Emergency Brake Assistance System for Assisting a Driver of a Vehicle when Setting the Vehicle in Motion

• US 20120265418A1
• Filed: 12/07/2010
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Foerster, Daniel, Klug, Michael, Hartmann, Andreas, Weiss, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,942,904 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• 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 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

The invention relates to an emergency brake assistance system (10) for assisting a driver of a vehicle when setting the vehicle in motion, comprising

• • a collision risk detection unit (12) which is designed to detect a risk of collision with an object in front of the vehicle, based on data from an environment sensor system (14) for recording objects in front of the vehicle and data from an accelerator sensor system (16) for recording an intention to accelerate by the driver, and
  • a collision avoidance unit (18) which is designed to implement measures to prevent a potential collision with the object in front of the vehicle, based on data from the collision risk detection unit, wherein
  • the emergency brake assistance system (10) is designed to temporarily implement for a specified time duration a deactivation of a cancellation and activation suppression condition of a safety concept when recording an intention to accelerate by the driver at a vehicle speed which is lower than a specified speed threshold.

Claims

1. An emergency brake assistance system (10) for assisting a driver of a vehicle when setting the vehicle in motion, comprising

a collision risk detection unit (12) which is designed to detect a risk of collision with an object in front of the vehicle, based on data from an environment sensor system (14) for recording objects in front of the vehicle and data from an accelerator sensor system (16) for recording an intention to accelerate by the driver, and

a collision avoidance unit (18) which is designed to implement measures to prevent a potential collision with the object in front of the vehicle, based on data from the collision risk detection unit, wherein

the emergency brake assistance system (10) is designed to temporarily implement for a specified time duration a deactivation of a cancellation and activation suppression condition of a safety concept when recording an intention to accelerate by the driver at a vehicle speed which is lower than a specified speed threshold.

2. A system according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the collision risk detection unit is designed

to estimate a vehicle acceleration within an adaptable time frame, based on the data from the accelerator sensor system, and

to detect the risk of collision with an object in front of the vehicle when the estimated vehicle acceleration gives cause to anticipate that a collision with the object will occur.

3. A system according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the collision risk detection unit is designed

to calculate a time ttc until collision occurs, a time ttb until the required braking maneuver should be conducted, a time tts until the required steering maneuver should be conducted and/or a necessary deceleration a_nec in order to avoid the collision, based on the data from the environment sensor system and the accelerator sensor system, and

to evaluate the risk of collision with an object in front of the vehicle, based on one or more of these calculated values.

4. A system according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the collision avoidance unit is designed to implement one or more of the following actions as measures to prevent a potential collision with the object in front of the vehicle:

output of a brake intervention signal (20) in order to a trigger an electronic brake system (22), in particular for an autonomous, rapid and time-restricted brake intervention,

output of an acceleration block signal (24) in order to trigger an engine control device (26), in particular for the suppression of the intention to accelerate for a restricted period of time,

output of a visual, acoustic and/or haptic warning (28, 30, 32) for the driver.

5. A system according to claim 4,

characterized in that

the collision avoidance unit is furthermore designed to output a brake intervention signal with a variable gradient s and for a variable target deceleration, in particular a maximum possible deceleration.

6. A system according to claim 1,

characterized in that

it is designed to temporarily output a deactivation signal (34) in order to deactivate a cancellation and activation suppression condition of a safety concept when recording an intention to accelerate by the driver, for a specified time duration, in particular for approximately 1 to 3 seconds.

7. A system according to claim 6,

characterized in that

it is furthermore designed to only output the deactivation signal when

the vehicle is at standstill, or

the vehicle speed is lower than a specified speed threshold and the acceleration of the vehicle is not a negative.

8. A system according to claim 6,

characterized in that

it is furthermore designed not to emit the deactivation signal when a negative acceleration of the vehicle is present.