Device for representing a control situation determined by a motor vehicle distance control device

• US 6,542,807 B2
• Filed: 12/21/1999
• Issued: 04/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Heinrichs-Bartscher, Sascha, Bienias, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US09/469,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20010039471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 701/96, 701/93, 701/301, 340/903, 340/988, 340/435, 340/436, 180/169, 180/168, 180/170, 342/70, 342/71, 367/96, 367/909
• US Class Current: 701/96
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93275 in the bumper area
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/10 Providing two-dimensional and co-ordinated display of distance and direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/24 the display being orientated or displaced in accordance with movement of object carrying the transmitting and receiving apparatus, e.g. true-motion radar

Abstract

A device for representing on a display device a control situation determined by a motor vehicle distance control device, the distance control device being connected to a sensor which detects the coordinates and the relative speed of the obstacles located ahead of the motor vehicle and relays them to the distance control device, which determines the expected lane of the motor vehicle, the distance control device determining from these data a control object with reference to which the distance of the motor vehicle is controlled. Referring lso a device referring the multiplicity of the data required for distance control in a motor vehicle can be checked in a simple way for their correctness, the distance control device (3) is connected to a display control device (14) which converts the data detected by the sensor (9) and calculated by the distance control device (10) into an approximately true-to-scale plan view of the control situation ahead of the vehicle (1), which is displayed on the display device (15).

Claims

1. A device for representing on a display device a control situation determined by a motor vehicle distance control device, the distance control device being connected to a sensor which detects the coordinates of the obstacles located ahead of the motor vehicle and relays them to the distance control device, which determines the expected lane of the motor vehicle, the distance control device determining from these data a control object with reference to which the distance of the motor vehicle is controlled, wherein the distance control device (3) is connected to a display control device (14) which converts the data detected by the sensor (9) including locations of the obstacles located ahead of the vehicle and data including the expected lane calculated by the distance control device (10) into an approximately true-to-scale plan view of the control situation ahead of the vehicle (1), which is displayed on the display device (15);

and

wherein the display device (15) presents a plan view of the control situation which is suitable for viewing by an operator of the vehicle during a driving of the vehicle, and the plan view includes marks identifying a driving corridor (22) of the motor vehicle, the plan view presenting further marks identifying obstacles (23, 24, 25, 26) located ahead of the motor vehicle.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plan view represents the obstacles (23, 24, 25, 26) detected in the overall detection zone of the sensor (9), and their arrangement in the expected lane (22) of the vehicle (1).

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the distance control device (10) is connected via a data adaptation device (13) to the display control device (14), the data adaptation device device (13) having an arithmetic unit (16) which is connected to a plurality of interfaces (18, 19;

20, 21), each interface (18, 19;

20, 21) having an unchangeable or a freely programmable configuration, and the distance control device (10) being connected to a first interface (18, 19) corresponding to its electronic configuration, and the display control device (14) being connected to a second selected interface (20, 21), and upon receiving a control command the arithmetic unit (16) activating one of a plurality of adaptation programs stored in a memory (17) which adapts to one another the data to be exchanged by the display control device (14) and the distance control device (10).

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein for the purpose of outputting and inputting data from and into the distance control device (10) the arithmetic unit (16) is connected to a serial interface (19) or a bus interface (18), while the data input and data output is performed with the aid of the display control device (14) via a serial (21) or parallel interface (20).

5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the selection of the data which are transmitted by the distance control device (10) can be configured in the display control device (14).

6. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein for simulation purposes the display control device (14) can input changes in the control situation into the distance control device (10), the data newly calculated by the distance control device (10) being represented as a plan view of the control situation on the display device (15).

7. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein a lane width is changed for simulation purposes.

8. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein for simulation purposes specific objects detected by the sensor (9) are not taken into account when determining the lane.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor further detects the relative speed of the obstacles located ahead of the motor vehicle and relays the detected relative speed to the distance control device, the latter determining further said control object from the relative speed.