Motor Vehicle Having a Driver Assistance Unit

• US 20140142830A1
• Filed: 06/14/2012
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Bernzen, Werner, Reutter, Dominic, Parca, Hikmet
• Granted Patent: US 9,415,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• 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: B60T 8/17558 specially adapted for collision avoidance or collision mitigation road vehicle drive control systems for collision avoidance otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/09
• 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

Abstract

A motor vehicle has a driver assistance unit that includes a braking unit and at least one detection unit to detect an environmental parameter. The driver assistance unit can control performance of an autonomous deceleration of the motor vehicle in the case of a risk of collision, which is recognized using the environmental parameter. The driver assistance unit is formed in such a way that an autonomous emergency stop is only then able to be carried out if the motor vehicle has at least one reversible seat belt pre-tensioner.

Claims

1-7. -7. (canceled)

8. A motor vehicle having a driver assistance unit, which comprises:

at least one detection unit configured to detect an environmental parameter; and

a braking unit,

wherein the driver assistance unit is configured to perform an autonomous deceleration of the motor vehicle using the braking unit when a risk of collision is identified using the environmental parameter, and

wherein the driver assistance unit is configured so that an autonomous emergency stop is performed only if the motor vehicle has at least one reversible seat belt pre-tensioner.

9. The motor vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the driver assistance unit is configured to examine activity of a drive unit of the reversible seat belt pre-tensioner.

10. The motor vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the detection unit detects the at least one environmental parameter using a radar sensor, a LIDAR sensor, or an optical camera unit.

11. A method for operating a driver assistance unit for a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting, by a detection unit, a risk of collision using at least one detected environmental parameter; and

triggering an autonomous deceleration of the motor vehicle is triggered if the risk of collision is detected,

wherein depending on the autonomous deceleration to be triggered, an activity of a drive unit of a reversible seat belt pre-tensioner is examined and an autonomous emergency stop of the motor vehicle is only then carried out if the examination of the activity of the drive unit indicates the reversible seat belt pre-tensioner is operational.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the activity of the reversible seat belt pre-tensioner is only examined if an amount of deceleration of the motor vehicle to be triggered is lower than a predetermined maximum amount.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein a warning is emitted to a vehicle driver before the autonomous deceleration is initiated when the risk of collision is detected.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the warning to the vehicle driver is emitted as an optical, audible or haptic warning signal.