METHOD FOR REDUCING THE RISK OF A COLLISION BETWEEN A VEHICLE AND A FIRST EXTERNAL OBJECT

• US 20120203418A1
• Filed: 02/07/2012
• Published: 08/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polestar Performance AB (Polestar Automotive Holding UK Plc)
• Original Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation (AB Volvo)
• Inventors: Braennstroem, Mattias, Backhouse, Andrew, Hammarstrand, Lars, Applehult, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 8,755,998 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision

Abstract

A method for reducing the risk of a collision between a vehicle and at least a first external object is contemplated. The risk of a collision may be reduced with use of a collision avoidance system having a detection unit adapted to issue a control signal in the event it detects a collision involving a first external object in a vicinity of the host vehicle, and an action unit adapted to operate the collision avoidance system such that an emergency manoeuvre can be initiated by the collision avoidance system at an earlier stage if the control signal is issued, as compared to when no control signal is issued.

Claims

1. A method for reducing the risk of a collision between a vehicle hosting a collision avoidance system and a first external object, said method comprising:

detecting if a collision involving said first external object has occurred in a vicinity of said host vehicle, and

operating said collision avoidance system of said host vehicle, such that an emergency manoeuvre can be autonomously initiated by said collision avoidance system at an earlier stage if a collision was detected, as compared to if no collision was detected.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the triggering of said initiation of said emergency manoeuvre is dependent on at least one the recentness and the severity of said detected collision involving said first external object.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said method further comprises:

assessing a state of said first external object located in said vicinity of said host vehicle,

wherein said collision avoidance system, before autonomously initiating said emergency manoeuvre, checks if a collision involving said first external object was detected or not,

if no, said collision avoidance system performs a control step in order to increase the accuracy of said assessed state at least once before autonomously initiating said emergency manoeuvre, and

if yes, said collision avoidance system autonomously initiates said emergency manoeuvre at an earlier stage as compared to if no collision was detected.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said emergency manoeuvre comprises at least one of an autonomous braking operation, an autonomous steering operation and giving a warning signal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

considering two parallel traffic situation hypotheses for said vicinity, a first hypothesis being a normal traffic situation and a second hypothesis being a collision situation,

selecting one of said hypotheses based on if a collision has been detected or not, and

basing said operation of said collision avoidance system on the selected hypothesis.

6. A collision avoidance system for a vehicle comprising:

a detection unit adapted to issue a control signal in the event it detects a collision involving a first external object in a vicinity of said host vehicle, and

an action unit adapted to operate said collision avoidance system, such that an emergency manoeuvre can be autonomously initiated by said collision avoidance system at an earlier stage if said control signal is issued, as compared to when no control signal is issued.

7. The collision avoidance system according to claim 6 further comprising:

a state assessment means adapted to assess a state of said first external object located in said vicinity of said host vehicle,

wherein said collision avoidance system before autonomously initiating said emergency manoeuvre checks the status of said control signal,

if passive, said collision avoidance system performs a control step in order to increase the accuracy of said assessed state at least once before autonomously initiating said emergency manoeuvre, and

if active, said collision avoidance system autonomously initiates said emergency manoeuvre at an earlier stage as compared to if passive.

8. The collision avoidance system according to claim 7, wherein said detection unit comprises a first sensor assembly for monitoring said vicinity of said host vehicle in order to detect if a collision involving said first external object has occurred.

9. The collision avoidance system according to claim 8, wherein said state assessment means comprises a second sensor assembly for measuring a state of said first external object.

10. The collision avoidance system according to claim 9, wherein said first and second sensor assemblies are adapted to use different physical measurements.

11. The collision avoidance system according to claim 10, wherein said first sensor assembly is at least one of acoustic and image-based.

12. The collision avoidance system according to claim 11, wherein said second sensor assembly is adapted to use electromagnetic radiation, such as radio waves, light, infrared light or ultraviolet light.

13. The collision avoidance system of claim 12 wherein the detection unit, action unit, and state assessment means are included within a vehicle.

14. A computer program stored in a readable storage unit and adapted to be used in a collision avoidance system of a host vehicle, said collision avoidance system comprising a detection unit and an action unit, said computer program comprising instruction sets for:

receiving a signal from the detection unit in order to detect if a collision has occurred in a vicinity of said host vehicle,

transmitting a second signal to the action unit,

operating said collision avoidance system of said host vehicle, such that an emergency manoeuvre can be initiated by said collision avoidance system at an earlier stage if a collision was detected, as compared to when no collision was detected.

15. The computer program of claim 14 comprising instructions for:

assessing a state of a first external object located in said vicinity of said host vehicle,

before autonomously initiating said emergency manoeuvre, checking if the collision involved said first external object and was detected or not,

if no, performing a control step in order to increase the accuracy of said assessed state at least once before initiating said emergency manoeuvre, and

if yes, initiating said emergency manoeuvre at an earlier stage as compared to if no collision was detected.

16. The computer program of claim 14 further comprising instructions for:

considering two parallel traffic situation hypotheses for said vicinity, a first hypothesis being a normal traffic situation and a second hypothesis being a collision situation,

selecting one of said hypotheses based on if a collision has been detected or not, and

basing said operation of said collision avoidance system on the selected hypothesis.

17. The computer program of claim 14 further comprising instructions for initiating said emergency manoeuvre as at least one of an autonomous braking operation, an autonomous steering operation and giving a warning signal.

18. An electronic control unit adapted to:

detect if a collision has occurred in a vicinity of a vehicle, and

operate a collision avoidance system of said vehicle, such that an emergency manoeuvre can be initiated by said collision avoidance system at an earlier stage if a collision was detected, as compared to when no collision was detected.

19. The electronic control unit of claim 18 adapted to:

assess a state of a first external object located in said vicinity of said host vehicle, before initiating said emergency manoeuvre, checking if the collision involved said first external object and was detected or not,

if no, performing a control step in order to increase the accuracy of said assessed state at least once before initiating said emergency manoeuvre, and

if yes, initiating said emergency manoeuvre at an earlier stage as compared to if no collision was detected.

20. The electronic control unit of claim 18 adapted to:

consider two parallel traffic situation hypotheses for said vicinity, a first hypothesis being a normal traffic situation and a second hypothesis being a collision situation,

select one of said hypotheses based on if a collision has been detected or not, and

base said emergency manoeuvre on the selected hypothesis.