapted for enhancing driver or passenger comfort, e.g. soft intervention or pre-actuation strategies
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17558 specially adapted for collision avoidance or collision mitigation road vehicle drive control systems for collision avoidance otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/09
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4043 Lateral speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/803 Relative lateral speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/30 Wheel torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle driving control device is configured to improve response to driver braking operation and shorten the free running distance. The vehicle driving control device processes an image showing an area ahead of the host vehicle to recognize a preceding vehicle in the host vehicle lane, and then determines whether or not the preceding vehicle is making a sudden lateral movement based on this image processing result. If the vehicle driving control device determines that the preceding vehicle is making a sudden lateral movement, then a preliminary braking force is generated.

Claims

1. A vehicle driving control device comprising:

a preceding vehicle detection section configured to detect a lateral position of a preceding vehicle in a host vehicle lane;

a lateral movement determination section configured to determine if the preceding vehicle detected by the preceding vehicle detection section is making a sudden lateral movement based on the lateral position detected by the preceding vehicle detection section; and

a preliminary braking force control section configured to generate a preliminary braking force upon determination by the lateral movement determination section that the preceding vehicle is making the sudden lateral movement.

2. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 1, wherein the preceding vehicle detection section includes

an image acquiring section configured to obtain images of a forward area of a vehicle;

and

an image processing section configured to process the images obtained by the image acquiring section to recognizing the preceding vehicle in the host vehicle lane and detect the lateral position of the preceding vehicle.

3. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 1, wherein

the lateral movement determination section is configured to detect a lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle based on detection results of the preceding vehicle detection section, and determine if the preceding vehicle is making the sudden lateral movement based on the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle.

4. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 1, wherein

the lateral movement determination section is configured to detect a lateral displacement and a lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle based on detection results of the preceding vehicle detection section, and determine if the preceding vehicle is making the sudden lateral movement based on the lateral displacement and the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle.

5. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 1, further comprising

a deviation tendency determination section configured to determine if the preceding vehicle is tending to deviate from the host vehicle lane based on detection result of the preceding vehicle detection section, and

the preliminary braking force control section being further configured to generate the preliminary braking force upon determination by the deviation tendency determination section that the preceding vehicle is tending to deviate from the host vehicle lane, and upon determination by the lateral movement determination section that the preceding vehicle is making the sudden lateral movement.

6. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 5, wherein

the deviation tendency determination section is configured to detect the lateral displacement of the preceding vehicle based on detection results of the preceding vehicle detection section, and determine if the preceding vehicle is tending to deviate from the host vehicle lane based on the lateral displacement of the preceding vehicle.

7. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 5, wherein

the deviation tendency determination section is configured to detect a lateral displacement and a lateral velocity of the preceding vehicle based on the detection result of the preceding vehicle detection section, and determine if the preceding vehicle is tending to deviate from the host vehicle lane.

8. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 1, further comprising

a host vehicle acceleration detection section configured to detect the driving acceleration of the host vehicle, and

the preliminary braking force control section being configured to increase the preliminary braking force proportionally to the acceleration of the host vehicle detected by the host vehicle acceleration detection section.

9. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 1, wherein

the preliminary braking force control section is configured to detect a lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle based on detection results of the preceding vehicle detection section, and increase the preliminary braking force proportionally to the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle.

10. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 1, further comprising

an accelerator pedal operation detection section configured to detect an operation amount of an accelerator pedal, and

the preliminary braking force control section being configured to find an accelerator pedal operation rate based on the operation amount of the accelerator pedal detected by the accelerator pedal operation detection section, and increase the preliminary braking force when the accelerator pedal has been operated at over a specific rate when preliminary braking force is being generated.

11. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 10, wherein

the preliminary braking force control section is configured to cancel the preliminary braking force when the accelerator pedal has been operated at below the specific rate when the preliminary braking force is being generated.

12. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 11, further comprising

a steering angle detection section configured to detect the steering angle, and

the preliminary braking force control section being configured to prohibit cancellation of the preliminary braking force when the steering angle detected by the steering angle detection section is at least a specific value.

13. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 11, further comprising

an adjacent lane deviation tendency determination section configured to determine if a vehicle in an adjacent lane is tending to deviate from the adjacent lane based on detection results of the preceding vehicle detection section,

the preliminary braking force control section configured to prohibit cancellation of the preliminary braking force upon determination by the adjacent lane deviation tendency determination section that a vehicle in an adjacent lane is tending to deviate from the adjacent lane.

14. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 10, wherein

the preceding vehicle detection section includes

an image acquiring section configured to obtain images of a forward area of a vehicle;

and

an image processing section configured to process the images obtained by the image acquiring section to recognizing the preceding vehicle in the host vehicle lane and detect the lateral position of the preceding vehicle.

15. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 10, wherein

the lateral movement determination section is configured to detect a lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle based on detection results of the preceding vehicle detection section, and determine if the preceding vehicle is making the sudden lateral movement based on the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle.

16. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 10, wherein

the lateral movement determination section is configured to detect a lateral displacement and a lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle based on detection results of the preceding vehicle detection section, and determine if the preceding vehicle is making the sudden lateral movement based on the lateral displacement and the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle.

17. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 11, wherein

the lateral movement determination section is configured to detect a lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle based on detection results of the preceding vehicle detection section, and determine if the preceding vehicle is making the sudden lateral movement based on the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle.

18. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 11, wherein

the lateral movement determination section is configured to detect a lateral displacement and a lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle based on detection results of the preceding vehicle detection section, and determine if the preceding vehicle is making the sudden lateral movement based on the lateral displacement and the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle.

19. A vehicle driving control device comprising:

preceding vehicle detection means for detecting a lateral position of a preceding vehicle in a host vehicle lane;

lateral movement determination means for determining if the preceding vehicle is making a sudden lateral movement based on the lateral position detected by the preceding vehicle detection means; and

preliminary braking force control means for generating preliminary braking force upon determination by the lateral movement determination means that a preceding vehicle is making the sudden lateral movement.

20. A method of controlling a host vehicle comprising:

detecting a lateral position of a preceding vehicle in a host vehicle lane ahead of the host vehicle;

determining if the preceding vehicle is making a sudden lateral movement based on the lateral position of the preceding vehicle; and

generating preliminary braking force upon determination that a preceding vehicle is making the sudden lateral movement.