Contact preventive apparatus for vehicles

• US 5,332,057 A
• Filed: 09/14/1993
• Issued: 07/26/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Fujise, Kazuki, Hikida, Naoyuki, Takagi, Takeshi, Matsuoka, Satoru, Hara, Toshihiro, Doi, Ayumu, Morioka, Satoshi, Butsuen, Tetsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Mitchell, David M.
• Application Number:
  US08/120,223
• Time in Patent Office: 315 Days
• Field of Search: 180/169, 180/168, 180/167, 303/95, 303/97, 303/100, 303/109, 303/20, 364/426.01, 364/426.04, 364/461, 364/424
• US Class Current: 180/169
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• 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 8/344 Hydraulic systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/4809 Traction control, stability control, using both the wheel brakes and other automatic braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/20 Direction indicator values
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/00 Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93

Abstract

A contact preventive system for vehicles using an automatic braking device and an automatic steering device together. Contact forecasting mechanism forecasts the contact of a vehicle with an obstacle. When the contact of the obstacle is forecasted, automatic braking control mechanism operates the automatic braking device. Environment detecting mechanism detects the change of environment such as a friction coefficient of a road. Automatic steering control mechanism operates the automatic steering device to alter the advance direction of the vehicle when a possibility of contact is caused by the change of environment during automatic braking. Thus, contact can be avoided.

Claims

1. A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles, comprising:

an automatic steering device for performing steering to prevent a vehicle from coming in contact with an obstacle;

an automatic braking device for automatically braking wheels of the vehicle;

contact forecasting means for forecasting the contact of the obstacle with the vehicle and generating an output signal;

automatic braking control means for receiving the output signal of said contact forecasting means and operating the automatic braking device when the contact of the obstacle is forecasted;

environment detecting means for detecting a change of environment acting on the vehicle and generating an output signal indicative of the change; and

automatic steering control means for operating the automatic steering device to alter the advance direction of the vehicle when receiving the output signal of said environment detecting means during automatic braking.

2. A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the contact forecasting means forecasts that the vehicle may come in contact with the obstacle when the relative speed of the vehicle to the obstacle is smaller than 0 and the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle is not greater than a predetermined distance.

3. A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the automatic steering control means continues automatic steering until a time for passing the obstacle elapses.

4. A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 3, wherein the automatic steering control means performs corrective steering in which the advance direction after ending automatic steering is caused to correspond to that when starting steering after the passing time elapses.

5. A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the environment detecting means recognizes other vehicles around, and

the automatic braking control means receives the output signal of the environment detecting means, and regulates the control of the automatic steering device performed by the automatic steering control means to operate the automatic braking device when other vehicles are recognized around.

6. A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the environment detecting means detects the presence of a turn signal.

7. A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the environment detecting means detects the presence of a friction coefficient of a road on which a vehicle runs.

8. A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the automatic steering control means removes braking performed by automatic braking device when receiving the output of said environment detecting means during automatic braking.

9. A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 8, further comprising speed detecting means for detecting the speed of a vehicle,

wherein the automatic braking control means receives the output of said speed detecting means, and regulates the control of the automatic steering device performed by the automatic steering control means to operate the automatic braking device when the speed of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed.

10. A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 8, wherein the automatic braking control means performs automatic braking if the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle is smaller than the sum of a distance necessary to reduce the speed of the vehicle to a constant speed and a distance at which the contact of the vehicle with the obstacle can be avoided by automatic steering when the speed of the vehicle is a predetermined speed.

11. A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles, having an automatic steering device for performing steering to prevent a vehicle from coming in contact with an obstacle and an automatic braking device for automatically braking wheels, comprising:

contact forecasting means for forecasting the contact of the obstacle with the vehicle and generating an output signal;

automatic braking control means for receiving the output signal of said contact forecasting means and operating the automatic braking device when forecasting the contact of the obstacle;

automatic steering control means for operating the automatic steering device to alter the advance direction of the vehicle when deciding that it is impossible to prevent a vehicle from coming in contact with an obstacle only by automatic braking during automatic braking.