Collision avoiding system for vehicles

• US 6,574,559 B2
• Filed: 07/08/1998
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1997
• 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: Sugimoto, Yoichi, Kodaka, Kenji, Shinmura, Tomoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US09/111,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20010003810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,791 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301, 701/300, 701/96, 701/41, 701/80, 340/903, 342/71, 180/275, 180/282
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/02 Active or adaptive cruise control system; Distance control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/02 Active Steering, Steer-by-Wire
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/09 Complex systems; Conjoint control of two or more vehicle active control systems
• 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: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/35 Road bumpiness, e.g. potholes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/006 using a measured or estimated road friction coefficient

Abstract

A collision avoiding system is provided to enhance a collision avoiding effect by stabilizing a vehicle behavior during automatic braking. Steering controlling apparatus includes not only an ordinary electric power steering control unit but also an active steering reaction calculating unit for driving a motor of a steering system to compensate for the influence of disturbances, if the vehicle is shocked by an unusual bounce from an uneven road or the like. When obstacle detecting apparatus such as a laser-radar detects an obstacle which requires operation of automatic braking, a control parameter changing unit receives the automatic braking activating signal to make a change in the control parameters for an active steering reaction control. As a result, the steering control apparatus controls steering to suppress the influence of the disturbances more substantially during automatic control of the vehicle than otherwise, so that the turbulence of the vehicle can be prevented to retain a sufficient braking force, thereby enhancing the collision avoiding effect.

Claims

1. A vehicular collision avoiding system, comprising:

obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle located ahead of the vehicle;

a braking system for braking the vehicle;

brake control means for controlling the operation of the braking system on the basis of a relative distance and a relative speed between the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting means and the vehicle; and

a steering system for steering the vehicle comprising steering controlling means coupled to the brake control means, said steering control means outputting a steering command signal to control the operation of the steering system on the basis of a braking command signal outputted by the brake control means, so as to suppress the influence of disturbances caused by the operation of the braking system.

2. A vehicular collision avoiding system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the steering controlling means corrects the steering command signal in accordance with the degree of influence which is exerted upon the steering of the vehicle by the operation of the braking system.

3. A vehicular collision avoiding system as set forth in claim 2, including means for determining a road surface friction coefficient, means for determining a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle, means for determining a braking force of the vehicle, means for determining a tie rod axial tension and calculating means for calculating the degree of the influence exerted upon the steering of the vehicle by the operation of the steering system on the basis of at least one of the road surface friction coefficient, the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle, the braking force of the vehicle and the tie rod axial tension.