VEHICLE DRIVING SUPPORT APPARATUS

• US 20120239265A1
• Filed: 03/02/2012
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: KATO, Hiroki, Natori, Kiyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,909,452 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/02 Active or adaptive cruise control system; Distance control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/06 Disposition of pedal
• 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: B60W 10/188 hydraulic brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0953 the prediction being responsive to vehicle dynamic parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/087 where the control system corrects or modifies a request from the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands

Abstract

In a vehicle driving support apparatus, if a brake pedal operation by a driver is detected during a braking control, a cruise control unit determines that it is highly likely that the driver recognizes a possibility of a collision of a subject vehicle and a obstacle, and halts the braking control. On the other hand, if a depression amount of the brake pedal by the driver changes to a release side at or over a preset speed, the cruise control unit restarts the halted braking control.

Claims

1. A vehicle driving support apparatus comprising:

a collision determining unit for determining a possibility of a collision of a subject vehicle and a obstacle that is recognised in front of the subject vehicle;

a braking control unit for performing a braking control with respect to the obstacle when the collision determining units determines that there is a possibility of a collision of the subject vehicle and the obstacle;

a control halt determining unit that determines a halt of the braking control when a brake pedal operation by a driver is detected; and

a control restart determining unit that determines a restart of the halted braking control when a depression amount of the brake pedal changes to a release side at or over a preset speed while it is determined there is a possibility of a collision against the obstacle.

2. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the preset speed is set to a high speed that is unlikely to be generated when a driver operates the brake pedal to the release side with the driver'"'"'s foot being put on the brake pedal.

3. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the brake pedal swings to the release side by an force;

and

the preset speed is set to be higher than a speed of the brake pedal swings to the release side only by the urging force.

4. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collision determining unit comprising:

a time to collision calculating unit for calculating a time to collision of the subject vehicle and the obstacle; and

a warning executing unit for warning the driver when the time to collision becomes shorter than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

5. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the collision determining unit comprising a time to collision calculating unit for calculating a time to collision of the subject vehicle and the obstacle;

and

the braking control unit performing a braking control so as to alert the driver when the time to collision becomes shorter than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

7. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the collision determining unit comprising a time to collision calculating unit for calculating a time to collision of the subject vehicle and the obstacle;

and

the braking control unit permitting the halt of the braking control determined by the control halt determining unit only when the time to collision is longer than a predetermined threshold.

8. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the collision determining unit comprising a time to collision calculating unit for calculating a time to collision of the subject vehicle and the obstacle;

and

the braking control unit prohibiting the halt of the braking control determined by the control halt determining unit when the time to collision is shorter than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

6. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to wherein

the collision determining unit comprising a time to collision calculating unit for calculating a time to collision of the subject vehicle and the obstacle;

and

the braking control unit performing a braking control so as to stop the subject vehicle when the time to collision becomes shorter than or equal to a predetermined threshold.