Safety Device for Motor Vehicle and Method for Operating a Motor Vehicle

• US 20140005875A1
• Filed: 03/01/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Hartmann, Bernd, Lauer, Peter, Raste, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,983,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2026/022 with tactile feedback from a controller, e.g. vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/20 Direction indicator values
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/40 Coefficient of friction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0953 the prediction being responsive to vehicle dynamic parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18145 Cornering
• 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: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
• 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 1/161 : Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 : for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 : Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 : Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

The application relates to a device and a method for increasing the safety of a motor vehicle. A first sensor unit (2) senses the surroundings, in particular in order to detect free spaces and objects (0), and the position and movement thereof. A second sensor unit (20) senses the state of the surroundings, a third sensor unit (30) senses the state of the vehicle, and a fourth sensor unit (40) senses the driver'"'"'s commands. The data are merged and a driving safety coordinator (6) determines at least one reliable driving corridor (K1, K2, K3, K4 to Kn) predictively and situationally in order to determine the operational safety. The driver'"'"'s command can be limited to the driving corridor (K1, K2, K3, K4 to Kn) by means of components (9) which can be actuated actively and/or the motor vehicle (1) can be kept in the driving corridor (K1, K2, K3, K4 to Kn) by means of the components (9) which can be actuated actively.

Claims

1. A safety device for a motor vehicle (1) with at least one sensor unit (2) for detecting the environmental conditions and for the output of environmental data, an evaluation unit (4) for merging the environmental data and an evaluation unit (5) for detecting free spaces and objects (0), and the position and movement thereof, and with at least one sensor unit (20) for detecting the state a of the environment and for the output of environmental status data and an evaluation unit (24) for merging the environmental data with the environmental status data to determine a proposed coefficient of friction, and with at least one sensor unit (30) for detecting the vehicle state and for the output of vehicle status data and an evaluation unit (34) for merging the vehicle status data with the proposed coefficient of friction and the driver input data to determine the driving state, and with at least one sensor unit (40) for detecting the driver inputs and for the output of driver input data and an evaluation unit (44) for merging the driver input data with the vehicle status data to determine the driver'"'"'s setpoint course, characterized in that a driving safety coordinator (6) predictively and situatively determines at least one permissible driving corridor (K1, K2, K3, K4 to Kn) in order to ensure operational safety and restricts the driver input to the driving corridor using actively addressable components (9) and keeps the motor vehicle (1) in the driving corridor (K1, K2, K3, K4 to Kn) using the actively addressable components (9).

2. The safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving safety coordinator (6) evaluates the pool of the data obtained with respect to the criticality of the driving situation and is configured to output a warning to the driver and/or the environment.

3. The safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that the area of the permissible driving corridor (K1, K2, K3, K4 to Kn) is delimited both by spatial and situational boundary lines and by limits of driving physics within a predicted avoidance area.

4. The safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving safety coordinator (6) actuates the actively addressable components (9) such that a counterforce is generated in the accelerator pedal, an intervention in the driving engine, an intervention in the power train, or a braking intervention is performed to keep the vehicle in the driving corridor (K1, K2, K3, K4 to Kn).

5. The safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving safety coordinator (6) actuates the actively addressable components (9) such that an additional steering torque and/or additional steering angle or a braking intervention aimed at individual wheels is generated to generate a yaw moment to keep the vehicle in the driving corridor (K1, K2, K3, K4 to Kn).

6. The safety device according to claim 5, characterized in that the driver can override the actuation by the actively addressable components (9) that restricts the vehicle to the driving corridor (K1, K2, K3, K4 to Kn) at any time.

7. The safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving safety coordinator (6) is configured to issue a haptic, acoustic and/or optical warning to the driver.

8. The safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving safety coordinator (6) is configured to initiate an emergency brake operation when the permissible driving corridors (K1, K2, K3, K4 to Kn) provide no avoidance option and the collision risk is high.

9. The safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that a driving maneuver is performed in an automated or autonomous manner.

10. The safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one sensor unit (2) for detecting the environmental conditions and for the output of environmental data consists of a radar, lidar, or camera system.

11. The safety device according to claim 10, characterized in that the at least one sensor unit (2) takes into account other information may be transmitted using car-to-X communication for the detection of the environmental conditions and for the output of environmental data.

12. The safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one sensor unit (20) for detecting the environmental state is formed by a rain sensor, a thermoelement, and/or by a camera system.

13. The safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one sensor unit (30) for detecting the vehicle state consists of a wheel speed sensor, a lateral acceleration sensor, a longitudinal acceleration sensor, and/or a yaw rate sensor.

14. The safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one sensor unit (40) for detecting the driver input is formed by a steering angle sensor, a pedal angle sensor for the brake pedal and/or the accelerator pedal and/or a transmitter of the direction indicator.

15. The safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that the evaluation units (4, 24, 34, 44) are configured to perform a data merger by pooling and completing incomplete records for data cleansing.

17. The safety device according to claim 4, characterized in that the driver can override the actuation by the actively addressable components (9) that restricts the vehicle to the driving corridor (K1, K2, K3, K4 to Kn) at any time.

16. A method for operating a motor vehicle (1) with at least one sensor unit (2) for detecting the environmental conditions and for the output of environmental data, an evaluation unit (4) for merging the environmental data and an evaluation unit (5) for detecting free spaces and objects (0), and the position and movement thereof, and with at least one sensor unit (20) for detecting the state of the environment and for the output of environmental status data and an evaluation unit (24) for merging the environmental data with the environmental status data to determine a proposed coefficient of friction, and with at least one sensor unit (30) for detecting the vehicle state and for the output of vehicle status data and an evaluation unit (34) for merging the vehicle status data with the proposed coefficient of is friction and the driver input data to determine the driving state, and with at least one sensor unit (40) for detecting the driver inputs and for the output of driver input data and an evaluation unit (44) for merging the driver input data with the vehicle status data to determine the driver'"'"'s setpoint course, characterized in that a permissible driving corridor (K1, K2, K3, K4 to Kn) is predictively and situatively determined in order to ensure operational safety and that the motor vehicle (1) is kept in the driving corridor (K1, K2, K3, K4 to Kn) in that the driver n input is restricted to the driving corridor using actively addressable components (9).