ACTIVE SAFETY SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLE AND A METHOD FOR OPERATION IN AN ACTIVE SAFETY SYSTEM

• US 20080061958A1
• Filed: 09/07/2007
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation (AB Volvo)
• Original Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation (AB Volvo)
• Inventors: Eidehall, Andreas, Levin, Daniel, Brannstrom, Mattias Erik, Birk, Wolfgang
• Granted Patent: US 7,755,473 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/517
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/32 Vehicle surroundings
• 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 2540/225 Direction of gaze
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18172 Preventing, or responsive to skidding of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

An active safety system for a vehicle includes an external object sensor system arranged on a host vehicle. The sensor system designed to sense objects external to the host vehicle and generate input data relating to the objects, wherein the input data includes an object position ((R, ψ_rel)(t)). Additionally, a threat indicator is included to assign a threat level (T_k(t)) to each external object (k) detected by the sensor system.

Claims

1. An active safety system for a vehicle comprising:

an external object sensor system arranged on a host vehicle, said sensor system being arranged to, within a detecting range of said sensor system, sense objects (k) external to said host vehicle and generate input data relating to said objects (k), wherein said input data includes an object position ((R, ψ

_rel)(t)),

a threat indicator which is arranged to assign a threat level (T_k(t)) to each external object (k) detected by the sensor system;

characterised in that said active safety system further includes;

an eye gaze recorder arranged for, recording the direction of gaze (φ

(t)) of a user, determined by an eye gaze monitor;

an awareness detector which is arranged to determine awareness (A_k(t)) of an object (k) based on an assessed observation, which observation is being assessed by use of a recorded direction of gaze (φ

(t)) of the user and said object position ((R, ψ

_rel)(t)); and

a controller which is arranged to, for objects (k) detected by said sensor system and objects which the user is aware of ((A_k(t))=1), collect threat level data (T_k(t)) from said threat indicator, to store threat level data (T_k(t)) collected at different points in time, to assign a threat level awareness (T_k(t_k0)) by selecting the threat level (T_k(t)) at which the object (k) was observed (t_k0), and to compare the current threat level (T_k(t)) of the object (k) with the threat level awareness (T_k(t_k0)).

2. An active safety system according to claim 1, characterised in that said controller is arranged to generate a control signal in the event, for any of the objects (k) detected by the sensor system, the current threat level (T_k(t)) exceeds the threat level awareness (T_k(t_k0)) by more than a threshold value (S).

3. An active safety system according to claim 2, characterised in that said threshold value (S) depends on the time interval between the time of observation (t_k0) and the current time (t).

4. An active safety system according to claim 2, characterised in that said threshold value (S) depends on the derivative of the threat level (T_k(t)).

5. An active safety system according to claim 1, characterised in that said awareness time threshold value (S_time) depends on the velocity of the host vehicle.

7. An active safety system according to any of claim 1, characterised in that said control signal (36) generates a warning to the user.

8. A method operated in an active safety system for a vehicle comprising the following process steps:

within a detecting range of a sensor system arranged on a host vehicle, sensing objects (k) and generating input data relating to objects external to said host vehicle, wherein said input data include an object position ((R, ψ

_rel)(t)),

recording the direction of gaze (φ

(t)) of a user, determined by an eye gaze monitor,

determining awareness (A_k(t)) of an object (k) based on an assessed observation, which observation is being assessed by use of a recorded direction of gaze (φ

(t)) of the user and said object position;

assigning a threat level (T_k(t)) to each external object (k) detected by the sensor system;

characterised in that the following further process steps are performed;

for objects detected by said sensor system and objects which the user is aware of, collecting threat level data (T_k(t)) from said threat indicator, storing threat level data (T_k(t)) collected at different points in time, assigning a threat level awareness (T_k(t_k0)) by selecting the threat level (T_k(t)) at which the object was observed (t_k0), and comparing the current threat level (T_k(t)) of the object (k) with the threat level awareness (T_k(t_k0)).

9. A method according to claim 8, characterised in that said controller generates a control signal in the event, for any of the objects detected by the sensor system, the current threat level (T_k(t)) exceeds the threat level awareness (T_k(t_k0)) by more than a threshold value (S).

10. A method according to claim 9, characterised in that said threshold value (S) depends on the time interval (Δ

) between the time of observation (t_k0) and the current time (t).

11. A method according to claim 9, characterised in that said threshold value (S) depends on derivative of the threat level.

12. A method according to any of claim 8, characterised in that said awareness detector determines that a user is no longer aware of an object if the time span (Δ

) since the user observed the object exceeds an awareness time threshold value (s_time).

13. A method according to claim 12, characterised in that said awareness time threshold value (s_time). depends on the velocity of the host vehicle.

14. A method according to any of claims 9, characterised in that said control signal (36) generates a warning to the user.