Driving assistance function on following a queue of vehicles

• US 20060111828A1
• Filed: 05/03/2005
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BWI Company Limited SA (Shougang Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BWI Company Limited SA (Shougang Corporation)
• Inventors: Vantalon, Frederic, Alvarez, Belen, Groult, Xavier Marie
• Granted Patent: US 7,917,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/78
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/74 with electrical assistance or drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00

Abstract

A process for assisting the driving of a vehicle in a situation of following a queue. The vehicle is provided with a braking system and a plurality of sensors measuring values of variables defining an instantaneous state of the vehicle. The process includes the steps of: comparing the state of the vehicle with an entry state by testing a plurality of entry conditions; when the entry conditions are simultaneously verified, comparing the state of the vehicle with an exit state by testing a plurality of exit conditions; while at least one exit condition is not verified, generating a braking force value (F); and transmitting the value of the braking force generated as the target braking force (F_target) to the braking system.

Claims

1. A process for assisting braking of a vehicle being fitted with a braking system including brake calipers able to be activated as a function of a target braking force, said process including the steps of:

determining an instantaneous state of the vehicle defined by at least one state variable the value of which is obtained from measurements performed by means of at least one sensor with which the vehicle is provided;

testing a logical entry event by testing whether said instantaneous state verifies a logical entry condition; and

, when the logical entry condition is verified,

testing a logical exit event by testing whether the said instantaneous state verifies a logical exit condition; and

generating and emitting a braking force value (F) as a target braking force (F_target) to activate the brake calipers, while the said logical exit condition is not verified.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein said logical entry event is defined by the intersection of a plurality of entry events respectively defined by verification of an elementary entry condition.

3. The process of claim 2, wherein said elementary entry condition is a condition of maximum velocity of the vehicle, which entry condition is verified when the instantaneous value of the velocity of the vehicle (V) is less than a threshold value (V₀).

4. The process of claim 2, wherein said elementary entry condition is a condition of minimum velocity of the vehicle, which entry condition is verified when the instantaneous value of the velocity of the vehicle (V) is greater than a zero velocity.

5. The process of claim 2, wherein said elementary entry condition is a clutch pedal position condition, which entry condition is verified when the value (Flag1) emitted by a sensor able to detect the position of a clutch pedal corresponds to a completely depressed position of the clutch pedal.

6. The process of claim 2, wherein said elementary entry condition is an accelerator pedal position condition, which entry condition is verified when the value (Flag2) emitted by a sensor able to detect the position of an accelerator pedal, corresponds to a completely released position of the accelerator pedal.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein said logical exit event is defined by the merging of a plurality of exit events respectively defined by verification of an elementary exit condition.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein said elementary exit condition is a vehicle velocity condition, which exit condition is verified when the instantaneous value of the velocity (V) of the vehicle is zero.

9. The process of claim 7, wherein said elementary exit condition is a braking force condition, which exit condition is verified when the value of the braking force required by the driver (F_c) is greater than the value of the braking force (F) generated in the generation step.

10. The process of claim 7, wherein said elementary exit condition is an accelerator pedal position condition, which exit condition is verified when the value (Flag2) emitted by a sensor able to detect the position of an accelerator pedal corresponds to a released position of the accelerator pedal.

11. The process of claim 7, wherein said elementary exit condition is a clutch pedal position condition, which exit condition is verified when the value (Flag1) emitted by a sensor able to detect the position of a clutch pedal corresponds to a completely depressed position of the clutch pedal.

12. The process of claim 1, further comprising a step of measuring the period since the logical entry event, and wherein said braking force generated has a zero value while said period is less than a predefined lower threshold period (t_inf).

13. The process of claim 1, further comprising a step of measuring the period since the logical entry event, and wherein said braking force generated has a value which is an increasing function of said period.

14. Software for assisting driving containing instructions suitable to be read and stored on a support, said instructions being executable by a host computer, the process of claim 1 being implemented by said software.

15. Programmable braking controller, the process of claim 1 being implemented in a vehicle braking system by said controller, said controller including a memory space in which program instructions are stored, a computer by which said instructions are executed, and an input/output interface connectable at its input to at least one sensor with which the vehicle is provided and at its output to at least one unit for activating a brake caliper of the braking system, said controller being programmed to include:

means for determining an instantaneous state of the vehicle, said state defined by at least one state variable obtained from measurements performed by means of said at least one of the vehicle'"'"'s sensor;

means for testing a logical entry event to test whether a logical entry condition is verified by said instantaneous state;

means for testing a logical exit event to test whether a logical entry condition is verified by said instantaneous state;

means for generating, and emitting at its output, a braking force value (F) as the target braking force (F_target); and

means for incrementing a temporal variable in real time.

16. A braking system comprising a plurality of sensors, the programmable braking controller of claim 15, and brake caliper activation units, characterised said braking system being intended to be fitted to a vehicle.

17. The braking system of claim 16, wherein said brake calipers comprise at least one electromechanical brake caliper, said at least one electromechanical brake caliper being intended to be fitted to a rear wheel of the vehicle.

18. A vehicle including the braking system of claim 16.