VEHICLE DRIVING ASSIST SYSTEM

• US 20070272464A1
• Filed: 05/14/2007
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Takae, Yasuhiko, Onozuka, Akira
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,289 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/169
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

A vehicle driving assist system is provided that calculates the risk potential of the host vehicle with respect to a preceding object existing in front of a host vehicle. A first driving assistance control system controls at least one of an actuation reaction force exerted by a driver-operated driving operation device and a braking/driving force exerted against the host vehicle based on the calculated risk potential. A second driving assistance control system configured to control the braking/driving force of the host vehicle such that at least one of a host vehicle speed and a headway distance between the host vehicle and the obstacle is maintained. An operating state reporting section reports an operating state of the first driving assistance control system based on an operating state of the second driving assistance control system, the risk potential, and an accelerator pedal actuation state.

Claims

1. A vehicle driving assist system comprising:

a preceding object detecting section configured to detect a preceding object existing in front of a host vehicle;

a risk potential calculating section configured to calculate a risk potential indicative of a degree of convergence between the host vehicle and the preceding obstacle based on a detection result of the preceding object detecting section;

a first driving assistance control system configured to control at least one of an actuation reaction force exerted by a driver-operated driving operation device and a braking/driving force exerted against the host vehicle based on the risk potential calculated by the risk potential calculating section;

a second driving assistance control system configured to control the braking/driving force of the host vehicle such that at least one of a host vehicle speed and a headway distance between the host vehicle and the preceding obstacle is maintained;

an accelerator pedal actuation state detecting section configured to detect an actuation state of an accelerator pedal; and

an operating state reporting section configured to report an operating state of the first driving assistance control system based on an operating state of the second driving assistance control system, the risk potential, and the accelerator pedal actuation state.

2. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 1, wherein

the operating state reporting section includes a display control component that is configured to display an operation ON/OFF status of the first driving assistance control system on a display device.

3. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 2, wherein

the display control component is configured to flash an indicator on the display device in accordance with the risk potential when the control executed by the second driving assistance control system is overridden due to depression of the accelerator pedal.

4. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 1, wherein

the operating state reporting section includes a sound output device configured to emit a sound to report the operation ON/OFF status of the first driving assistance control system.

5. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 4, wherein

the operating state reporting section includes a sound operation switch to selectively turn the sound output device on and off.

6. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 1, wherein

the first driving assistance control system is configured to control the actuation reaction force exerted by the accelerator pedal as the actuation reaction force exerted by a driver-operated driving operation device;

and

the operating state reporting section includes a reaction force characteristic changing component configured to change an actuation reaction force characteristic exhibited by the accelerator pedal in accordance with the operation ON/OFF status of the first driving assistance control system when the control executed by the second driving assistance control system is overridden due to depression of the accelerator pedal.

7. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 6, wherein

the reaction force characteristic changing component is configured such that when the first driving assistance control system is in the operation OFF state and the control executed by the second driving assistance control system is overridden, the reaction force characteristic changing component changes the actuation reaction force characteristic such that the accelerator pedal is easier to depress than when actuation reaction force control is not executed by the first driving assistance control system.

8. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 7, wherein

the reaction force characteristic changing component is configured to temporarily change the actuation reaction force characteristic based on the risk potential.

9. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 7, further comprising

a valve opening degree adjusting section configured to adjust a throttle valve opening degree in a closing direction when the actuation reaction force characteristic is changed by the reaction force characteristic changing component.

10. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 6, wherein

the reaction force characteristic changing component is configured such that when the first driving assistance control system is in the operation ON state and the control executed by the second driving assistance control system is overridden, the reaction force characteristic changing component changes the actuation reaction force characteristic such that the accelerator pedal becomes more difficult to depress than when the actuation reaction force exerted by the accelerator pedal is controlled by the first driving assistance control system.

11. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 10, wherein

the reaction force characteristic changing component is configured to temporarily change the actuation reaction force characteristic based on the risk potential.

12. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 10, further comprising

a valve opening degree adjusting section configured to adjust a throttle valve opening degree in an opening direction when the actuation reaction force characteristic is changed by the reaction force characteristic changing component.

13. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 1, wherein

the first driving assistance control system is configured to control an actuation reaction force exerted by the accelerator pedal as the actuation reaction force exerted by a driver-operated driving operation device;

and

the operating state reporting section is provided with a vibration generating device configured to generate a vibration in the accelerator pedal when the first driving assistance control system is in the operation ON state and the control executed by the second driving assistance control system is overridden due to depression of the accelerator pedal.

14. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 1, wherein

the operating state reporting section further includes a valve opening characteristic changing component configured to change a throttle valve opening characteristic governing opening of a throttle valve in response to operation of the accelerator pedal when the control executed by the second driving assistance control system is overridden due to depression of the accelerator pedal.

15. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 14, wherein

the valve opening characteristic changing component is configured such that when the first driving assistance control system is in the operation OFF state and the control executed by the second driving assistance control system is overridden, the valve opening characteristic changing component corrects the throttle valve opening characteristic to a larger throttle valve opening than when neither the first driving assistance control system nor the second driving assistance control system is executing braking/driving force control.

16. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 14, wherein

the valve opening characteristic changing component is configured such that when the first driving assistance control system is in the operation ON state and the control executed by the second driving assistance control system is overridden, the valve opening characteristic changing component corrects the throttle valve opening characteristic to a smaller throttle valve opening than dictated by the braking/driving force control executed by the first driving assistance control system.

17. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 14, wherein

the valve opening characteristic changing component is configured to temporarily change the throttle valve opening characteristic based on the risk potential.

18. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 1, wherein

the first driving assistance control system is configured to control an actuation reaction force exerted by the accelerator pedal as the actuation reaction force exerted by a driver-operated driving operation device;

and

the operating state reporting section further includes a display control component configured to display an operation ON/OFF status of the first driving assistance control system on a display device and a reaction force characteristic changing component configured to change an actuation reaction force characteristic exhibited by the accelerator pedal in accordance with the operation ON/OFF status of the first driving assistance control system,

the operating state reporting section being configured such that when the first driving assistance control system is in the operation OFF state and the control executed by the second driving assistance control system is overridden due to depression of the accelerator pedal, the display control component flashes the display of the display device in accordance with the risk potential, and then subsequently the reaction force characteristic changing component changes the actuation reaction force characteristic such that the accelerator pedal is easier to depress than when actuation reaction force control is not executed by the first driving assistance control system.

19. The vehicle driving assist system recited in claim 1, wherein

the first driving assistance control system is configured to control an actuation reaction force exerted by the accelerator pedal as the actuation reaction force exerted by a driver-operated driving operation device;

and

the operating state reporting section further includes a display control component configured to display an operation ON/OFF status of the first driving assistance control system on a display device, a reaction force characteristic changing component configured to change an actuation reaction force characteristic exhibited by the accelerator pedal in accordance with the operation ON/OFF status of the first driving assistance control system, and a vibration generating component configured to generate a vibration in the accelerator pedal,

the operating state reporting section being configured such that when the first driving assistance control system is in the operation ON state and the control executed by the second driving assistance control system is overridden due to depression of the accelerator pedal, the display control component flashes the display of the display device in accordance with the risk potential, and then subsequently the vibration generating component generates a vibration in the accelerator pedal, and the reaction force characteristic changing component then subsequently changes the actuation reaction force characteristic such that the accelerator pedal becomes more difficult to depress than when the actuation reaction force exerted by the accelerator pedal is controlled by the first driving assistance control system.

20. A vehicle equipped with the vehicle driving assist system according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle driving assist system is operatively installed to a vehicle body to assist a driver.

21. A vehicle driving assist system comprising:

object detecting means for detecting a preceding object existing in front of a host vehicle;

risk potential calculating means for calculating a risk potential indicative of a degree of convergence between the host vehicle and the preceding obstacle based on a detection result of the object detecting means;

first driving assistance control means for controlling at least one of an actuation reaction force exerted by a driver-operated driving operation device and a braking/driving force exerted against the host vehicle based on the risk potential calculated by the risk potential calculating means;

second driving assistance control means for controlling the braking/driving force of the host vehicle such that at least one of a host vehicle speed and a headway distance between the host vehicle and the preceding obstacle is maintained;

accelerator pedal actuation state detecting means for detecting an actuation state of an accelerator pedal; and

operating state reporting means for reporting an operating state of the first driving assistance control means based on an operating state of the second driving assistance control means, the risk potential, and the accelerator pedal actuation state.

22. A vehicle driving assistance method comprising:

detecting a preceding object existing in front of a host vehicle;

calculating a risk potential indicative of a degree of convergence between the host vehicle and the preceding obstacle based on an obstacle detection result;

executing a first driving assistance control contrived to control at least one of an actuation reaction force exerted by a driver-operated driving operation device and a braking/driving force exerted against the host vehicle based on the risk potential that was calculated;

executing a second driving assistance control contrived to control the braking/driving force of the host vehicle such that at least one of a host vehicle speed and a headway distance between the host vehicle and the preceding obstacle is maintained;

detecting an state of actuation of an accelerator pedal of the host vehicle; and

reporting an operating state of the first driving assistance control based on an operating state of the second driving assistance control, the risk potential, and the accelerator pedal actuation state that was detected.