Driver Assistance System

• US 20110166746A1
• Filed: 02/24/2009
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZF CV Systems Europe BV (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: Wabco GmbH (Wabco Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hoffmann, Guido, Breuer, Karsten
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/34
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/221 Procedure or apparatus for checking or keeping in a correct functioning condition of brake systems hydraulic pressure systems in general F15B19/00, F15B21/04; testing structures or apparatus G01M
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/024 Collision mitigation systems
• 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: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles

Abstract

The invention relates to a driver assistance system for a motor vehicle, comprising a speed detection device (22) for detecting driving data in the form of a speed (v_k) of the motor vehicle (10), a preceding vehicle detection device (14), which comprises as a first component at least one video camera (18) and as a second component at least one distance sensor (20), for detecting driving data in the form of a distance (A) from a preceding vehicle (16) driving in front of the motor vehicle (10), a preceding vehicle speed determination device for determining driving data in the form of a preceding vehicle speed (v_Vf) of the preceding vehicle (16), and an electric control unit (28), which is equipped to trigger an autonomous deceleration of the motor vehicle (10) with the presence of predetermined brake trigger driving data and to terminate the autonomous deceleration of the motor vehicle (10) with the presence of predetermined brake abortion driving data. According to the invention, the electric control unit (28) is equipped to carry out a method comprising the following steps: redundant detection of preceding vehicle driving data (A, v_Vf) of the preceding vehicle (15), and non-redundant detection of the preceding vehicle driving data (A, v_Vf) if a redundant detection of the preceding vehicle driving data (A, v_Vf) is not possible, comparing the non-redundantly detected preceding vehicle driving data to preceding vehicle driving data redundantly detected within a predetermined time (t), and using the non-redundantly detected preceding vehicle driving data in order to carry out step (d) if the non-redundantly detected preceding vehicle driving data correspond to the redundantly detected preceding vehicle driving data.

Claims

1. A driver assistance system for a motor vehicle, having

(a) a speed detection device (22) for detecting driving data in the form of a speed (v_K) of the motor vehicle (10),

(b) a preceding vehicle detection device (14), which comprises

at least one video camera (18) as a first component and

at least one distance sensor (20) as a second component,

for detecting driving data in the form of a distance (A) from a preceding vehicle (16) driving in front of the motor vehicle (10),

(c) a preceding vehicle speed determination device for determining driving data in the form of a preceding vehicle speed (v_vf) of the preceding vehicle (16) and

(d) an electric actuation unit (28) which is configured

to trigger autonomous braking of the motor vehicle (10) when predetermined brake trigger driving data are present, and

to terminate autonomous braking of the motor vehicle (10) when predetermined brake abort driving data are present,

characterized in that

(e) the electric actuation unit (28) is configured to carry out a method having the steps

(i) redundant detection of preceding vehicle driving data (A, v_vf) of the preceding vehicle (15), and

(ii) if redundant detection of the preceding vehicle driving data (A, v_vf) is impossible,

non-redundant detection of the preceding vehicle driving data (A, v_vf)

comparison of the non-redundantly detected preceding vehicle driving data with preceding vehicle driving data which are detected redundantly within a predefined time (t), and

if the non-redundantly detected preceding vehicle driving data correspond to the redundantly detected preceding vehicle driving data, use of the non-redundantly detected preceding vehicle driving data in order to carry out step (d).

2. The driver assistance system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the electric actuation unit (28) is designed to carry out a method having the additional steps:

if at least one of the components (18, 20) fails so that redundant detection of the preceding vehicle driving data (A, v_vf) becomes impossible,

(i) determination whether a last-detected distance (A) of the preceding vehicle (16) from the motor vehicle (10) undershoots a predefined mean distance (A_min), and

(ii) if this is the case, suppression of an abort of the autonomous braking.

3. The driver assistance system as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electric actuation unit is designed to carry out a method having the additional steps:

if all the components (18, 20) of the preceding vehicle detection device (14) fail after the redundant detection of the preceding vehicle,

extrapolation of the distance (A) from the preceding vehicle (16) and of the preceding vehicle speed (v_vf), and

use of the extrapolated distance (A) and/or of the extrapolated preceding vehicle speed (v_vf) in order to carry out step (d).

4. The driver assistance system as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electric actuation unit is designed to detect whether at least one of the components of the preceding vehicle detection device has failed by detecting whether the video camera (18) outputs signals and does not detect a preceding vehicle (16).

5. A motor vehicle having a driver assistance system as claimed in one of the preceding claims.