Motor vehicle having a preventive protection system

• US 20090299576A1
• Filed: 09/20/2005
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Justen, Rainer, Baumann, Karl-Heinz, Fehring, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,873,473 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0119 Plausibility check
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems

Abstract

A motor vehicle preventive protection system comprises a plurality of safety devices which are actuated as a function of information from at least one vehicle surroundings detection device. The time remaining prior to a collision is determined when the information from the vehicle surroundings detection device represents an anticipated collision with a collision object. Associated activation times for at least two of the actuators assigned to the safety devices are stored and the time remaining prior to the collision is compared with the activation times. At least one safety device is activated if the time remaining prior to the collision is shorter than or equal to at least one of the activation times of the actuators.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A vehicle preventive protection system which comprises a plurality of safety devices that are actuated as a function of information from at least one vehicle surroundings detection device;

wherein;

a time remaining prior to a collision is determined if information from the at least one vehicle surroundings detection device represents an anticipated collision with a collision object;

associated activation times for at least two of the actuators assigned to the safety devices are stored;

the time remaining prior to the collision is compared with said activation times; and

at least one safety device is activated if the time remaining prior to the collision is shorter than or equal to at least one of the activation times of the actuators.

16. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 15, wherein actuators whose activation time is shorter than or equal to the time remaining prior to the collision are activated simultaneously or successively.

17. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 15, wherein when the time remaining expires or is shortened, each actuator whose activation time is shorter than or equal to the remaining time is activated.

18. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 15, wherein an actuator which has the longest of all the activation times which are shorter than or equal to the remaining time is determined as being the actuator which triggers first, and all the actuators are activated in accordance with a cascading rule which is referred to the actuator which triggers first.

19. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 18, wherein activation of actuators is stored in a cascading rule, in a sequence with predetermined delay times.

20. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 18, wherein an actuator which triggers first is activated when the time remaining is equal to its activation time.

21. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 15, wherein at least one actuator whose activation time is longer than the remaining time is triggered as soon as the information from the vehicle surroundings detection device represents an anticipated collision with a collision object.

22. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 15, wherein the vehicle surroundings detection device is configured to a minimum sensor range which is determined from a product of a predefined maximum relative velocity and a time value which corresponds to the necessary activation time of an actuator plus a necessary cycle time of the vehicle surroundings detection device, multiplied by a necessary number of sampling processes.

23. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 15, wherein at least one safety device is activated only if in addition the data from a driving situation data acquisition device represents a driver behavior/vehicle behavior which is predefined for a collision plausibility check.

24. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 23, wherein the data which represents a driver behavior/vehicle behavior for a collision plausibility check comprises at least one of an accelerator pedal position, an accelerator pedal movement, a brake pedal position and a brake pedal movement.

25. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 23, wherein the data which represents a driver behavior/vehicle behavior for a collision plausibility check comprises at least one of a steering wheel speed and a steering wheel acceleration in a predefined time, with respect to an actual velocity of the motor vehicle.

26. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 23, wherein the data which represents a driver behavior/vehicle behavior for a collision plausibility check comprises an operator control activity of an operator control element in a predefined time.

27. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 23, wherein the data which represents a driver behavior/vehicle behavior for a collision plausibility check comprises physiological data of the driver.

28. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 15, wherein the information which represents an anticipated collision with a collision object comprises at least one of a relative position and an offset of the collision object in the lateral direction.

29. A motor vehicle having a prevention protection system which comprises a plurality of safety devices that are actuated as a function of information from at least one vehicle surroundings detection device;

wherein;

a time remaining prior to a collision being determined if information from the at least one vehicle surroundings detection device represents an anticipated collision with a collision object;

associated activation times for at least two of the actuators assigned to the safety devices are stored;

the time remaining prior to the collision is compared with said activation times; and

at least one safety device is activated if the time remaining prior to the collision is shorter than or equal to at least one of the activation times of the actuators.