Automatic vehicle braking device

• US 20070129891A1
• Filed: 05/02/2006
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Yuji, Taniguchi, Shinji, Yano, Takuto, Yuyama, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/301
• 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 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/196 acting within the driveline, e.g. retarders
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects

Abstract

The automatic vehicle braking device is equipped with a braking force control processing portion which, based on the judgment result of a collision judgment processing portion and the judgment result of a steering avoidance judgment processing portion, imparts a turning property in a direction of head-on collision to the vehicle when the lateral position of the obstacle with respect to a travel route curve is large in a condition in which the driver is unconscious of a high possibility of collision between the vehicle and the obstacle and has taken no steering avoidance action yet. As a result, it is possible to reduce the speed of the vehicle and, at the same time, mitigate the damage suffered by the vehicle occupants at the time of collision.

Claims

1. An automatic vehicle braking device comprising:

detection means for detecting a relative distance, lateral position, and speed of an obstacle with respect to one'"'"'s vehicle;

collision judgment means for making a judgment as to whether a possibility of collision between one'"'"'s vehicle and the obstacle exists based on detection values obtained by the detection means;

steering operation detecting means for detecting a steering operation by a driver; and

braking force control means for causing a braking force to be exerted on each wheel to brake the vehicle when it is judged by the collision judgment means that a possibility of collision exists and when the steering operation detecting means has detected no collision avoidance operation performed by the driver.

2. An automatic vehicle braking device according to claim 1, wherein the braking force control means has first braking force control means for causing a braking force to be exerted on each wheel in a direction in which head-on collision is to be caused between one'"'"'s vehicle and the obstacle so that the vehicle is simultaneously braked and turned based on at least the relative lateral position of the obstacle with respect to the vehicle detected by the detection means.

3. An automatic vehicle braking device according to claim 1, further comprising:

collision travel route planning means for sequentially planning a travel route for head-on collision between one'"'"'s vehicle and the obstacle based on the relative distance and lateral position of the obstacle detected by the detection means,

wherein the braking force control means has second braking force control means for causing a braking force to be exerted on each wheel to trace the travel route planned by the collision travel route planning means.

4. An automatic vehicle braking device according to claim 1, wherein the braking force control means has third braking force control means for causing a braking force to be exerted on each wheel in a direction in which one'"'"'s vehicle is to avoid the collusion with the obstacle so that the vehicle is simultaneously braked and turned based on the relative lateral position of the obstacle with respect to the vehicle detected by the detection means.

5. An automatic vehicle braking device according to claim 1, further comprising:

avoidance travel route planning means for sequentially planning a travel route in a direction in which one'"'"'s vehicle avoids the collusion with the obstacle based on the relative distance and lateral position of the obstacle detected by the detection means,

wherein the braking force control means has fourth braking force control means for causing a braking force to be exerted on each wheel to control the each wheel to trace the travel route planned by the avoidance travel route planning means.

6. An automatic vehicle braking device according to claim 1, wherein the braking force control means has fifth braking force control means for causing uniform braking forces to be exerted on right and left wheels to brake the vehicle.

7. An automatic vehicle braking device according to claim 6, further comprising selection means for selectively using at least two of the first braking force control means, the second braking force control means, the third braking force control means, the fourth braking force control means, and the fifth braking force control means based on the relative lateral position of the obstacle with respect to the vehicle detected by the detection means.

8. An automatic vehicle braking device according to claim 1, wherein the collision judgment means makes a judgment as to whether it is possible to avoid collision between one'"'"'s vehicle and the obstacle at least through steering operation by the driver.

9. An automatic vehicle braking device according to claim 4, wherein:

the collision judgment means makes a judgment as to whether the possibility of collision between one'"'"'s vehicle and the obstacle is at least one of high and low based on the detection values obtained by the detection means, judging that the possibility of collision is high when collision cannot be avoided through steering operation by the driver; and

the third braking force control means operates only when the possibility of collision is low, and does not operate when the possibility of collision is high.

10. An automatic vehicle braking device according to claim 5, wherein:

the collision judgment means makes a judgment as to whether the possibility of collision between one'"'"'s vehicle and the obstacle is at least one of high and low based on the detection values obtained by the detection means, judging that the possibility of collision is high when collision cannot be avoided through steering operation by the driver; and

the fourth braking force control means operates only when the possibility of collision is low, and does not operate when the possibility of collision is high.

11. An automatic vehicle braking device according to claim 4, further comprising:

rearward detection means for detecting an obstacle existing at at least one of a right rearward position and left rearward position with respect to the vehicle,

wherein, based on the detection result obtained by the rearward detection means, the third braking force control means operates only when no obstacle exists in a direction in which collision avoidance is to be effected, and does not operate when an obstacle exists in that direction.

12. An automatic vehicle braking device according to claim 5, further comprising:

rearward detection means for detecting an obstacle existing at at least one of a right rearward position and left rearward position with respect to the vehicle,

wherein, based on the detection result obtained by the rearward detection means, the fourth braking force control means operates only when no obstacle exists in a direction in which collision avoidance is to be effected, and does not operate when an obstacle exists in that direction.