Driving Assistance Apparatus, Vehicle and Method for Vehicle Cruise Control

• US 20070265760A1
• Filed: 12/16/2004
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Konhauser, Peter, Nocker, Gerhard
• Application Number:
  US10/583,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20070265760A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/97
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0058 responsive to externally generated signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

The invention relates to a driving assistance apparatus (19) for cruise control for a vehicle (10, 27). It is proposed that the driving assistance apparatus have receiving means (25) for reception of a danger alarm (54, 70), which is transmitted without the use of wires at least outside the vehicle (10, 27), and/or of a switch-off command (35), which is formed by a transmitting/receiving device (30) in the vehicle (10, 27) from the danger alarm (54, 70), and in that the apparatus is designed for self-deactivation as a function of the danger alarm (54, 70) and/or cannot be activated as a function of the danger alarm (54, 70).

Claims

1. A driving assistance apparatus for cruise control for a vehicle (10, 27), having receiving means (25) for reception of a danger alarm (54, 70), which is transmitted without the use of wires at least outside the vehicle (10, 27), and/or of a switch-off command (35), which is formed by a transmitting/receiving device (30) in the vehicle (10, 27) from the danger alarm (54, 70), wherein the driving assistance apparatus is designed for self-deactivation as a function of the danger alarm (54, 70) and/or cannot be activated as a function of the danger alarm (54, 70), characterized

in that the driving assistance apparatus is designed for self-deactivation and/or cannot be activated in conjunction with the danger alarm (54, 70) as a function of a current speed of travel (vl) of the vehicle (10, 27).

3. The driving assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized

in that the apparatus is designed for self-deactivation and/or cannot be activated in conjunction with the danger alarm (54, 70) as a function of a preset speed of travel.

4. The driving assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized

in that the apparatus is designed to reduce the speed of travel (vl) of the vehicle (10, 27) before its self-deactivation.

5. The driving assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized

in that the apparatus cannot be activated for a predetermined latency time after reception of the danger alarm (54, 70).

6. The driving assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized

in that the apparatus can receive the danger alarm (54, 70) or the switch-off command (35) via a bus in the vehicle.

7. The driving assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized

in that the danger alarm (54, 70) is transmitted by a fixed-position transmitting device (30, 70) or by a vehicle transmitting device (30, 70) provided in a second vehicle (10, 27).

8. The driving assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized

in that the apparatus has output means for outputting in particular visual and/or audible and/or tactile warning information (46) to the driver (14) of the vehicle (10, 27).

9. The driving assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 8,

characterized

in that the output means output the warning information (46) before deactivation of the driving assistance apparatus (19).

10. The driving assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 8,

characterized

in that the self-deactivation is carried out when the driver (14) has acknowledged the warning information (46) by means of a predetermined control action.

11. The driving assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 8,

characterized

in that the self-deactivation is carried out when the driver (14) does not acknowledge the warning information (46).

12. The driving assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized

in that the apparatus is designed for adaptive cruise control which takes account of the distance (d) from a preceding vehicle (27).

13. A transmitting/receiving device (30) for interaction with a driving assistance apparatus (19) as claimed in claim 1, characterized

in that the device has receiving means (32) for reception of a danger alarm (54, 70), which is transmitted without the use of wires at least outside the vehicle (10, 27), and in that the device has interface means (34) for transmission of the danger alarm (54, 70) and/or of a switch-off command (35), which is formed from the danger alarm (54, 70), to the driving assistance apparatus (19).

14. The transmitting/receiving device (30) as claimed in claim 13, characterized

in that the device has a program code which can be run by a processor which, in particular, is contained in a traction control apparatus and/or a motor or engine control apparatus for a traction motor or engine (16) in the vehicle (10, 27).

15. A storage means having a transmitting/receiving device (30) as claimed in claim 14.

16. A vehicle, in particular a passenger vehicle,

characterized

in that the vehicle contains a a transmitting/receiving device (30) as claimed in claim 13.

19. The driving assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized

in that the apparatus has a program code which can be run by a processor which, in particular, is contained in a traction control apparatus and/or a motor or engine control apparatus for a traction motor or engine (16) in the vehicle (10, 27).

20. A storage means having a driving assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1.

21. A vehicle, in particular a passenger vehicle,

characterized

in that the vehicle contains a driving assistance apparatus (19) as claimed in claim 1.

2. A driving assistance apparatus for cruise control for a vehicle (10, 27), having receiving means (25) for reception of a danger alarm (54, 70), which is transmitted without the use of wires at least outside the vehicle (10, 27), and/or of a switch-off command (35), which is formed by a transmitting/receiving device (30) in the vehicle (10, 27) from the danger alarm (54, 70), wherein the driving assistance apparatus is designed for self-deactivation as a function of the danger alarm (54, 70) and/or cannot be activated as a function of the danger alarm (54, 70), characterized

in that the driving assistance apparatus is designed for self-deactivation and/or cannot be activated in conjunction with the danger alarm (54, 70) as a function of the current distance (d) from a preceding vehicle (27).

17. A method for cruise control of a vehicle (10, 27), in which a danger alarm (54, 70), which is transmitted without the use of wires at least outside the vehicle (10, 27), and/or a switch-off command (35), which is formed from the danger alarm (54, 70), are/is received, wherein the cruise control is deactivated as a function of the danger alarm (54, 70) and/or cannot be activated as a function of the danger alarm (54, 70), characterized

in that the cruise control is deactivated and/or cannot be activated in conjunction with the danger alarm (54, 70) as a function of the current speed of travel (vl) of the vehicle (10, 27).

18. A method for cruise control of a vehicle (10, 27), in which a danger alarm (54, 70), which is transmitted without the use of wires at least outside the vehicle (10, 27), and/or a switch-off command (35), which is formed from the danger alarm (54, 70), are/is received, wherein the cruise control is deactivated as a function of the danger alarm (54, 70) and/or cannot be activated as a function of the danger alarm (54, 70), characterized

in that the cruise control is deactivated and/or cannot be activated in conjunction with the danger alarm (54, 70) as a function of the current distance (d) from a preceding vehicle (27).