Vehicle operation assisiting system

• US 20050267660A1
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Shoda, Yasushi, Kanaboshi, Mitsuharu, Fujiwara, Yukihiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,778,753 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/02 Active Steering, Steer-by-Wire
• 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 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/003 in order to control vehicle yaw movement, i.e. around a vertical axis B62D6/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/958 Collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 367/909 Collision avoidance

Abstract

A vehicle operation assist system includes an assist yaw rate calculator which calculates a necessary moving amount to avoid an obstacle based on a detection result of the obstacle by a radar device, and a vehicle movement controller controls lateral movement of the vehicle based on the calculated moving amount. When an avoiding operation detector determines initiation of an obstacle avoiding operation by the driver, the vehicle movement controller operates a braking device to control the lateral movement of the vehicle, so that the obstacle can be reliably avoided. When a restoring operation detector determines initiation of a restoring operation, the vehicle movement controller operates a power steering device to control the lateral movement of the vehicle, so that delay in the steering operation by the driver, and excessive restoring operation of the steering handle to compensate for the delay are suppressed, thus stabilizing vehicle behavior. A vehicle operation assisting system capable of properly assisting in both an obstacle avoiding operation and a restoring operation by a driver is thereby provided.

Claims

1. A vehicle operation assisting system which assists an obstacle avoiding operation of a vehicle and a restoring operation following the avoiding operation, comprising:

obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle ahead of a subject vehicle;

avoiding operation determining means for determining initiation of the obstacle avoiding operation by a driver;

restoring operation determining means for determining initiation of the restoring operation after avoiding the obstacle;

avoiding moving amount calculating means for calculating a necessary moving amount to avoid the obstacle based on an output of the obstacle detecting means; and

vehicle movement control means for controlling lateral movement of the vehicle based on the moving amount calculated by the avoiding moving amount calculating means,

wherein until the restoring operation determining means determines the initiation of the restoring operation after the avoiding operation determining means determines the initiation of the avoiding operation, the vehicle movement control means operates at least a braking device to control lateral movement of the vehicle; and

after the restoring operation determining means determines the initiation of the restoring operation, the vehicle movement control means operates at least a power steering device to control the lateral movement of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle operation assisting system according to claim 1, wherein the restoring operation determining means compares an offset amount of a center of the obstacle with respect to a center line of the subject vehicle, and a target lateral moving distance calculated from a lateral width of the obstacle and a lateral width of the subject vehicle;

and determines the initiation of the restoring operation when the offset amount exceeds the target lateral moving distance.

3. The vehicle operation assisting system according to claim 1, wherein the restoring operation determining means determines the initiation of the restoring operation when the obstacle detecting means loses sense of the obstacle.

4. A vehicle operation assisting system which assists an obstacle avoiding operation of a vehicle and a restoring operation following the avoiding operation, comprising:

an obstacle detector which detects an obstacle ahead of a subject vehicle;

an avoiding operation detector which determines initiation of the obstacle avoiding operation by a driver;

a restoring operation detector which determines initiation of the restoring operation after avoiding the obstacle;

a moving amount calculator which calculates a necessary moving amount to avoid the obstacle based on an output of the obstacle detector; and

a vehicle movement controller which controls lateral movement of the vehicle based on the moving amount calculated by the moving amount calculator,

wherein until the restoring operation detector determines the initiation of the restoring operation after the avoiding operation detector determines the initiation of the avoiding operation, the vehicle movement controller operates at least a braking device to control lateral movement of the vehicle; and

after the restoring operation detector determines the initiation of the restoring operation, the vehicle movement controller operates at least a power steering device to control the lateral movement of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle operation assisting system according to claim 4, wherein the restoring operation detector compares an offset amount of a center of the obstacle with respect to a center line of the subject vehicle, and a target lateral moving distance calculated from a lateral width of the obstacle and a lateral width of the subject vehicle;

and determines the initiation of the restoring operation when the offset amount exceeds the target lateral moving distance.

6. The vehicle operation assisting system according to claim 4, wherein the restoring operation detector determines the initiation of the restoring operation when the obstacle detector loses sense of the obstacle.