Safety running system for vehicle

• US 6,269,308 B1
• Filed: 08/19/1999
• Issued: 07/31/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kodaka, Kenji, Shinmura, Tomoyuki, Sugimoto, Yoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US09/377,105
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 701/93, 701/96, 701/300, 701/301, 342/70, 342/455, 340/435, 340/436, 340/901, 340/903
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0265 Automatic obstacle avoidance by steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 Controlling the steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles

Abstract

In a safety running system, a transverse travelling distance resulting when a subject vehicle travels to a current position of an oncoming vehicle is calculated based on the vehicle velocity and yaw rate of the subject vehicle, a relative transverse distance of the oncoming vehicle relative to a vehicle body axis of the subject vehicle is calculated based on a relative distance, relative velocity and relative angle between the subject vehicle and the oncoming vehicle detected by a radar information processor. When a relative transverse deviation obtained by subtracting the transverse travelling distance from the relative transverse distance resides within a range and that state continues to exist over a predetermined time period, it is judged that there is a collision possibility of the subject vehicle with the oncoming vehicle, and automatic steering is performed so as to avoid a collision.

Claims

1. A safety running system for a vehicle, comprising:

a detection unit detecting an object existing in a direction in which a subject vehicle travels;

a travelling locus estimation unit estimating a future travelling locus of the subject vehicle;

a relative transverse deviation calculation unit calculating a relative transverse deviation between the subject vehicle and an oncoming vehicle based on the results of the detection by said object detection unit and said future travelling locus of the subject vehicle;

a contact possibility judgement unit judging that there is a contact possibility of the subject vehicle with the oncoming vehicle when said relative transverse deviation calculated by said relative transverse deviation calculation unit is within a predetermined range;

a curve exit detection unit detecting that the subject vehicle approaches an exit portion of a curve; and

a correction unit for correcting said relative transverse deviation based on the results of the detection by said curve exit detection unit.

2. A safety running system for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a contact avoidance unit performing contact avoidance steering when said contact possibility judgement unit judges that there is a collision possibility between the subject vehicle and the oncoming vehicle.

3. A safety running system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said curve exit detection unit detects that the subject vehicle approaches the exit portion of the curve based on the road conditions in the travelling direction of the subject vehicle imaged by an imaging unit.

4. A safety running system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said curve exit detection unit detects that the subject vehicle approaches the exit portion of the curve based on a steering wheel turning back operation by the driver from a turned condition to a straight travelling condition detected by a steered angle detection unit.

5. A safety running system for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transverse travelling distance calculation unit calculating a future transverse travelling distance of the subject vehicle based on the travelling locus estimated by said travelling locus estimation unit,

wherein said correction unit corrects the transverse travelling distance such that it is reduced.

6. A safety running system for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said correction unit corrects the transverse travelling distance such that it becomes shorter as the speed of the steering wheel turning back operation by the driver increases.

7. A safety running system for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said correction unit corrects the transverse travelling distance such that it becomes shorter as the turning radius at the curve becomes smaller.